We’re all in sales.
Even if you’re not expressly selling products or services or carrying a quota, you’re still representing yourself, your ideas, your causes and your projects.
And contrary to popular belief, likeability is not a necessity to succeed in sales. In fact, if you care too much about being liked, you are destined to fail.
J. Keenan, author of “Gap Selling” says that elite salespeople do not feel the need to be liked. Making friends is not their focus.
The best salespeople realize that customers care more about the value of what they’re buying than the person selling it to them.
They’re buying expertise and solutions, not friendship.
Which is why Keenan teaches sales teams to “Be an expert, not a friend.” Here’s how to demonstrate expertise:
Uncover root causes. Most customers can’t localize their pain. They know it hurts somewhere but they can’t quite tell exactly where. The best salespeople get to the heart of the problem through curiosity and questions, not pleasantries or being funny. And even if customers think they know the source of their problems, the best salespeople push back and challenge the assertions.
Don’t take “yes” for an answer. Sometimes prospects jump on board right away. These early false positives can lull you into complacency – and failure. Which is why you should be skeptical of early agreement and continue probing on problems and implications. Always be learning, not closing.
Learn the process. Every organization has it’s own special process for evaluating and buying new products and services. Approval from one person or one department should be not be mistaken for company-wide commitment. One “yes” doesn’t usually get a deal done, it takes a series of them so be prepared by being an expert on how decisions are made.
Being liked isn’t a bad thing, but it shouldn’t be the goal.
Your expertise and ability to know your customers’ problems better than they do is the real key to sales success. Be an expert, not a friend.
Have a great week.
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