Clarion Communications

“When big financial groups encourage large numbers of consumers to acquire unsustainable mortgages or mortgages with hidden interest rate hikes and other prohibitive conditions and then foreclose, this is a failure of both communication and ethics.” [Shelle Rose Charvet, from her book, The Consumer is Bothering Me: How to change attitudes, improve results and grow your bottom line.]

No other profession gets so much publicity. Sales people – men and women – are constantly under scrutiny. That’s why we know so many of them fail. Now their failure rate, to be honest, is probably no greater than any other profession. Yet the spotlight is on them, and their failures become obvious.

Sales people fail for many reasons. Here is our list of the top three reasons for failure.

1. Understanding People

The world is populated by people with different personalities. There are four broad personality groupings, and sub groupings within those. The population of any given area is divided approximately equally into those four broad categories. Each of us tends to be strong in one of these areas, although we may be in another group as a “secondary” personality style.

From this you learn a most important lesson: 75% of the population is not in the same personality grouping as you are. And then you realize you’re in the minority. Seventy-five percent of the population does not think exactly like you nor process information exactly the way you do, or at the speed in which you do it. In addition, they have different learning “styles.” Some people prefer auditory learning, some kinesthetic. A small number of people prefer to process information by reading.

To be successful in sales, identify the personality of the person to whom you are talking. Then match your presentation to their personality, the manner in which they process information, and the level of detail they require in order to come to a decision.

People are different. Adapt your presentation to suit their learning style and the way they absorb information.

2. Be Quiet (i.e. Shut Up!)

The story is told in the Bible of a man, Samson, who killed a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of an ass. Thousands upon thousands of sales have been killed by the jawbone of an ass.

One of the essential skills in any communication, is knowing how much information should be given. There is no golden rule; just some general observations.

Some people are detail people. They need lots of information. They need it in an orderly and structured manner. And they need it early in the conversation.

Other people, who may be detail people in the long run, do not need the detail early. They need the detail when they are ready for it. And that’s when the sales person needs to be on hand, or readily available, to supply the next snippet of information that this person needs.

3. Talking is Not Enough

Just as a sales person can talk too much, so they can talk too little. People do need information to decide. While this is something like a Goldilocks issue – “Ah, this amount of information is just right” – each person needs specific information to make an informed decision.

It is easy to confuse “talking” with “selling.” Good selling, however, involves listening and asking questions. It also requires answering questions. Perhaps more than anything, listening is the key activity in selling, because it gives the prospect the opportunity to tell the sales person what he needs to move forward from this point.

The key to good selling is not selling. The prospect really needs to sell to himself. You need to give him the right information at the right time until he has convinced himself he needs to buy. Then you can ask for the order.

Selling can be likened to peeling an onion. There are layers to be taken off, one or two at a time. Sure, you can take off many layers immediately and waste a lot of onion.

In sales you need to “peel” away the clutter in the prospect’s mind. Good sales people not only peel carefully, but they develop the skill of understanding other people so that they know in which order the clutter needs to be removed.

Conclusion

These three principles are essential to sound communications and salesmanship.