Leader--The Unexpected Role of the SALES PROFESSIONAL

In this time of economic hardship I am consistently surprised when sales people walk into a clients office and ask "how's business?"  When they know darn good and well that their business is suffering. Instead of piling on the misery with your stories of woe. Why not try a different approach....Leadership! Yeah that's right a sales person today needs to be a Leader as well as a product expert. Below are a few things you can do to be an effective Leader with your clients

1. Bring a New Idea or Business Concept...
Many people in your business have been exposed to many of the same ideas in your industry so you need to bring different ideas from other areas.  You can get ideas from networking groups, great magazines like Fast Company and reading books.  Most people are too busy to find new ideas. If you begin to bring them new ideas your credibility will grow and possibly motivate them to take action.

2.  Be a transition figure...
A transition figure is a person who stops the transmission of negative behaviors to others.  Many times we are a conduit of information and almost enjoy talking about the negative things that are going on.  When you customer wants to talk about how slow business is, it's ok to listen but, then quickly shift the conversation to what you and they can do to help grow the business.

3. Identify what their business goals / dreams are...
By understanding what they really want to accomplish you can tailor you research and efforts towards helping them reach their goals. This will give your visits much more meaning and lead to much more positive behaviors. Also, doing this will help you understand that all clients have different goals and your approach should be slightly different with each.

4. Don't Be a Drag...
Nobody like to hang around a person who is a downer.  Make sure you don't let your personal struggles get in the way of how you communicate with your customers.  As the great Zig Ziglar said "You need a check up from the neck up"...

If you apply these 4 steps to your sales calls not only will your call be more effective but, they may also help your relationships with your clients

Happy Selling