There are a few sayings about great salespeople: “He could sell ice to an Eskimo.” “She could sell ketchup to a lady in white gloves.”
How do those people develop the ability to achieve such tough sales? It’s not because they can talk anyone into anything. It’s not even because they have an excellent product to sell. It’s because those salespeople go out of their way build relationships with their prospects.
Without doing the preparation and putting in the effort, it is going to be really difficult to achieve a sale.
“You can close more business in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get people interested in you.” -Dale Carnegie
If a potential customer does not feel that there is a genuine interest in what they want, think, or need, then they will not feel compelled to buy. A great salesperson needs to make an effort to understand what it is the other person needs and determine what can be done to meet that need.
When meeting a potential customer, the salesperson needs to ask questions, gather information, and then give information. Building a relationship with those potential clients leads to growing trust. People are more willing to buy quickly, and often, from someone they feel they have a trusting relationship with.
Every interaction with a customer does not need to end in a sale to be a success. Forming a connection with the other person can lead to a long-term relationship between the salesperson, the brand, and the customer.
A salesperson should always ask questions that will help them get to know their customers better, not just to find out “what they need.” Learn about families, jobs, projects they are working on, and what their plans are for the weekend.
Those types of questions show the customer that a seller is interested in forming a business relationship that lasts longer than the end of the sale.
Not only do strong relationships and trust help close more sales, but they also help to drive future repeat business from those customers who felt a connection with the salesperson. That is an important part of creating brand loyalty
as well.