How to Improve Your Sales 'Personality'

Question: My business got off to a quick start but has bogged down and I think it's because our sales effort has faltered. We don't seem to have a clue about why customers buy or don't buy. More and more, our calls are not being returned, and we spend excessive time on bids and proposals that go nowhere. Need help. Now!

Answer: Sounds like you're suffering from "Tortoise & Hare Syndrome." Your sales shot out of the starting blocks like a rabbit. But maybe that made you a little overconfident, thinking it would all be easy and so your sales effort started to coast. Now the slow and steady tortoise (your competition) has passed you snoozing on the sidelines.

To improve maters, focus on the key building blocks to sales success and improving your sales "personality." Over time - even a small amount of time - little things you've done to disappoint customers can build up. Maybe it's something you said, or didn't say. Perhaps a glitch in service that the customer never bother to mention, a piece of information they're missing or an appointment you had to cancel.

Whatever the reasons, the solution lies in acquiring the habits and attributes common to sales success. Here are some of the specific steps you can take to recover the initial glow you had when you started.

1. Ask before you act. Take more time to discover your customer's needs, desires and expectations. Offer them the spotlight. They are the intended buyer, so it's all about them, not about you. This will tune you in to why they buy.
   
   
2. Become a valued resource. This is a natural consequence of the first step. If you take time to listen and ask questions, you will quickly be perceived as a resource, consultant or problem solver, rather than just a sales person.
   
   
3. Do your homework. Demonstrate that you are willing to help the customer by anticipating what they need and having answers to potential objections. Make them good, solid answers grounded in an unshakable understanding of how your product or service fits the customer.
   
   
4. Under promise and over deliver. One reason a business starts fast and then stumbles is that it promised what it could not deliver. Far better to promise slightly less than what you can truly deliver, and thereby exceed customer expectations rather than falling short. The customer will be pleasantly surprised and more likely to become a repeat buyer.
   
   
5. Relax and get real. A stiff robot-like sales approach won't win over many prospects. If your sales people are uncomfortable, the client will probably be uncomfortable too.
   
   
6. Be positive and stay positive, no matter what. It's easy, and potentially deadly to get grumpy or cynical if sales get sickly. But when selling heads south, it's all the more important to display a winning smile and positive attitude - especially for the business owner in charge.
   
   
7. Take a few chances. Try out a new approach, a new marketing pitch or advertising channel. You'll make mistakes, but learn from those missteps. The rewards you gain are often a function of the risks you've taken. When operating a business in today's competitive world, the greater risk is in thinking that the status quo will suffice.
   
   
8. Be an opportunist. Turn on or tune up your new opportunity radar. One of the dangers of early success in a startup is a sense of entitlement to new business. Opportunities almost always abound. You just have to know where to look and how to recognize them. Be constantly alert to potential partnerships, tie-ins or other ways to expand your selling base.
   
   
9. Re-take the sales reins. If you've handed over the main sales effort to someone else, it might be time to step in yourself to right the ship. Initial sales success might have had your own personality stamped on it more than you know.
   
   
10. Create a culture of "Yes." Sales efforts suffer when people start making excuses, whining about failure and believing that "No" is the natural state of affairs. Encourage belief that appointments will come, sales will follow and success will be yours.