‘Will you stop running!” my grandfather would always call out to me as I raced past at a million miles an hour knocking into things as I went, which today probably contributes to my lack of patience with people who I find slow to act (something I’m working on). But the lesson to be learned here is to have the happy balance between speed and wanting someone to ‘pull their finger out!’ when things are going too slowly. And that happy medium is so important in sales conversations.
How are you going to find out how people make decisions, what the behaviours of their organisations are, what the beliefs are that are underpinning their challenges and aspirations, when you are racing like a bull in a china shop. Because let’s face it, to address the real challenges businesses and individuals have, takes more than talking at a surface, product level or asking bargain basement questions.
It’s about focus. It’s about curiosity. It’s about giving a damn.
And you can’t rush that.
When you take your time in the beginning. When you really focus in on the other party. When you have your questions laid out in front of you that allow them to talk, it takes the pressure off you. You can ask and listen. You can be truly present to the conversation. You can control the speed.
And when you take your time and not rush into your pitch or dive down the rabbit hole and talk about your product, the back end of the conversation goes so quickly. You don’t need to talk about you. You have buy in. Emotional buy in and we know that is the critical moment, the sweet spot, where trust is cemented and business is bought.
So how can you slow down to speed up?
- Create a flow that allows you to be present in the conversation so your questions allow you to sit back and let the customer do the heavy lifting (Know your syntax)
- Know the three key problems your buyer faces before you walk in and really care about serving them (Know your individual buyer)
- Understand not just the benefits your solution will provide but also the consequences they will avoid by working with you (Know the real impact of your solution)
- Ask briliant questions that will allow them to give you those answers as part of the conversational dance (Know their industry)
- Don’t close them on your product but provide a logical next step that makes sense based on your conversation (Know your outcome)
Salespeople are renowned as being socially active, fast talkers, emotional beings and whilst that can be one of their biggest strengths, it can also be one of their biggest weaknesses. They need to learn to tap into the slower, patient, process driven part of themselves that allows them to sit back, be present and relaxed and not be so emotional.
Slowing down will give them the chance to tap into the customers emotions and that is where the sale will be made and when done with the right intention, it will happen lightening fast and in the blink of an eye with no need for any bull – in a china shop or anywhere else.
Be Bold and Brilliant.