Selling With Your PersonalityMark Hunter
June 26, 2008
Anyone can sell if the price is cheap enough or if what is being sold
is something people can't live without. However, for the vast majority
of us, neither of these luxuries are part of the scenario. The
difficulty of selling is compounded by the fact that most customers
have a wide range of options available to them regarding what they can
buy. Therefore, in order to close the sale, it becomes necessary for us
to stand out from other salespeople. One of the best ways to be
different is by displaying a confident personality.
A powerful
sales tool that many of us overlook is our personality. It positively
and negatively influences far more sales than we will ever admit to. I
firmly believe that you should use your personality to impact every
sales call. "CPP" is a concept I often teach to sales groups. It stands
for "Confidently Passionate Personality" and it means to use your
personality with a level of passion and confidence that allows the
customer to believe you are genuinely interested in them and their
success. Although it's not rocket science, it is a critical idea that
is often neglected and is very useful in helping you gain sales over
your competition.
Note that in order to successfully use your
personality on a sales call, you have to be confident in how you can
help your customers. Unfortunately, many salespeople are simply
confident in what they're selling, not in their ability. There's a big
difference. When you're confident in what you're selling, it means
you're putting more emphasis on your products or services than you are
on your customers. This misunderstanding eliminates a large number of
salespeople from being able to use their personality to positively
influence their ability to close. Confidence should not come across as
manipulation. I'm sure we all know salespeople with infectious
personalities that use them to bulldoze their way through with
customers. On the surface, they're very successful, at least for the
short term. However, those who have a manipulative personality will
lull themselves into a false sense of security when, in reality,
they're destroying their long-term sales potential.
A confident
salesperson is willing to take the time to find out what the real needs
of their customers are. They don't jump at the person's first comment
and try to close the deal. Their genuine interest helps expose the
underlying needs that the customer may otherwise not be willing to
share. Confident salespeople believe so strongly in themselves and
their ability to help that they're not concerned with making a quick
sale. Rather, they want to make a great sale, which is usually much
bigger and more profitable than a quick one.
Furthermore, when
you're genuinely confident in yourself as a salesperson and how you can
help people, it's impossible to keep from showing your passion. The
word "passion" is usually heard in the context of someone being
passionately in love with another person. This is not what I'm talking
about. The "passion" that I'm referring to is showing genuine care and
concern for helping the customer. This means that you're willing to not
only take interest in what they are telling you, but to also dig
deeper, even if it takes you down a line of questioning you had not
planned on. The true test in demonstrating passion towards a customer
is if after you've determined their needs and discovered that they are
not in line with what you are selling, you would be willing to refer
them to someone else. That's passion! Yes, it may mean giving up a
sale, but I guarantee that if you truly are passionate towards your
customers, you'll end up with far more sales in the long-run than the
person who is not.
Finally, to successfully use your personality
as a sales tool, you must be someone that people like to associate
with. Negative or self-serving personalities will not see positive
results. Your personality must be upbeat in both actions and words, and
should be complimentary to everyone you come in contact with.
Attractive personalities do not get easily upset with issues, are
willing to help find solutions, and are optimistic. They are inviting
rather than exclusive, and they cause others to be willing to share
openly. Very simply, an attractive personality is one you would like to
hang out with.
To determine your level of confidence, ask yourself the following two questions.
* Do customers call you for information that goes beyond what you sell?
* Do customers willingly refer you to others?
Although
they are simple questions, the responses they elicit can quickly tell
you if your personality is confident, but not arrogant.
Having a
"Confidently Passionate Personality" is not something every salesperson
can achieve. However, for the vast majority, it is attainable if
they're willing to show genuine interest in their customers. The
questions they ask and the service they provide will allow their
personalities to be the effective sales tool that differs from their
competition.
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