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Sales Tip of the Week: Basic Instinct is not Always Best

While sometimes "going with your gut" or trusting your first instinct is a smart move, it is not always the case when it comes to sales.

Here are a few things to remember when tempted to act on instinct:

1. Talking vs. Listening
- Fact: Talking is easy, listening is not...but it's listening that builds rapport and shows your respect for the other person, their concerns and ideas.
- Tip: Take good notes to increase your listening and enhance your responses when it's time for you to talk.
2. Features vs. Benefits
- Fact: Features are found at the surface; you have to dig deeper to find benefits...but the truth is, your referral sources and potential clients don't care nearly as much about your company's "fact sheet" (your features) as they want to know what you can do for them and what they'll get out of doing business with you (the benefits).
- Tip: List your features and then step into the shoes of your audience to list the resulting benefits associated with each feature. Then focus on those benefits in your conversations.
3. Winging it vs. Singing it
- Fact: We tend to ask random questions and give random responses...but the best salespeople are those who are armed with questions tailored to the audience and come prepared to handle objections up-front.
- Tip: Prepare each question ahead of time by examining your "law of six" for handling objections (as discussed last week)...and make sure your words match your prospect's individual needs.