PEOPLE BUY PEOPLE
Mike Walsh
For twenty years, I was a commission only salesman. You were either good at your job or you starved. I learnt from experience and sometimes from inspiration. Most of the tricks I picked up were passed on by far better men and women than I would ever be.
Successful salesmen know that people don’t buy products they buy people. If you do not sell yourself then just stop right there, turn on your heel and don’t slam the door on your way out.
Empathy with a client is everything. I could be in a boardroom situation in the morning, chatting with a high-class interior designer in the afternoon then, after dinner, setting out my stall in a roughly spoken builder’s terraced home. Each demands a different approach.
Those who have few people skills, empathy or sales experience often run service trades. They survive because we need them. We buy - they do not sell.
Few builders, roofers, car mechanics, home improvement or repair tradesmen ever pick up a ‘How to be a Successful Salesman’ book or go on a sales course. It sure tells. I met men who were particularly good at their trades. Typical were dry block pavers. Many could not figure out why people paid £50 per square metre for a job they could do equally well for £20 per square metre.
It is the salesman difference. The more expensive jobs were sold by smartly turned out professional salesman. Selling is a skill; it is not as the ignorant would say the gift of the gab. If you cannot empathise with a client, you cannot sell. It is not just product knowledge; it is the ability to create desire.
The poor salesman sells the steak; the good salesman sells the sizzle. It does not stop there; you have to close the sale. This is a skill in itself. I have trebled a salesman’s sales simply by showing him how to close a sale.
Having won the client’s friendship and trust the good salesperson sells not the product but the benefits. With this approach the becomes convinced that the higher price is compensated for it by being better value for money. People don’t buy on price. If they did we would be running around in Ladas.
Here is a tip. You are good at your trade but admittedly not the best when it comes to selling. Put your price up by say 15 per cent then advertise for a commission only salesman to follow up leads and close them. Offer him 15% commission on all sales paid for. You will get more work yet you will spend more time at home with the wife and kids. You have made life easier for yourself, there is much more work coming in, and someone else is employed doing your selling for you.
Michael Walsh and his wife Nadia provide a Russian translation service for businesses. www.michaelwalsh.es