InvestMed: Top Story

Steve Wilson, the extremely talented New York saxophonist, was recently quoted as saying, "You have to learn the basics of your instrument. It is like sports: if you don't have the fundamentals, you don't get very far." Like a successful musician, becoming a successful salesperson takes practice of the fundamentals. Getting back to the basics is critical to your sales success.

Buyer/Seller Relationship Skills. Developing a trusting relationship with your buyer is an extremely important part of building a successful sales foundation. Doing this takes sincerity, communication, listening, and honesty. It is this type of trusting relationship that keeps customers coming back over and over again and builds a life-long referral base.

Sales Call Planning Skills. First calls can take place in the form of an e-mail, a voicemail, a phone call, or a personal introduction. Knowing what you'll say and how your present yourself on a first meeting is more than just important - it's your key to getting in the door. Opening statements need to be succinct and to the point - "are you looking for what I'm selling?" It's also important to understand what your objectives are with each sales call. On a first call, for example, your goal is NOT to close, but to arrange a time for a meeting with someone from the office. That's it. A first call, whether by phone or e-mail, is a time to quickly gauge interest and then get to the next phase of the sales process. Other future calls or meetings will have alternate goals including: getting the decision makers together, meeting with the office manager, or presenting the proposal.

ActionSelling.com reports that:

82% of sellers are out-of-sync with the buyer
99% of salespeople fail to set the right call objectives
86% of salespeople ask the wrong questions
86% of salespeople talk too much and listen too little
62% of salespeople fail to ask for a commitment

Questioning Skills. The question is the #1 tool that a salesperson has for managing any sales call. It always surprises me how many salespeople begin telling an office about their product before they have even asked the office staff "what are you looking for?" Of course, the best questions are "open-ended" questions because they require some thought on the part of the buyer. "What is the most difficult part of running your office?" "What would your ideal medical software help you accomplish in your daily business?" Poor questions can actually create objections or resistance, especially if someone feels they are being manipulated or talked down to. Poor questions will also lead to a poor analysis, which will in turn lead to a poor implementation (if they even buy); because you won't really understand your buyers needs or wants. Good open-ended questions, followed by intent listening, show a commitment to finding solutions to your client's problems. It also shows a sincere desire to ensure that the office truly needs the solution you are providing.

Presentation Skills. Understanding your product and being able to give a simple and quick demo is extremely important, however, if you haven't asked good questions and you don't have a good relationship with the office, it may not matter how slick your sales presentation is. Still, taking the time to show how your product meets the client's needs - the needs you've identified during your questions phase - is important. Many sales are lost due to the lack of an organized method of showing your product's capability (i.e. the presentation or demo). The tell-tale signs of a poor presentation can be seen in these behaviors:

Sales calls that lose momentum
Unenthusiastic clients
Price or Product Concerns
Stalls like "I'd like to think it over..."

Gaining Commitment Skills. Your principle mission as a salesperson is to gain a commitment. This becomes a lot easier if the office trusts you and if you spent time asking questions and showing them how your product meets there needs. ActionSelling.com reports that "62% of salespeople fail to ask for a commitment." But why? Our entire objective as sales people centers around inviting clients to buy our products or services.

Like a musician or an athlete, as you spend your time practicing the five sales fundamentals, I can guarantee that your sales will improve dramatically. One of my mentors Viggo Madsen once told me, "I've never seen a salesperson shot for asking someone to buy their product, however, I have seen a few that thought they were going to die of a heart attack." You, as a salesperson, have nothing to fear once you've practiced the art of building relationships, planned your sales calls with the proper objectives, asked quality open-ended questions, and presented your product with enthusiasm. Gaining that commitment then becomes a simple process of asking, "Are you ready to move forward?"