Having success in sales can sometimes feel easier said than done. It takes hard work, dedication, and a willingness to learn and grow. It also takes the ability to overcome rejection and setbacks.
I was asked by a former coworker in banking to provide sales training to their commercial bankers. Because I had run sales teams of commercial bankers for about 20 years during my banking career, he thought I was uniquely qualified to provide the help he was looking for. As I mentioned in a recent blog, it’s important to deal with mindset first and then add the right skill set.
- Two crucial mindsets to have are an abundance mindset and a success mindset. The best way to have an abundance mindset is to have an abundance of opportunities. A mentor once told me, “The level of activity you’re willing to adopt will be a limiting factor in your business.” My rule of thumb is for every 10 people you see, you’ll get 3 opportunities and 1 client, 10-3-1. A success mindset includes the 80-20 rule. In a sales call, do 20% of the talking and 80% of the listening. Ask questions based on curiosity and listen to the answers. As that same mentor said, “This is not show and tell (remember, we did that in 1st grade). It’s ask and sell.”
- Engage your client/prospect in as much right-brain thinking as you can. If you rely on left-brain facts and figures, soon you’ll find yourself putting your client or prospect to sleep. The right side of the brain is where imagination and feelings live. If you can engage those through the art of storytelling, you’ll soon find that the client sees themselves in your story. This triggers a desire to do business with you because they see you as someone that can solve their problem.
- Put yourself in the client’s shoes. Our client’s priorities are: 1) understand my situation, 2) educate me, 3) solve my problem, don’t sell me a product, 4) monitor my progress, 5) keep in touch.
So, our formula for success is simple. Find the level of activity you’re willing to adopt, own your sales process, ask good questions, and solve problems, don’t sell products.
