Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Closing the Deal

Elevate the image of the sales professional

By Ken Cheo, partner, Winfree Business Growth Advisors

In order to be a doctor you need to go through a ton of schooling, training and meet continuing education requirements. The industry is highly regulated and it should be because they are dealing with people’s health and lives.

To be a sales professional all you need is an outgoing personality and a business card. We may not be dealing with people’s lives, but I think most CEOs and business owners would argue that we are. Without sales and continued growth, businesses die and their dreams, the dreams of their employees, die along with it. From a customer’s perspective, salespeople are providing products and services that can have a profound impact on their lives.

So why are salespeople not viewed with the same level of professionalism as doctors or other professionals? Throughout history, salespeople have been prescribing remedies where they do not fit or insist there is a compelling need where there may only be mild interest. Outdated sales training techniques resort to manipulative practices that can actually be damaging to the rapport. In the medical profession, this is malpractice. 

We, as salespeople, need to change our approach and mindset. Far too many times I have heard salespeople make statements about how they will one day win the business of their most coveted prospects after the prospects tell them they are not interested, or ready to buy, or make a change. They go on to tell stories about how they won a piece of business by being persistent. Does this attitude promote efficiency and trust with the buying public?

To improve our image as professionals we need to create new interpretations such as:

• I need to complete a proper diagnosis before determining our products or services are a fit for this prospect.

• Until the prospect is ready to buy or make a change we should market to them not sell and there is no need to make a presentation.

• It is OK for the prospect to tell me “no” if they do not have a compelling reason for them to buy from me now.

Taking this approach will gain us the respect that we deserve as professionals.

In the late 1880s a group of sales managers formed Sales Manager’s Clubs after recognizing the need to improve the standards and ethical practices in sales and marketing. In 1935, Thomas J. Watson Sr. (founder of IBM) and other visionaries invited the presidents of these groups to New York City to form a group that eventually became the Sales and Marketing Executives International (SMEI). SMEI continues to promote best practices, shared knowledge and continuing education within the sales and marketing professions. SMEI provides certification programs for executives, managers and professionals in sales and marketing which sets the standard for professionalism and improves the credibility of our profession. Contact me if you want more information on SMEI or the certification programs. 

Ken Cheo is a principal at Winfree Business Growth Advisors, working with business owners and their sales teams to guarantee significant sales growth faster. He can be reached at 508-735-5399 or kcheo@winfree.org.