Sales Success – From A to Z
by Mitch Taylor
Spring has sprung and wedding season is about to be in full swing across this great country of ours. Economic downturns have been forecasted for a while now, with some areas hit harder than others. This series is dedicated to helping you achieve more sales and keep building business for you. This month we continue with J, K and L in Sales Success.
J = Just Be Yourself – In order to truly care about your clients, you can’t put on pretentious airs. People can genuinely see right through an “act”. Be yourself. Share with them stories about your life…your events and your passions. People buy from people they know and who they like. Being genuine and being you are definitely important parts of the sales process.
K = Know Whom Before You Sit – If you have taken any sales classes, this is one of the premier principles that are taught. Research your clients and find out what their interests are. Check out their MySpace or Facebook page, visit their blog, or in some cases, even their wedding website. This additional insight can pay dividends in the future. In your initial conversation, are your clients quiet and reserved on the phone? Or are they laughing and sharing what has happened to them that day with you? This will give you some insight as to how they should be approached in the sales meeting. If someone is quiet and shy, don’t move really close to them and speak with an overbearing tone. On the flip side, if they are more “over the top” personalities, don’t be timid in your approach with them. This technique is sometimes described as “mirroring” your customer. Now, I don’t suggest doing everything that they do in the meeting as that would be quite awkward and would come across contrived. You should not come across as the pushy used car salesman. However, getting to know your clients likes and dislikes ahead of time and adapting to their level of comfort will help establish common ground with them and will put you well on your way down the road to the sale.
L = Listen To Your Clients First – It’s been said that we as people have two ears and one mouth for a reason. When engaging your clients in conversation…who asks most of the questions? Is it you…or is it your client? The person asking questions is in the most control of the conversation….because they get to listen to the answers. In sales and truly in any communication…you should listen twice as much as you speak. When I say listen, I mean ACTIVE LISTENING. Don’t just stand there…pretending to listen thinking about what you are going to say next and formulating your next words. By definition, you then are not listening. When you truly listen to your clients, you will respond back stating their concern and work on a solution together. You engage in meaningful conversation about their event and show them that you are the professional who can deliver exactly what they are looking for…because you listen….because you truly care about their wants and needs for their event.
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back next month with M, N & O in Sales Success.
(Editor’s Note: Mitch Taylor is a 17 year veteran of the mobile disc jockey industry and got his start working on the cruise ships of Carnival Cruise Lines. He is a member of the American Disc Jockey Association and WED Guild™. Mitch owns and operates Taylored Entertainment in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and can be reached at 906-786-6967)
