Why Sales Advice is NOT One Size Fits All

I recently read an article by a sales guru that I greatly respect.  However, in this particular offering, it seems the advice given missed the mark.

The premise was that if she were the Queen of Sales, she would ban salespeople from talking about their product or service in the first conversation.

I must respectfully disagree. I’ve personally advised salespeople as to how to apply effective techniques that successfully close a sale on the first call. The fact is this; many salespeople would lose 100% of their potential sales if their product or service was not mentioned during that initial conversation.

It all depends on the product or service you’re selling.

I’m not dismissing the critical benefit of building a long term relationship with your clients, but we should consider that in this day and age there are many prospects who have a limited amount of time and want you to know if you can help them, so you must get to the point. They have to know what you’re offering and if it has value to them. Only then can they decide if they’ll invest more time (and money) into you.  If you don’t engage the client, they’ll be thinking divorce.

Close but not quite

This is an excellent example of why you should assess any sales advice you’re given. Don’t just accept it as the hard and fast rule, rather, question it’s validity so you can ascertain whether it applies to your career or not.

  • Is it relevant and sound?
  • Have you witnessed it working for others?
  • Will it improve your closing, referrals or retention?
  • Would it work on you, if you were the buyer?
  • What was your gut reaction when receiving the advice?

The answers will allow you to determine if the advice has value to you. If so, try it. If not, see if you can tailor it to your product or service, otherwise, dismiss it.

As a side note, when I mention one call closing, I often encounter those opposed to it because they assume one call closing can only be done by pressuring the client. That perception is wholly incorrect. It’s possible to close a client the first time out without resorting to using poor sales tactics, but only if you bring up your product or service during that first call or meeting.

What would you ban if you were the King or Queen of Sales?

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