My question today is how do you know when to move on from a potential client? Or perhaps to clarify that how do you recognize that your investment in a person or business is probably not going to result in mutual satisfaction. I.E. we provide a product or service they need and they pay us for it and both are satisfied and happy with the result.
I suppose that someone who has been in business successfully has learned the early warning signs and can figure out when a person they meet for the first time is really a looker, a client or just had time to kill so they just wanted to spend time talking. Keep in mind though that I meet a lot less people than the normal business man would meet so I really don’t have the experience or the time to invest in a dead end.
Then again I don’t look at anyone as being a dead end. I just look at myself as having not figured out the best approach. So I wonder how many times we should approach someone. I suppose its as vague sometimes as a person giving an opinion rather than stating that they totally disagree or don’t want your product around. They are being obtuse but they think they are being polite.
One of the coolest examples of the tenacious sales man was a movie I saw once called Second Hand Lions. The movie was about two elderly men who adopted their grand nephew and all the fun and excitement they had. In one scene the two men sat on the porch waiting for the evening parade of sales men to drive up so they could chase them off with shot guns while they sipped Texas Sweet Tea. Well one of the sales men happened to figure out that what they needed was something to do with their time that let them have the satisfaction of shooting their guns. So he found a state of the art (in 1950s) skeet shooting machine. He realized he only had a minute to get their attention and make the sale. In a very dramatic move he signaled the boy to set off the skeet and in one sweeping movement he pulled a loaded shotgun from the trunk of his car and blasted the skeet. Of course he got the attention of the uncles and made the sale.
In the movie the sales man solved a problem, made some money, and there was satisfaction all around. I Think a really good sales man knows how to assess the situation and combine a really good product with a client that can appreciate it.
There is, I think, a difference between seeking out new clients that buy what you think they want and new clients that a salesperson is meeting the needs for. Personally I want my sales person to be meeting the need using my product to do it. That does take a bit of creativity.
When put that way, doesn’t it seem to you that salespeople are almost like magicians? They have a product to sell, they find potential buyers, understand their needs, and finally get their sale. But of course, it’s no magic. What they got are skills—good communication skill, persuading power, knowledge and authority about their products and services, and of course, their ability to connect to their clients. I think the last is the best trait a good salesperson should possess.
ReplyDeleteGuillermina Falkowski
I totally agree with you Gillermina, A good sales person needs to connect with their clients. It is true also that some people need to be convinced that they want a product. Others simply want what they want and dont want to waste time being sold. A Good sales person really has good discernment. They can tell by a few simple quests which buyer is which.
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