If they don’t buy you, they won’t buy what you are selling. You are as much a product as the one you are selling. So sell yourself first. One day, I asked my plumber to refer me to an electrician and he did. Only problem is the fellow arrived smelling body odour. And when he
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Many companies sabotage their sales efforts through their internal sales training programs, methods. Most internal sessions of training are product-oriented, with a technocrat (say, an engineer or underwriter) called in to drive home the product knowledge; yet success in selling is buyer-oriented. Focus on how the buyer benefits instead of narrowing down on features that
A breakfast with ugali will keep you pulsating late into the afternoon and looking fresh with every client visit. Being a novice seller is no excuse not to look presentable. Looks matter in selling. How the seller looks could determine how the sale goes. Few sellers start with a fat salary and company car; both
Contrary to popular belief, these pride-less acts earn the seller the buyer’s respect, not disdain. Would you caught at a prisons courtyard making a sale? As a man, would you pitch to a lady in the ladies washroom? If you are frowning upon the thought of either, possibly pride is impeding your selling potential. How
It’s the time of the year again when the opportunity to address an audience could arise. It could be an end of year company party, a family gathering, or even a wedding. You could be asked to give a vote of thanks, speak on behalf of the family, or your department; or, in true peculiar
A salesperson’s performance is limited to the extent of his craving What do these three sellers have in common? The hawker who runs after you in traffic to complete the sale (or, start one because you showed interest in his wares). The seller at the stall who enthusiastically beckons you to his store with, “Karibu
He may or may not agree, but you attempted an extra sale by offering a solution to a problem much as you are not necessarily a salesperson. As this column has averred, there is no sales, there is no service; there is only profitable service. Therefore, in keeping with this, today’s message goes to those
“No one cares that the ‘peso was devalued’, or ‘the customer went bankrupt’, or, ‘a new competitor opened next door, or ‘the economy was lousy. You either made the sale or you didn’t. Even earthquakes don’t count.’” Dear Seller, Get cracking! The electioneering period is over. Triggered by the protracted political climate, the tension that
Yeah…Go ahead and connect with me on LinkedIn and pitch me a few seconds later, about this crazy offer on land or shoes or investment you have. When you do so, I don’t think you are being efficient. You are merely magnifying your inefficiency in prospecting. “The first rule of technology used in a business,”
Obviously, the B2B seller must be proactive and ready to work harder than his B2C counterpart in order to keep a pulse on and accelerate the sale. This is good news as it grows him immeasurably. There is reason why the Business-to-Business (B2B) sale is referred to as complex. Editorial space limits expounding on why,