Product knowledge, sales techniques and attitude have always been the three unshakable pillars of sales world. However, the world of selling has changed and so to the pillars.
Consumers use multiple channels and multiple devices to get information about the product they want. Comparison websites have revolutionised the way consumers find an energy provider, take out insurance policies, switch broadband or choose a hotel. The current market place is more challenging than any preceding it. Technology has allowed prospects to quickly find potential providers who offer products or services that may meet their needs. To further complicate the situation surveys, indicate that prospects are often completing roughly 60% of their buying process before beginning a dialogue with a sales person. The customer is, as ever, well prepared and in many cases can beat the product knowledge of the sales person.
So, what is left? What can be more important or more relevant than complete knowledge and understanding of feature and benefits?
You, are a real person, a very likeable one. The customer will take to you and your product. Unless you are in a situation when you don't need to lift a finger to sell - your primary goal is to establish that contact, be likeable and establish a good rapport.
Why is likeability of a paramount importance? There are many reasons:
When you want to discover a customer’s needs
When the customer likes you there is much higher chance of them opening up. You will be able to ask more challenging, in-depth and personal questions. Better understanding will help you to find best solutions for your customer.
Your knowledge is taken seriously and considered genuine
A study titled “The role of interpersonal liking in building trust in long-term relationships”, concluded that not only is liking an important determinant of trust in its own right but similarity of business values and frequency of personal interaction—operate through liking.
Initiating and getting meetings is easier
The more people to like you, the more time they will be willing to spend with you. The same idea applies to buyers, they will agree to more meetings or spend more time listening to your sales pitch.
You’ll see a rise in the number of referrals
Many sales people broke their bones trying to get a referral, the beauty of being liked is that you won't need to ask for a referral. You will just get them naturally. Remember the previous point? Who knows how many potential clients can turn up to those meetings too.
Nut how easy is to be likeable? Does it happen naturally? What personal traits you need to possess to be likeable? Probably the most relevant are those five:
Authenticity
Friendliness
Relevance
Realness
Empathy
The first one is incredibly important to be liked and to be trusted. As the genius Oscar Wilde once said,
“Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.”
How to be yourself? How to come across as a real person? How to make you prospective client to feel, understand and accept you? Would you like to know what makes you unique and what personality traits you should use and what to hide? Would you like to get the powerful of liability to conquer your clients and achieve all your career goals?
Those and other questions will be fully covered in the Sales Professional Training to bring you ahead of competition and dramatically increase your sales performance.
