Hi all,

Im guessing lots of people have been in this predicament. I work for a multi-national business selling mobile phones (good company to work for, decent pay, good working conditions) and although I know its not going to be a lifelong career I want to do well in the job as Im always looking to improve and develop myself. Im about 6 months in, and have had very good months, and very bad months. My sales have been very sporadic and not consistent. Recently, my performance has been rubbish hitting just 39% of my target last week and at the moment its ok, but it will start getting to a point where my job will be on the line. When you have colleagues who do less hours than me, sells more, hits more targets and ticked more boxes week after week it becomes grinding and confidence knocking. Maybe I’m sensitive but its not them I have a problem with. They are doing their job and I wouldn’t expect any different.

I just want to do better in my job. I work with people who are not interested at all in the subject, whereas I have a mild geeky interest in anything electrical. I’ve approached my boss, colleagues and others who have told me to go back to basics – Explore the customers needs more, take my time, focus on building customer rapport and trust and ask for the business to close the sale. We use a couple of sales models and I try to stick to these. I approach customers, be polite, use positive language and smile sincerely as I genuinely enjoy interacting with people. I have no flash lines and I probably error slightly on the side of caution and honesty.

I’m not looking for answers, but tips, useful books or techniques that have worked for people, just something to try. Am I being too keen or over-enthusiastic? Do I need to seem less interested? Is confidence the key to selling? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Doug

Always
Be
Closing

😀

Watch the apprentice, repeatedly. Don’t do anything they do

Oh and get hold of ‘Glen Gary, Glen Ross’ pretty good film.

It is not easy to say what you need to change without seeing you selling. I have been in sales of one sort of another for about ten years, and I still have trainers out with me occasionally criticising (normally in a constructive way!) what I am doing.

Where most people seem to go wrong is not listening to customers and what they really want, as opposed to what you think they want. Does your ‘geeky interest’ mean you force your opinion on your customers?

Good questioning skills are important, lots of open question – most people buying are happy to give you lots of information, you just need to ask the right questions. Find out their needs and then fill their needs with the features and benefits of your product/service. Then ask for the business, what can go wrong?

If you drop me an email I will send you a copy of my company’s crib sheet on sales. It is only one A4 sheet but has some good reminders.

As the man above says, watch, learn and enjoy…

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-AXTx4PcKI&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/video]

Tom Hopkins sells out to people who rely on closing the sale (commission salesmen).

A bit USA for UK tastes but just pick the concepts not the words.

Find out the customer’s needs before you start selling. Then sell them the right product and tailor the pitch to what they want. If you do it right you’ll be able to assumptively close them and they’ll have no reason to say no. Listen lots, then speak!

chiefgrooveguru – Member

“Find out the customer’s needs before you start selling. Then sell them the right product and tailor the pitch to what they want.”

This is the right way. But, a lot of succesful salesmen don’t actually do this at all, sadly just being an aggressive dominating c**k can make a lot of sales too. I used to work in a sales role that involved, basically, selling people stuff they didn’t need, and I stunk at it, because I’m just not that sort of person. And I think mobile phone sales has a big element of that as well, people walk in wanting something to send texts with and walk out with a smartphone and a £30 per month contract and no real idea why. So you might have to come to terms with that a bit and consider whether the more succesful salesmen are doing it right.

Selling someone something that they want or need is a good feeling but an awful lot of sales businesses just don’t work on that basis.

Many years back I sold advertising in a medical publication – I did fine for a few months, until I realised that the product was shocking, at which point my ability to sell just died. With selling mobile phones, until good smartphones hit the market I’d have struggled to sell phones – I mean, it’s a phone, why do you need a new one, does the old one not work? But I’m a total smartphone convert and hence could put some real enthusiasm into upselling to the most expensive products with their big memory, fast processors, amazing screen etc – I use mine loads as a laptop substitute. Even my mum is considering one because the higher contract cost should bring her landline bill right down by using the free minutes effectively. I’m not convinced by the cameras on them but I’m aware of that and I know that other people think they’re good, so I wouldn’t let that get in the way.

Remember that a lot of people want to get a shiny new phone so your job is to provide them with a series of reasons why it’s justifiable. The phone I’m using right now is simply a pleasure to use! But aim your pitch right – if you tried to sell it to me because of the gaming ability and all the gadgetty apps I wouldn’t be interested – I want it because of the email and web surfing plus the MP3 and PDF listening/reading and being able to download podcasts directly. Show them what they want to hear, then help them tell themselves why it would be silly not to spend that bit extra.

Just a thought – are you all getting a fair share of the customers. I knew of a place where a bonus was introduced, what happened was the sales people would pre-screen and ‘cherry-pick’ the more valuable customers. Are you sure you aren’t being left with the dregs.

Ask questions then listen listen listen.
Know your products but don’t be geeky. If you use jargon ask the customer if they understand what you are saying.
Do not patronize – ever.
Try and close but do it subtly.
Be friendly but not pally.
Never ever diss the competition.
Don’t panic. You’ve made good sales and can do it again.

Brass balls.