Following on from my last blog post when I mentioned about Good and Bad sales experiences , I thought I would tell you a couple of my own stories.
Now a couple of the questions I usually ask when I am delivering training include:
“Tell me about a time when you have been sold to badly?”
and
“Tell me about a time when you have been sold to well?”
I sometimes tell a couple of stories about buying a washing machine and more recently about some recording equipment I bought (both in essence were HOT LEADS as I approached them!).
So the story of the washing machine….
I went into what was then a well-known electrical store which has now gone out of business (I can’t understand why!?) I had seen a washing machine I wanted, it looked the part as far as washing machines can and was the right price, so was really just going into ask a couple of questions and to purchase.
‘Mr washing machine sales guy’ was a bit of a wide boy, really full of himself and pretty cocky. I did not warm to him at all (remember people buy people!). All I wanted to know was if it fitted in the gap in my kitchen and be offered reassurance, by being able to measure it before I bought it. Not too much to ask I felt!
‘Mr washing machine sales guy’ said I didn’t need to measure it, he was telling me it would fit! It took me a good few attempts to eventually get the measuring tape to check myself and there was some muttering under his breath about ‘women!’
Now I have to admit that although I was pretty angry I did buy the washing machine as it was exactly what I was looking for, but NEVER used the store again for various reasons. Mainly because he just wasn’t interested in me or my NEEDS or LISTENING to me (and there was also the patronising tone he used with me which didn’t go down too well, I can tell you!)
The story about the recording device….
It’s not always doom and gloom though. Last year I contacted an on-line store to purchase a new recording device for the test calls I complete for clients.
I had no clue what I was looking for and when I called up ‘Mrs recording device lady’ asked me a series of really good, open ended questions to establish my needs:
“Tell me what it is you are looking to use it for?”
and
“What devices are you using it with?”
I was a little sceptical that the one they suggested would work but they reassured me that I could:
a) return it, if it did not.
b) call up and be guided on how to use it.
So I purchased the product.
Now the reason I would use these people again is because they were simply interested in MY NEEDS. They also LISTENED to my answers. (As well as being very helpful and uber friendly).
People often say to me:
“I am not a sales-person”
or
“I don’t have the necessary sales skills”
Well the reason for sharing these stories and others in my training sessions, is because we already know how we like to be sold to and how we don’t like to be sold to. We, therefore, are already on the road to being a good sales person.
“Sell to people like you like to be sold to.”
If we were going to use the above examples as good sales skills, we would do the following:
Listen, don’t patronise, be prepared to demonstrate, find out the customer’s needs, build rapport, ask lots of open ended questions and sound interested. Simple right!?
I appreciate that there is more to good sales, if not I would be out of a job!, but start to think about your own and also friends, colleagues and families, selling experiences. Try and do more of the good examples and less of the bad to set you off on the right track to sales success.
For more information on Sales training and how People Buy People can help your hotel and events venue or restaurant or other tourism business with your Sales Processes and Enquiry Handling Sales Skills please get in touch via email or give me a call on 07711999123.
