By Robert Reed
Many sellers like to describe themselves as professionals, butwhat is it that makes a seller a professional?
At TrustBuild, we believe that professional sellers conductthemselves in such a way that buyers respect and trust them.Professional sellers work with buyers, they don’t sell to them.
Many surveys and studies have been conducted asking buyers whattraits they value most in sellers. This information isinvaluable for those who truly want to be toward the top of thesales profession.
The list below shows the traits buyers say they want to see insellers. For some sellers, these come very naturally, while forothers perhaps it’s a constant struggle to exhibit these traits.
Nearly all the traits can be summed up in one word —professional.
Are you a professional?
Traits Buyers Like
Honest. Buyers want sellers to be honest with them. Give yourprospects credit for being intelligent people who know that noproduct or service is without faults. Be forthcoming with thosefaults and at all other times.
More often than not, buyers will find out the truth — if theyalready haven’t figured it out. Knowledgeable. Make it a goal toknow your products and services — and how they address customerneeds — far better than your potential buyers. You should knowthe industry which you serve better than any of your competitors.
Most companies do not train their salespeople enough to meetthese objectives, so you must constantly take the initiative tolearn these things on your own. Organized. For meetings withbuyers, make sure you have a valid business reason and areproperly prepared.
Whenever possible, provide a proposed agenda in writing to yourbuying counterparts. Do it several days before the meeting toallow them time for input/feedback. Punctual. Buyers expectsellers to be on time, even if they — the buyers — are not.
“My last appointment ran long” or “traffic was really bad” maybe valid excuses on occasion, but there is no excuse for notletting the buyer know if you’ll be more than a few minuteslate. Solution-oriented. “Think outside the box,” may be anoverused phrase, but buyers want sellers who can providecreative ways to solve their problems.
Talk to your current customers to identify creative solutionsthey used in conjunction with your products or services that youcan share with prospects. Prompt. Return calls and emails thesame day whenever possible and always within 24 hours.
According to one expert, the current expected response time toan email is now four hours. Follow-through. Strive to alwaysmeet or exceed timeframes in which you’ve promised to provideinformation or other items to buyers. Exceed their expectationsby providing the information more quickly than the promisedtimeframe. If you will not be able to meet the promisedtimeframe, let your buyers know as soon as possible.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking buyers will forget about yourpromises — they won’t. Empathetic. Buyers want salespeople whogenuinely care about their personal and professional needs andgoals.
The ability to identify buyers’ personal wins is just asimportant, if not more important, than identifying businesswins. Traits Buyers Don’t Like
While it is critical to understand what traits buyers want tosee in sellers, it is just as important to know what traits theydon’t enjoy. The list below shows what organizational buyersdon’t want sellers to be:
One word describes most of these traits — unprofessional.
Are you viewed as unprofessional by your buyers? In mostsituations, they surely won’t tell you. What they will tell youis that your price was higher, the other company was a better“fit,” or the other guys had a better solution.
Are those your problems, or are you unprofessional?
Unprepared. While you may like to think your buyers’ worldsrevolve around decisions involving your products and services,most times they do not. Unless they are in purchasing, buyersare paid to perform a specific task or function, not to meetwith sales representatives.
Always prepare for your meeting. This includes the appropriateresearch, written agenda (when feasible), written questions, andgoals and objectives for the meeting. In the first few minutesof the meeting, review this information, along with the expectedresults or payoff for the buyer. Uninformed. In many industries,the bar has been raised significantly on how much buyers knowabout your products and services. Before a sales call, meeting,or presentation, anticipate the questions you’ll be asked — andhave the answers and/or information at hand.
If you cannot confidently answer a question, say you don’t knowand give a specific process and timeframe for providing theanswer. Aggressive. While aggressiveness may be touted by manysales experts and managers as a necessary trait for sales,buyers don’t like overly aggressive sellers. In many situations,overly aggressive behavior can be construed as desperate, andbuyers don’t like to purchase from sellers who are desperate forbusiness.
Buyers may also believe that aggressive sellers are notinterested in their needs and care only about generating acommission. An interrupter. There still may be a few industrieswhere it is appropriate to show up without an appointment, butmost professional sellers generate new business by settingappointments. It’s funny to read stories where a salesrepresentative “won the business” because he just decided to“show up” and ask to see the CEO.
While a few of these stories may be true, there are many moreuntold stories where the CEO (or more likely an assistant) askedthe sales rep to leave and never come back. A talker. This isanother sales expert and manager favorite. “You’ve got to hirepeople who can tell a good story or joke and develop rapportwith customers.” That bus left long ago. Selling is much moreabout asking good questions and listening.
Many sellers have the 80/20 rule backward — they are talking 80%of the time and listening only 20%. Undependable. Buyers don’tlike to work with sellers who do not follow through and do whatthey have committed to doing.
If you’re guilty of being undependable, figure out if you’reover-promising or under-delivering — or both. Powerless. Buyersdon’t like to work with sellers who do not have the power orinfluence to make decisions on their own. If you consistently goto your superiors or to other departments for approval, buyerswill quickly lose respect for you as a seller.
Professional sellers view themselves as the CEO for theirrelationships with buyers. They have the power to get thingsdone for the benefit of their buyers. A deflector. This is aseller who deflects the blame for problems that arise toexternal forces. Buyers don’t like sellers who won’t acceptresponsibility for customer satisfaction.
Professional sellers are willing to be accountable to theirbuyers. To be a professional salesperson, conduct yourself as aprofessional. Your buyers will like it when you do - and you'llbe more successful.
Article Source: www.ArticlesBase.com
