Sales Training Series #8

Insights from recent trainings

Welcome back to another Sales Training series!

These posts are intended to give you insight into what it’s like to train with me while providing actionable tips you can use in your day to day.

Note: I intentionally keep the descriptions of my clients vague for privacy reasons.

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Bad decisions, Good intentions

We’re kicking things off with one of my clients who is in B2C sales.

He sells a custom made product that couples can buy for each other in order to celebrate major life milestones together.

Obviously this sale is very emotional because the product has a ton of sentimental value.

Good thing is he is aware of this fact.

He knows he needs to make the buyer feel they need what he has.. but he struggles getting them there.

Part of that struggle involves wasting time trying to develop an emotional connection with the prospect outside of the context of what he sells

Here’s what I mean:

*some initial chit chat*

Seller: So how’d you find us?

Prospect: I saw your ad on IG. I loved the [item].. the color and design was beautiful and yeah I thought I’d reach out!

🤡: That’s awesome. So what’s the story with you and [your spouse]? How did you two meet?

The buyer and seller talked for 10 minutes about the buyers relationship history, family history, and pretty much everything but the product the seller was selling, why the buyer wanted the product, etc.

This completely derailed the conversation.

The seller is sacrificing performance at the expense of trying to develop rapport with the buyer

Real rapport is built when you demonstrate you know more about the prospects problems and desired outcomes than they do.

I reviewed a few of his calls and the same questions were asked right out the gate:

🤡: How did you two meet?

🤡: What’s the story with you guys?

🤡: Tell me more about you guys!

These are great questions to ask a friend or in a social context but on a sales call with a stranger? No. It’s weird and contrived.

If you insist on being chummy with them then save it for later on in the call like after they buy from you or after you’ve done your job of Qualifying / Disqualifying them.

We immediately replaced the above questions with: