Sales Training Tip: Why So Few Salespeople Are Trusted
The sales profession has been called the 2nd oldest profession known to man . . . often confused with the 1st. Retail shoppers would rather "
just wonder around" than have to talk with a sales clerk. Sales organizations go out of their way to change the title of their sales people because of it's negative connotation.
Salespeople that have gone before us have created a bad reputation for us all. However, there is a better way than trying to disguise ourselves as something we are not. The "better way" is to "
declare your intent". Be open and honest. Don't make people guess at your agenda, speak it plainly. Being transparent with your intent builds credibility.
Most of the clashes we have with others, either familiar or stranger, can be traced back to a failure to communicate. Even when you finally get to the heart of an issue -
he said you said - you may realize
that is indeed what I said, but it's not what I meant. . . the right words but the wrong emphasis & therefore the wrong meaning.
The key to effective communication is
declaring your intent. Often salespeople are reluctant to display this transparency for fear that the truth will sink the ship. So we use a counterfeit - misleading the customer to another, trivial pursuit. Misleading someone to your true intentions is worse than not telling them at all.
It has been said that sunlight is the best disinfectant, here are a few ideas that will help you:
- Check your intent to insure that it is good for all parties.
- Use the phone rather than email, email is easily misunderstood.
- Declare you intent very early in the conversation.
- Pre-empt the customer's obvious objections: "if I were you I would be thinking - that's great, but what about . . . "
Read more about
trust development.
Declare Your Intent is one of
12 persuasion triggers.
