Stop Sounding Like a Salesperson
If your conversations are beginning to sound more like an answering machine and less like a human, then you may have a problem. You probably sound too much like a salesperson and that is driving your clients away from you.
The best salespeople, not only use Spiro, but are the ones who can make a sale without ever having the customer feel like they are being sold. Their personality creates a sense of trust with prospects. They don’t alienate their customers but instead make them feel comfortable with buying.
From Dale Carnegie:
No one likes to feel that he or she is being sold some-thing or told to do a thing. We much prefer to feel that we are buying of our own accord or acting on our own ideas. We like to be consulted about our wishes, our wants, our thoughts.
So how do you make sales without sounding like a salesperson?
Show Genuine Empathy For Your Customer
You must always remember that sales is not about you, it’s about your customer.
The quickest route to not sounding like a salesperson is to show genuine empathy for your customer. Ask questions about them and let them do the talking. When they are talking, actually listen to them. Follow up their responses with even more questions. Listen to your prospects and be a genuine human person.
Too many salespeople spend their time with prospects trying to sell them on why their product or service is the best. Instead, ask them questions. Try to understand what brought them to you in the first place. Try to figure out how your product is going to make their life better. You can only do that by genuinely listening to them and understanding their needs and desires.
Quit Reading So Many Sales Books
Sales books and educational resources are a great tool that will help you up your game, but immersing yourself in these resources can turn you from a human into a sales robot. If you find that your daily conversations are beginning to mimic the sales books you are reading, then it may be time for a change of reading material.
Try immersing yourself in some books outside of the topics of sales. Try reading books that your prospects may be interested in. The books we read are stimuli that affect how we operate in daily life. Ditch the sales books and you will likely ditch the sales talk as well.
Use The Customer’s Language
As sales professionals we live and breath our product every single day. We are surrounded by other industry professionals, and other salesmen who talk our language. This can lead us to using industry jargon or advanced terminology which will alienate your prospect.
Instead, keep it simple and use the customers language. Don’t talk down to them, but be sure to avoid industry terminology that they may not understand. Treat them with respect while also talking in a language that they understand.
The Bottom Line
If you want to stop talking like a sales person, you need to quit immersing yourself in the world of sales. Instead, focus on being a genuine person and speak the customers language. Focus on understanding your prospects and really getting to know them.
Don’t ask your prospects questions just so you can get closer to the sale. Ask your prospects questions because you are genuinely interested.
When you show genuine interest in someone else, you will begin to sound like a genuine person and not like a salesperson.
Editor’s Note: This blog was originally posted on January 29, 2015 and has been updated.
