Beyond the Ornaments: The Art of Being a Savvy Salesperson
As a young consultant, I learned early on that sales for the sake of selling will not be the way to go if I want my clients to keep trusting me with their business. Caring for their needs and being genuinely concerned for their welfare is what it means to be a savvy salesperson.
Building a connection and maintaining a Trusted Advisor relationship with them will be the key to a greater customer experience. This becomes more apparent in the B2B landscape where sales cycles are longer and business relationships go beyond one-time customer satisfaction.
In this blog, you'll learn the art of being truly savvy in sales and how its intricacies are much like a Christmas Tree.
Why the B2B World is Like a Christmas Tree
Think of B2B as a varied and complex landscape as richly decorated as a Christmas tree. At the heart of every successful sale is not just the product or service—our ornaments—but a profound understanding of the tree itself. Most importantly, the star that crowns it: the client's goals, aspirations, and metrics for success.
The Misstep of Many Salespeople
Imagine walking into a room, your arms laden with glittering ornaments, which you then lay out on the buyer's desk with a flourish. "See anything you like," you say, believing your job is done. This approach, common yet misguided, overlooks the essence of B2B sales. It's akin to expecting the tree to decorate itself, leaving ornaments scattered without thought to their placement or purpose.
Understanding the Tree and the Star
The savvy salesperson knows better. They understand that each client's tree is unique, with its branches reaching out in different directions, each with its own strength and space. But most crucially, they recognize the importance of the star atop the tree—the client's ultimate goals, their metrics, and how they define ‘winning’.
The Flawed Approach: A Desk Full of Ornaments
Dropping a collection of ornaments on the buyer's desk and asking them to find a place for them is a strategy doomed to fail. It burdens the client with the task of figuring out how these pieces fit into their bigger picture, often leaving them confused and your offerings overlooked.
Strategic Placement: The Role of the Savvy Salesperson
The truly effective salesperson does not merely present their ornaments. They first seek to understand the tree in all its complexity and the direction in which the star is guiding it. With this understanding, they can strategically place their ornaments, ensuring each one supports the client's journey towards their star, their ultimate goals.
Connecting Ornaments to the Star: Communication is Key
The connection between the ornaments and the star cannot be left to chance. It is the salesperson's role to articulate clearly and compellingly how their product or service not only fits on the tree but also enhances the path to the star. This requires not just understanding the client's needs but also effectively communicating how your solutions meet those needs uniquely.
Beyond the Sale: Nurturing the Evergreen Relationship
The relationship between a salesperson and their client does not end once the ornaments are placed. Like any vibrant Christmas tree, it requires care to maintain its splendor. The savvy salesperson knows this and remains engaged, ensuring that the tree stays healthy and the path to the star remains clear, year after year.
The essence of B2B sales lies not in the ornaments themselves but in understanding where they fit on the client's tree and how they illuminate the path to the star. It is about recognizing that each client's definition of success is as unique as the star they place atop their tree. And it's about being the guide that helps them decorate their tree in a way that is not just spectacular but also fulfills their deepest aspirations.
The journey of understanding your client's needs and aligning your offerings with their goals is what separates the truly savvy salesperson from the rest. It's a journey that goes beyond the sale, fostering a partnership that grows and evolves, just like the evergreen trees we cherish each holiday season.
Seasons greetings!
From Encompass-CX
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