Sell Like a Child Would…Be Persistent, Yet Likable

Ever been confronted by a child who wants something…really badly? How many times did the child get what he/she wanted? More times than not? That’s because children possess a skill that most of us have lost a long time ago…the ability to be relentless while still being likable, even lovable!

Why Children Would Make the Best Salespeople

Why do people say that children make the greatest salespeople?  Because they are relentless! Does this scenario ring true to you:

Monday: “Daddy can I have that X Box?” “No.”
Tuesday: “Daddy can I have that X Box?” “No.”
Wednesday: “Daddy, is today the day I get the XBox.” “No.”
Thursday: “Daddy, today sure would be a good day to get an XBox.” “No.”
Friday: “Daddy, if I had an XBox right now, I wouldn’t be bothering you.” “No.”
Saturday Morning: “Daddy, I really think that…” “Okay, okay, we’ll go! We’ll get the XBox today!”

Fascinating analogy isn’t it?

Death of a Salesman…Giving Up

A recent survey of sales executives by the National Research Bureau revealed that 80 percent of all sales are made after the fifth call. And yet…the same survey found that 48 percent of salespeople call once and give up. Further, 25 percent of salespeople call twice and quit. It gets worse. Just 12 percent make three calls and stop while only 5 percent make a fourth call before calling it quits. Only 10 percent of salespeople keep on calling. And, it is this 10 percent – the one salesperson in ten – that make 80 percent of all the sales.

Be Relevant and Persistent

Our job as salespeople/consultants is to be persistent, yet likable. To succeed at persistence, it’s essential to capture what’s important to your client. You need to play back to him/her what their challenge was to prove you’ve heard them. “You said that growing your West Coast division is mission critical.” Then, you create legitimate touch points that serve your client and illustrate your desire to resolve what your client said was keeping them up at night. “With the program I’m recommending, you can start building the West Coast division, see some quick results and grow it steadily over the next 3-5 years.” You’ve just become relevant in his world and you have his attention.You must be able to defend each touch point to your client. That way, they can see and appreciate your empathy.

And DON’T GIVE UP! Be the one of the last nine salespeople your client has seen who actually wins.