Lately I’ve heard two sales ‘gurus’ in particular talking a lot about the importance of tone and how to use it when selling. By the way, tone is not the cure-all I’m talking about, it is actually one of the results of using the cure-all. As a side note, both the ‘gurus’ I’m referring to really know their stuff and have proven themselves when it comes to sales, they’re also right about tone. That said, the cure-all I’m referring to not only virtually guarantees that your tone is correct, but it also ensures that several other key sales elements are in place.
What are the other sales elements? Building rapport with the prospect, doing what’s right for the prospect, fighting off buyer’s remorse, building a foundation for a strong relationship, and paving the way to more sales, either to that prospect or to people they refer to you. So, what is this cure-all? It’s caring. Right, caring. Stick with me for a moment.
If there’s one thing that seems to be missing in most sales these days, it’s truly caring for the prospect. If you truly care, then tone, and the other sales elements mentioned above, naturally follow. Think about some examples in your personal life; if you’re proposing to the love of your life, or yelling to stop your kid from running into the street and oncoming traffic, does someone have to tell you to use the right tone? If you’re giving a eulogy for your closest friend or family member, is anyone talking to you about what tone to use? No. You know intuitively, and it flows because you care deeply in each of the above scenarios. It’s the same when you truly care about doing what’s best for the prospect. If you sell life insurance for example, and you’re truly concerned for the 28-year-old prospect who’s married and has two young children and no life insurance, or other means to make sure their family is taken care of in the case of their untimely death, no one has to tell you to have a tone of concern when you respond to those facts. The proper tone comes out of your mouth just as naturally as if you’re proposing to the love of your life, saving your kid’s life, or eulogizing your best friend.
In addition to getting the tone correct, truly caring will also give you the additional benefits mentioned earlier: in short, skyrocketing your closing rate, building strong relationships, and leading to more sales down the road.
So, where is the disconnect with caring and how can we remedy it? Salespeople are busy and they are under pressure to make sales. Did I mention that a lot of salespeople are also lazy? So, it isn’t really the case that salespeople don’t care, though some don’t, I believe most do. The problem is that their actions don’t necessarily convey that. Why? The actions that it takes to convey to the client or prospect that you truly care, are cumbersome. In other words, they take time and work; more time than most salespeople think they have and more work than most are willing to put in. So, what is that work? That work is primarily preparation and practice. Preparation includes researching and getting ready for your meeting with the prospect. Both of these will vary based on the size of the sale, the length of the buying cycle, and the number of decision makers involved. Practice means roleplaying the different sales scenarios and knowing what you’ll do in all sales situations.
The truth is the average salesperson does not do the necessary work, so they find themselves in a situation where they simply show up and pitch their product hoping it’s what the prospect needs and wants. That’s why the average salesperson’s closing ratio across industries is 33%. They have a square peg that they try to force into a hole regardless of its shape, square, round, oval, or otherwise. Even in cases where they do run into a square hole, many times they’ve addressed something incorrectly by pitching versus problem solving.
How do we show we care and how does that make the sale so much easier? One is by doing the necessary research and also preparing well-thought-out questions that both set you apart from the competition and show the prospect you’ve done your homework. The next is to follow that up by focusing on problem solving versus pitching. When you approach each conversation from the mindset of being their problem-solver, not your product promoter, everything shifts. You start engaging with meaningful questions, listening more than talking, and responding in ways that naturally build trust and rapport. You need to see each meeting as a chance to step into the client’s world, ask meaningful questions, and bring solutions that are customized to them. The most effective way to do this is to approach each meeting with curiosity and a desire to truly understand what your prospect or client wants and needs and make sure they get the right solution.
When you go into each meeting not only truly caring about the prospect, but also taking the actions that convey that, you’ll no longer have to worry about your tone, building rapport, and making the sale, all of those will naturally flow as a biproduct of your caring and concern.
John Chapin is a motivational sales speaker, coach, and trainer. If you have questions, or to have him speak at your next event, go to www.completeselling.com John has over 37 years of sales and sales management experience as a number one sales rep and is the author of the 2010 sales book of the year: Sales Encyclopedia (Axiom Book Awards). You can reprint provided you keep contact information in place. E-mail: johnchapin@completeselling.com.
