1. Active Listening: Engage and Understand

The first skill on our list is active listening. It involves giving your undivided attention to your prospect, demonstrating genuine interest in their needs, and seeking to understand their perspective. Avoid interrupting and truly absorb what they’re saying. By doing so, you’ll be better equipped to offer tailored solutions addressing their pain points.

Tip: Maintain eye contact, nod occasionally to show attentiveness, and paraphrase what the prospect has said to confirm your understanding. This will foster rapport and trust, making your prospects more likely to engage with you.

2. Effective Questioning: Uncover Needs

Asking the right questions is an art form in sales. By asking open-ended questions, you encourage prospects to provide detailed responses, revealing their needs and desires. These questions also help you gather information to personalize your sales pitch and offer a solution that genuinely resonates with them.

Tip: Use the W5H method (Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How) to structure your questions and encourage prospects to elaborate. Avoid leading questions that may limit their responses and opt for thought-provoking queries that delve deeper into their pain points.

3. Empathy: Connect on a Human Level

Empathy is a powerful skill that enables you to understand and share your prospects’ feelings. Empathy shows that you genuinely care about solving their problems rather than just making a sale. You build a deeper connection and foster trust by putting yourself in their shoes.

Tip: Practice active empathy by acknowledging and validating the emotions expressed by your prospects. Use phrases like “I understand how frustrating that can be” or “I can imagine that must be challenging.” This creates a supportive atmosphere, allowing you to establish a stronger rapport.

4. Clear and Concise Communication: Cut Through the Clutter

In a fast-paced world, attention spans are short. Salespeople must be able to communicate their value proposition clearly and concisely. Avoid jargon and technical terms that may confuse your prospects. Focus on highlighting the benefits and outcomes they can expect by choosing your product or service.

Tip: Prepare an “elevator pitch” that succinctly describes your offering in a way that anyone can understand. Practice delivering it naturally, ensuring it captures attention and sparks curiosity. Remember, less is often more when it comes to sales communication.

5. Adaptability: Tailor Your Approach

Every prospect is unique, and a one-size-fits-all approach seldom works. Salespeople must be adaptable and tailor their communication style to each individual. This involves understanding their personality, preferences, and communication style to build rapport and establish a connection.

Tip: Observe the prospect’s communication cues and mirror their tone and pace. If they prefer a structured conversation, provide clear information and statistics. If they respond better to anecdotes and stories, use storytelling to convey your message. Adaptability will help you build a bridge between your prospect’s world and your product or service.

6. Non-Verbal Communication: Actions Speak Louder

Non-verbal cues can often speak louder than words. How you present yourself, your body language and your facial expressions can significantly impact how your message is received. Salespeople should pay close attention to their non-verbal communication to ensure it aligns with their intended message.

Tip: Maintain an open and welcoming posture, make eye contact, and smile genuinely. Use hand gestures sparingly and intentionally. Be aware of your facial expressions to convey confidence, warmth, and enthusiasm. These non-verbal cues will make your prospects feel more at ease and engaged.

7. Persuasive Storytelling: Paint a Picture

Lastly, do not underestimate the power of storytelling. Stories are memorable and emotionally compelling, making them a valuable tool for salespeople. You can create a vivid picture of how your product or service has positively impacted others by sharing success stories, testimonials, or case studies.

Tip: Craft a library of compelling stories highlighting the benefits and outcomes your prospects can achieve. Adapt these stories to suit different industries and pain points. Use descriptive language and let your prospects visualize themselves in the story, making it more relatable and persuasive.

Conclusion

Effective communication lies at the heart of successful sales. By mastering these seven crucial communication skills – active listening, effective questioning, empathy, clear and concise communication, adaptability, non-verbal communication, and persuasive storytelling – you’ll be well on your way to becoming a world-class salesperson.

Remember, practice and persistence are key. So, get out there, connect with your prospects, and let your communication skills shine! With time and effort, you can refine these skills and unlock greater success in your sales journey.

The post 7 Crucial Communications Skills for Salespeople to Unlock Success appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

Covid has shone a light on something that I feel has been coming for some time—the death of the traditional in-person sales call. I’m sure many of us remember David Brent, after his days at Wernham Hogg, bombing down the motorway to ask a potential customer ‘Who does your tampons?’.

Travelling sales reps have long been a key tool for many businesses. They provided the personal touch you couldn’t get from a phone call or email, they could offer product demonstrations, and because they had a captive audience, they could look for opportunities to cross or upsell.

The Rise of Online

However, even before the pandemic, the value of the traditional sales representative had started to wane. Key decision-makers, particularly in larger organisations, are not so easily accessible. Getting appointments has become trickier, and the unsolicited approach generally courts frustration and disdain. I also believe there is a generational gap with those who grew up in the latter years of the Information Age not being as appreciative of the sales rep as those who grew up when this methodology was the norm.

This creates a situation where the traditional sales rep has less strategic value to both the organisation and the customer. Covid has only exacerbated the issue, with the easy-availability of video-conferencing applications providing a suitable alternative to the personal call. Our salespeople no longer need to pop in for a cup of tea and a chat; they can simply send a Zoom link instead and do things online. Between video calls, phone calls, emails, text messages and instant messaging applications, is there any real value to keeping salespeople on the road?

Court Before Pitching

I’d say there is. When selling physical products, for example, it’s easier to demonstrate the product in person. Technology may be much more advanced than even ten years ago, but many areas of the country still have less than ideal broadband speeds and reliability. An in-person call isn’t subject to a technical hiccup such as a router rebooting at an inopportune time. It also has to be said that there is still value in a simple handshake, the walk to the elevator, and those other elements that are difficult to replicate in an online world.

To succeed, though, salespeople cannot rely on the way things were done. A business leader or procurement agent isn’t going to agree to a meeting unless they truly believe they can get value from it. For the salesperson, this means that much more of the groundwork needs to be laid before they can even think about meeting in person. In a way, they need to start treating it more like online dating—get their LinkedIn Profile up-to-scratch, build trust, develop respect, communicate openly and honestly, and really sell themselves before they can begin to sell for their company.

Rise Above and Triumph

Salespeople need to elevate themselves above the crowd. They need more knowledge of their industry and market, their competitors, and their product than they needed before. To communicate the value they bring, they need to think more creatively, and approach prospective customers with ideas and insights that the client simply cannot find anywhere else.

The best salespeople will seek to establish themselves within the client organisation as a Trusted Adviser. They’ll make themselves available to answer calls, provide insights, brainstorm, and take the time to help customers understand how to solve the problems they face. Great salespeople have always disrupted the customer’s thinking and challenged them on preconceptions, and now that’s more important than ever.

Still Here, But Different

The in-person meeting isn’t going to go away, but it’s going to become much more difficult to get a date in the diary when there are so many more favourable alternatives. Instead of having people on the road, it may be more beneficial to keep them at home or in the office, and get them prospecting, get them reaching out, and getting them to work hard on their entrepreneurial skills so that they can elevate themselves, and their organisation, above the competition.

At Robin Lines Associates, we offer a variety of Sales, Prospecting, and Key Account Management programmes. All of our programmes are bespoke, tailored to your people’s needs, your organisation’s challenges, and the conditions in your market. Reach out and let us know what challenges you’re facing and we’re certain we can come up with a training solution that will return fantastic results.

The post Death of a Salesperson appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

Relationship building isn’t an exact science. Your customers are unique in their own way, and what one client may value or appreciate, another will not. However, there are techniques you can use to delve into what makes a particular customer tick. When you understand that then you can personalise your proposition further, ensuring that your business becomes their first port of call in future.

Listen

It sounds obvious, but there are times when it may seem advantageous not to listen. Sometimes our business wants to push a client to a specific solution because it is beneficial for us. Other times, we may simply want to give them what they want because it seems advantageous for us both. However, sometimes, what they want and what they need are not the same thing.

By listening to what they tell us about the problem they have, we may well be able to serve them better. It might not be the most beneficial deal for us in the short-term, and it might not be quite what they think they want at the time, but when you can sell something that exceeds the customer’s expectations, you’re on the fast-track to gaining their trust and loyalty.

Look for Ways to Add Value

It doesn’t matter if it’s bagging a discount from a Pay-TV provider or getting a discount for cash from a supplier, every customer wants to feel like they have a great deal. At times, you will find that a deal can be made more appealing by offering something extra. This doesn’t even need to be something expensive. I’ve known businesses throw in some free stationery or an additional six-months of complimentary product support to make an offer more enticing.

A common tactic of very successful salespeople is to seek an opportunity to give away a pen during an initial meeting or later negotiation. These items are comparatively low-value but are welcomed as friendly gestures and impress upon the client your willingness to be generous.

Make Your Pitch a Conversation

We’re all familiar with the hard sell or pressure pitch, and the truth is, we’re all fed up with it. Nowadays, such tactics are associated with door-to-door salespeople or disreputable timeshare outfits. Very few people have the patience to sit through a prolonged session being bombarded with statistics and figures.

Furthermore, people eventually switch off. They might be too polite to tell you that they’re not listening anymore, but they probably are not. Even if they agree to buy something, they won’t return as a customer, and that’s if they’re not on the phone to cancel within the hour.

Your pitch needs to be a conversation in good faith, with a free exchange of ideas. As I mentioned above, you must listen to what your customer is telling you and be attentive to their needs. Don’t merely try to tick off every box on your pitch list, or bombard them with information. Take your time and respond when appropriate.

Find Common Ground and Interests

We all have a life outside of the office. When selling, you should try and bond with your customers over something unrelated to work. Perhaps you both have an interest in sports or are fond of the same actor? Maybe you’re both currently reading science-fiction novels or like music from the 1960s?

People want to do business with people who are similar to them. Whenever you are able to find these little pieces of outside-life, try and spend a few minutes during each meeting casually chatting about them. They can be useful small icebreakers before the formalities of meetings, but furthermore, they help your client see you as relatable. They will remember that when they’re in the market for services like yours.

Be Genuine

Fibbing is the practice of insecure, shady salespeople. Even if you can wing your way through a sales meeting with insincerity and manipulation, your client will eventually rumble you. Nobody is going to be in a hurry to return to a business that has treated them poorly. If salespeople manipulate someone to seal a deal, then it reflects poorly on the entire company.

Always remember that in today’s connected world, unhappy customers are unlikely to tell just ten people of their experiences. They can now tell thousands in a couple of minutes.

Keep in Touch

You’ve made the deal, and your customer is happy. What’s next? You need to keep working at the relationship. All the conversations, generosity, productive meetings and negotiations in the world will not guarantee you the next sale. The more time that passes, the higher the chance that your customer will consider other suppliers. It pays to keep in touch, with a friendly email or call every now and again.

Some salespeople feel uncomfortable about keeping in contact with a client. They fear they may be badgering or pressuring them. What is often appreciated by clients is checking-in on whether they are happy with the product or service you sold them? Do they have any feedback? Are they experiencing any other difficulties?

Keeping yourself in your customer’s mind and showing that you genuinely care about their experience with your business is a great way to continue developing the relationship and securing more business in the future.

The post Six Tips for Building Sales Relationships appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

“Ninety-nine percent of sales slumps can be linked directly to a failure to prospect” – Jeb Blount, Fanatical Prospecting.

Your Pipeline is Your Lifeline

Whether you’re a sole trader, small business owner or the MD of a FTSE 100 business, you know that sales are your lifeline. From my own experience, developing a business is a task like no other. You cannot stop trying to generate leads, and you need your people always to be working towards that goal. That is why you should never stop prospecting.

Think about your pipeline – the flow of business into yours. How long could your business stay afloat if the pipeline dried up? A week? A month? Six months? Whatever the answer is, it will probably scare you. Maintaining the flow is not only critical to success, but it’s also key to survival. Of course, when you are busy, it seems like there is too much else to do. I, for example, need to design several programmes per month, meet with clients, spend hours on the phone, chase invoices, and all sorts of everyday tasks – but I put my business development first.
 

Good vs Great

Good salespeople are the ones that you expect to close most of their sales given the opportunity. Great salespeople are the ones that make those opportunities. Much like I’ve discussed regarding Personal Branding, you cannot wait for opportunities to find you. Instead, you must seek them out. You cannot sell to people who are not engaging with you.

How many times have you found yourself needing something and not being able to get it? It is an uncomfortable, anxiety-inducing feeling, and it is worse when it’s business. If you need to make that sale, then you can almost be sure it will fall through. Sometimes we get lucky, but often it seems that the world conspires against us.

Prospecting is a challenge, and you need to build a ‘Growth’ Mindset‘. You cannot always clinch that sale – perseverance is key. It is often said that we make our own luck, and that’s true for prospecting. The more you prospect, the more leads you will generate. Creating more leads results in closing more sales. With more business flowing in, the sense of need reduces. When you have freed yourself from need, you can build confidence, and confident people are even more consistent sellers.
 

Adopt the Right Mindset

Therefore, the key to prospecting is to be tenacious. Keep hunting for those opportunities. Take an active interest in developing your business. Devise a strategy for maintaining contact with potential leads, set aside some time for writing emails, making phone calls and always keep track of how well you are performing. If you know the average sales closed from each call you make, you can quickly work out how many calls you must make to sustain your pipeline.

When prospecting, be positive and optimistic, even when you are having a bad run. People buy people first. You are much less likely to close a deal if you sound like you are having a bad day. You should always work on projecting confidence and knowledge. If you are calling, read through your pitch several times until you can speak the whole thing without stuttering, erring or sounding like you’re reading a script! You may also find it helpful to try Peak Performance Visualisation.

Make Those Calls

When you’re in the right frame of mind, then make those calls, send those emails and pay attention to what people are saying to you. Learn what works and what doesn’t and adjust your pitch accordingly. Treat every response as feedback on your pitch, that way you can always be developing your talent for prospecting. Be mindful of what people say and never be afraid to leave the script if you feel that you are building a rapport.

Above all, keep focused. Try and think of yourself not as a salesperson, or a business leader, but as the Managing Director of yourself. Feel that you are accountable for your failures and responsible for your success. Make yourself answerable to yourself above everybody else, and know that you and you alone hold the power to prospect and sell.

The post Why You Should Always Be Prospecting appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

Times Change

Moreso than ever, marketing is based on trends. When you think about business promotion, it wasn’t that long ago that Myspace was all the rage but people moved over to Facebook. A few years back, Tumblr was the most prominent social platform among young people. Now that moniker goes to the likes of Instagram and Snapchat. Currently, GIFs and videos are the in-thing but that will no doubt change at some point.

If you’re running a small operation or working as a sole-trader, keeping up with and budgeting for all of these changing trends can be an enormous, near-impossible task. That’s why your current client base might be the best resource for leads and referrals. You have to do much less work to wow prospective clients with your Instagram stories and GIF game when someone you work with can recommend you to their circles.

Keep in Touch

It pays to keep in touch with existing clients. Of course, you should be aware of the new GDPR rules regarding the storing and processing of personal data but where possible, keep a friendly dialogue open with your clients. Ask to add them to LinkedIn as a connection or drop them a line now and again asking how things are going. Not only does it keep you in their mind for future opportunities with them but it may also result in a recommendation to someone else.

Skills Change

Much like how marketing trends change, so too do business trends. Over the thirty years I’ve worked as a sales coach, I’ve seen and even helped to develop multiple new courses based on new methodologies. Professional Selling Skills, FAB and USP, Solution Selling, LAMP, SPIN, Value, Challenger, Social – I’ve had to learn new skillsets to do my job as I’m sure most of you have to do yours.

Staying at the forefront of your area of expertise, learning new skills and offering them to your existing clients can also help you get those referrals you want. If a current client doesn’t need the new programme or service you’re offering, they may well know somebody else who does.

Keep online profiles, websites, blogs, etc. up-to-date with every new skill you’ve gained and the service you offer. I recommend a periodic review of your most important marketing assets to make sure the information they contain is current and relevant.

Let Clients Know of Other Services

I offer a variety of services in addition to sales coaching. If you also provide several services, then make sure your clients are aware. They might have contracted you for one area and not know that you’re adept in other areas that they have a current need for. Even if a customer doesn’t need another service immediately, they may require a future solution or, again, be able to refer you to another prospect within their circle.

Be sure to listen to your clients. You’d be surprised how often a customer might mention a specific challenge or obstacle they’re facing that you’re ideally placed to help with. Remember, if you can offer the solution they need then speak up!

Ask for Business

Never forget to ask for more business. Let your customers know that you’re available and ready to work at any time in the future. Sometimes a client might even have more of the same work for you now. Don’t start spamming inboxes, of course, but remember that a little persistence isn’t a bad thing. If your client is happy with the work you’ve done, then they will be more inclined to give you further business.

In closing, always keep a positive relationship with your clients. Keep in touch with them, try and connect with them on platforms such as LinkedIn and always keep them notified of anything new you might be able to offer. Your existing clients can be a strong source of repeat work and a powerful voice with their referrals and recommendations.

The post Utilising the Potential Opportunities from Existing Clients appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

There are those who sit around waiting for opportunities to come to them. Occasionally, one gets lucky – but luck is all it is. We are all lucky at some point in life, but the problem with relying on luck is that we have no control when it comes and how it helps. The clear majority of us cannot and should not rely on luck to make our way in life. We should take control and make our own luck.

Last week when we looked at identifying target audiences, we encouraged you to take time to understand the problems a business or client faces. This week, we want to expand on that and look at how you can build relationships. While opportunities can arise from various sources, we cannot ignore the fact many come from our connections.

Remember the “monkeysphere” we mentioned last week? If someone is asked to recommend a person for a job, they will often show bias to friends. This bias is why companies make an effort to try and connect with people on a personal level. Staff are trained to address you by your first name. Algorithms try to identify what products or services are relevant to you. Marketing materials attempt to imply a bond between consumer and supplier. Similar logic applies in business. If you are not making friends, you are not creating opportunities.
 

Create Opportunities

How do you create opportunities? There was a time when taking out a golf club membership was considered to be a necessity in business. Today, however, we have a few more options. For example, have you ever looked at local business events? You might be surprised just how many big and small events take place near to you every month. Google them, or check the local newspaper. Many towns even have specific clubs for small business owners or local entrepreneurs.

Find the events that fit with what you want to achieve. Some of these events will be casual gatherings, whereas others will be more formal events with guest speakers. Try to attend a variety of events and be prepared to do some networking. Look for opportunities to build a relationship with other people, especially those in similar fields.

Since the same people often attend these events, being seen at them gets you noticed. Even without speaking to someone, you are communicating with them that you are serious about your work. Being perceived in this way can encourage others to want to get to know you. Every connection you make is a potential opportunity, especially if you take the time to build the relationship.
 

Get Social

Another way to build relationships is via social media. Twitter can be a great way of reaching and engaging with influencers in your field. While many of the most followed Twitter users rarely check their engagements due to sheer volume, their actual followers will. Responding to tweets with a thoughtful response can attract people to you. LinkedIn is another way to engage with potential influencers. However, be aware that some people prefer to keep their circles to people they know.

Identifying what engages others on social media can also be very useful. If the influencers you follow regularly tweet about specific topics, tweeting or writing blog posts about the same subject can attract attention. Remember, influencers are so because they influence the conversation; they are the Thought Leaders we have discussed previously.

Where possible, whether it be on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or another social network, try and respond with a comment instead of simply liking the post. When your goal is to build your connections to create further opportunities, a like is meaningless. Few people bother to check who else has liked a post. Sometimes you do just genuinely ‘like’ a post or update and have nothing further to contribute, and that is fine. It does not say anything bad about you, but if you could say something, you are missing an exposure opportunity by not saying it.
 

Stay Rational

A final word of warning about social media: everything you publish on the Internet is cached and logged forever. Those with a habit of engaging in highly charged political discussions, or tweeting inebriated insults towards fans of a rival football club may want to start a new profile and rethink their behaviour. Even a deleted tweet can come back to haunt you.

Whichever way you choose to begin building your circles, keep active and consistent. You want to position yourself as a reliable, rational and regular voice in your field. The more people that begin to take notice of you, and the more relationships you can build, the better the chances that opportunities will start to come your way.

The post Building Relationships and Creating Opportunities appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

I prefer to think that what you know helps to expand whom you know. However, the importance of good networking cannot be understated. Building up a circle of influential contacts within your field creates opportunities, provides chances to learn and even helps to market both your business and your personal brand.

Networking is building relationships and is a natural part of business, but it is an area many in which many people struggle. If you are a naturally reserved individual, it can feel intimidating, and you may well feel that you have little to offer. Let’s discuss some ways to making your networking experience fruitful and productive.
 

Networking Basics

Always do your research. No matter whether it is an industry organisation meeting, a trade show, an informal business luncheon or a LinkedIn group, some opportunities will work for you and others will not. You want to take some time to get a sense of what a particular group does, whether it is supportive of its members and whether the group shares a similar approach to yourself.

Do not feel obliged to throw yourself in every networking opportunity, because each one requires a time investment. You want to invest wisely so do a little bit of research and try and find out as much as you can before committing to a group.
 

Be Honest

Eventually, we all encounter “that guy” – the individual who believes that by spinning fanciful yarns about his achievements and experiences he can woo people. Not only do such stories rarely hold up under scrutiny, but they also provide the single most powerful insight into that guy’s character – he is out for himself.

Good networking is about building mutually beneficial relationships. Even if you are just starting out, be honest about it. There will be people who want to help you, who want to work with you. If you cannot impress somebody with your accomplishments, instead impress them with your enthusiasm and personality. People want to work with people. “That guy” is nothing but a fictional character.
 

Business Cards

Do not always offer your business card. However, do always ask for somebody else’s. If someone asks for your business card, that is great, but do ask for theirs in return. It is a simple gesture, but it goes right back to the mutually beneficial relationship aspect of business networking.

If you ask for somebody’s card, then out of politeness they may very well ask for yours. If somebody asks you for a card, even if only out of politeness, he or she are much less likely to bin it than if you offer it to them unsolicited. It also has to be said that offering somebody an unwanted business card is much like signing them up for your newsletter because you have their email address – poor etiquette.
 

Phone – Silent

At any event, your phone must be on silent. If you are speaking with someone and your phone rings, there is no positive outcome. If you ignore the phone, you look like somebody who does not care about potentially important calls. If you excuse yourself to answer the phone, then you look like someone who does not care about the person with whom you were speaking.

Keeping your phone on silent avoids this. You can always check for missed calls in between conversations. Ensure that if you do need to return a call, you go somewhere private to do it.
 

Talk to Strangers

Even if you are at an event with a host of people from work, make an effort to speak with strangers. You should not rely on your coworkers or friends to introduce you. Making an effort to present yourself gives the impression of confidence. It can also be a way to meet and talk with people that you would not have met if you had stayed in your circle.

When speaking, opt for open-ended questions. The common “What do you do?” is not going to cut it. It is too easy to answer, and if you cannot think of an immediate follow-up question to the answer, then you risk cutting a potentially valuable conversation short. You should also develop the art of small-talk, as well. People can grow weary of discussing their work all the time, so some well-managed chit-chat can help you stay in their mind as a person that they liked.
 

Do Not Sell

When you find someone who you can tell is after services just like the ones you offer, it can be so tempting to pitch to them on the spot. However, again, networking is about building relationships, and very few relationships start off well with an unsolicited sales conversation.

If they invite you to discuss your business, then have a short “elevator style” pitch prepared. If they do not, instead, ask for their card and wait a few days. Drop them a short email, mentioning that you enjoyed meeting with them and hope to speak again. If they respond in kind, then you can look to arranging a follow-up meeting to offer some services.

Never assume that because you have their card, or that you had a good chat, that you can pitch to them or use them as a business resource. Make sure that they’re inviting you to do so.

The post A Quick Guide to Business Networking appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

The Personal Touch

Electronic communications aren’t a bad thing. They can speed up and vastly simplify certain interactions. Not everything warrants a phone call or a site visit, after all. We cannot, however, argue that email can be very impersonal. Electronic communication favours efficiency, and sometimes that’s what we need but it’s not what we always need.

We’re still human beings. Most of us still like to feel a connection with other people, even, or perhaps especially, in business. People are growing increasingly weary of the facelessness of some businesses. That’s why social media managers are constantly trying to give a business a personality online.

An email can be shot off to a thousand people at once and such bulk emails are very difficult to tailor to individuals. A phone call, however, is personal. It’s a direct connection and it’s a private connection. You know when someone’s on the phone to you that they’re talking to you. There’s value in that because it makes that person feel valued.
 

Avoiding Misunderstandings

One of the biggest issues with email-only communications is the potential for misunderstanding. The way we read a message is not always the way in which a message was intended. For example, some people have a very blunt writing style. They write short, direct sentences. If emailing someone they’re well acquainted with, such a style might not be problematic. Yet if introducing themselves to a new client, it might inadvertently come across as rude or overly stern.

At any time, a sentence can be misunderstood, it’s meaning lost. If the recipient is having a particularly stressful day, they may even be unwittingly predisposed to taking something the wrong way. Additionally, email often lacks the context of tone.

Our voice though doesn’t betray us in the way that our words might do. When people listen to us speak, they can deduct from our tone how our message is intended.
 

Selling Solutions

I am a huge advocate of consultative selling – selling solutions. It’s my belief that conversation is the cornerstone of good selling. We want our clients to feel that they’re getting what they need, not that they’re being sold what we want them to buy. In my experience, a free-flowing conversation is hugely advantageous when trying to understand what the client needs and offer the correct solution.

Email stunts the conversation. It harms the flow. You send off an email, wait hours or maybe even days for a reply, and sometimes neither side gets the answers they want. This isn’t to say that email doesn’t have its place in the consultative selling process but it should not be the only part of the process. Following up via email allows the client to address things that they might have forgotten previously, but it’s that initial interaction that can sell the relationship.
 

Emails May Go Unnoticed

I’m sure most of us have sent an email before and not received a reply. It might have been ignored, it might have ended up in a Spam folder (and do check your Spam folders periodically for valuable emails!) or it might simply have been inadvertently skipped over in a full inbox. And I think all of us have seen a lengthy email before now and skimmed it, perhaps missing vital information.

Phone calls don’t suffer from this problem. Even if the person you’re trying to reach cannot take the call, they’ll know you’ve called and they’re more likely to return it. If they don’t read your email for whatever reason, they’re very unlikely to get back to you.

Studies have consistently shown that even cold calling by phone has a significantly higher response rate when compared to email only marketing.
 

Don’t Stop Sending Emails

None of this is to say that email marketing doesn’t have its place. You cannot beat it for reach, efficiency or cost-effectiveness. However, I do not believe it should be the beginning and end of your marketing strategy. People are far more likely to respond to, and invest in, other people.

Send emails to try and initiate a connection. Make that email an invitation to connect on a more personal level. Ask whether they’d be free for a phone conversation in a few days, or if you’re going to be in their neck of the woods, an actual meeting.

When a client can put a voice, and even a face, to the text on their screen from the follow-up email(s) then they’re much more likely to want to do business with you.

The post Sales: Regaining Our Voice appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.