The Art of the Sale
Selling Technology
For three years, Alan Mayer, 29, was a top phone-based sales
representative for Dell in Austin, Texas, working largely with
entrepreneurs from small and midsize businesses making technology
purchases from $50,000 to $3 million. He was voted sales
representative of the year in his segment for two years in a row
and was recently promoted to field account executive. With
technology, "everyone's looking for value," Mayer
says. "People have a better understanding of technology than
they did five years ago." 1. Distinguish purchase price vs.
total cost of ownership. Today's technology customers look
at the total cost of ownership, from initial price and support to
downtime and depreciation. "With technology, there are
multiple factors to price outside of dollars spent on day
one," Mayer says. "The price is just one element of the
sale."
2. Stay flexible and knowledgeable. No two technology
sales are the same. Mayer stays flexible, responds to questions
quickly and keeps up-to-date on products. "Companies still
need technology. Selling is no harder than it ever was," he
says. 3. Understand value from the customer's perspective.
"If a customer needs a product and they're just deciding
who to purchase it from, it's different from a customer who
doesn't know they need to purchase something at all,"
Mayer says. He gets an idea of each customer's time frame and
goals, and whether they're working within a budget, so he can
propose products and a financing plan. "Realize that value is
perceived," he says. "You won't know what the hot
button is until you engage the customer. Meet customer needs where
they want to be met." Selling a ServiceContent Continues Below
Nick Elmore, 41, is a senior account executive for FedEx in
Oklahoma City. Over a 90-square-mile territory, he serves more than
500 small-business customers and constantly makes cold calls. Last
year, Elmore received FedEx's highest award, the Five Star
Award, and was also account executive of the year for FedEx's
Southwest region, which includes 65 account executives throughout
New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. 1. Don't talk, listen.
Elmore spends more time listening than talking. "So many
salespeople want to talk about what they have to offer. But you
have to know the customer's processes," he says.
"[Listening] is so basic, it's overlooked. But it's
the first step to respect."
2. Develop trust. Elmore finds signing a client can take
anywhere from a few days to six months. Along the way, he asks the
customer very targeted questions: What is the competition doing
that you want done better? What would you use our service for? His
goal is to build trust. "I imagine I'm an employee of [my
potential client], except FedEx pays my salary," Elmore
says. 3. Make a difference. Elmore wants to find a
cost-effective answer for each customer. "Right now, people
want solutions," he says. "Once you show them how to grow
their businesses, you have an open door." Now go forth and sell! Have You Got It? | No matter what they're selling, top salespeople share common
traits. Want to see how you and your sales team stack up? Great
salespeople . . . 1. Are entrepreneurial. They
see themselves running their own business within a business.
"They're highly motivated, focused and organized,"
says Joe Galvin, vice president and research director of CRM
strategies for research firm Gartner Inc.
2. Have developed a process. "They've figured
out a process that has been successful for them to maintain their
success," Galvin says. "Then they execute against
it." 3. Think about clients, not quotas. "The best
salespeople focus on the customer," says Skip Miller, founder
and president of M3 Learning Corp., a sales management firm in Los
Gatos, California. "It's always about the
customer." 4. Sell solutions. Great salespeople see themselves
selling more than just widgets; they sell solutions. They tailor
their sales pitches to offer a clear solution that solves the
customer's problem. 5. Get customers thinking. Great salespeople can make
customers see value early on so they're selling themselves on
the solution. They're able to find "the catalyst for the
customer to move forward," says Sam Reese, CEO and president
of sales development company Miller Heiman, with headquarters in
Reno, Nevada. Stellar salespeople can also find this catalyst early
in the sales process. "Closing a sale starts really early in
the process." 6. Aren't afraid to get creative. "You have to
be creative. It's almost like putting on a show for
customers," says Michael Minelli, New York City-based media
and entertainment business manager for SAS Institute Inc., the
world's largest privately held software company.
"You're talking with them, finding out what their vision
is, then demonstrating [value] back to them." 7. Are on the move. The great salespeople "are still
going out and seeing customers and prospects," Reese says.
"They're crafting clear, valid business reasons to
meet." 8. Know when to move on. Great salespeople don't
waste time on dead ends. They're experts at targeting their
resources. 9. Stay current. They keep up with products, clients,
trends and what the competition is doing. 10. Love what they do. Top-grade salespeople are
passionate about their work. If selling isn't fun anymore,
incorporating tips one through nine might help you and your sales
reps get your mojo back. |
Chris Penttila is Entrepreneur's "Staff
Smarts" columnist.
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