Selling Is a Service

Give customers what they need

By Andrea Hill

Quite a few years ago I worked in an office with one of the best salespeople I know. His name is Joe and he considered himself an expert on the casting process, not on selling. But he had taken a job in a technical sales group to offer support to customers experiencing casting problems—the job that landed him in a cubicle outside my office. One of my favorite stories about Joe is the day a customer called to ask for a recommendation on a different carving tool than the one she had purchased earlier that week. Rather than immediately suggesting different tools, Joe began to ask questions. After a few minutes I heard him exclaim, “Oh! Oh, now I see what you’re doing wrong. Try it like this. Don’t hold it like a pencil, hold it like a potato peeler. OK, now draw the blade toward you like you’re peeling the potato. Feel the difference? Try that for a while and see how it works for you, and if you’re still not satisfied we’ll exchange the tool.”

The thing that made Joe such a good salesman was that he wasn’t trying to sell, he was trying to help, so he tuned in to each customer’s needs. He asked insightful questions, listened intently to the answers, visualized the situation from the customer’s perspective, and provided solutions appropriate to each situation. Spectacular salespeople know that selling isn’t about influencing someone to buy what you have to sell—it’s about figuring out how to provide what each customer needs.

Perhaps you are one of those people who doesn’t enjoy selling. If you evaluate what you dislike about selling, you’ll probably discover that you dislike two things: trying to convince anyone of anything and rejection. Unfortunately, both seem inextricably linked to the process of sales. But are they?

Ask the Right Questions First

Could you be a superb salesperson without ever trying to convince anyone of anything? The answer is a resounding yes. Take the example of Renee, a salesperson for a mid-range jewelry manufacturer that sells to independent retail jewelers. Her first question when she arrives at a customer site or contacts a customer on the phone is, “So tell me. What’s selling?” Her second question is, “Okay, so what’s not?” Using those two questions as her springboard, Renee probes the retailer for details, asking questions about price points, styles, and materials. When she is at the store, she takes time to consider each of these answers relative to the way the merchandise is displayed (or not) and if the customer is missing key price points or product types that would enhance opportunities to upsell. Renee understands that what matters to her customers is profitability, which depends on sales volume and good margins. Before she can offer anything meaningful to a customer from her own line, Renee must understand how what she has to offer fits with what her customer needs.

One of the most common sales mistakes is to approach a customer, break open the selling case, and start telling him or her about what you are selling. This particular mistake is also most responsible for the dreaded result of rejection. You could be the best chef in the world, but a person who just ate too much still won’t want what you have to offer. Most sales rejection comes from trying to convince people of something they do not know they need. It’s best to start with questions that will help both you and the retailer understand what they need.

When I work trade shows, my favorite greeting to passers-by is, “What problems are you trying to solve?” Of course, I get the usual laughing responses of “world peace,” “the economy,” and “a house full of teenagers.” And that’s fine—we both have a laugh and the customer has properly identified himself or herself as only mildly interested in what I have to offer. (Of course, lack of immediate customer recognition of what’s on offer could be the fault of a weak tradeshow display, but that’s a topic for another column.) However, when a customer immediately responds with an answer in the ballpark of something we have to sell, I know a meaningful conversation is about to take place.

My selling technique is primarily asking questions and taking notes. I start with a clear understanding of the types of problems my products and services can solve, the gaps they can fill, the opportunities they can create, and the purposes they serve. As I ask questions and make notes, I am considering how each of the customer’s needs and desires might be met with something I have to sell, but I don’t start talking about these things until I can truly relate to the customer. Every good salesperson approaches sales a bit differently, but all will complete the process of discovery and understanding before embarking on the process of presenting and offering.

The truth is, you won’t always have something to sell that serves a purpose the customer needs. When this occurs, one highly effective response is to say, “Wow. It seems like you really need something in the $X to $Y price range in white metal. Our stuff is a little pricier than that, so I’m not sure if I have anything of value for you today.” Before you drop your coffee cup after reading that suggestion, consider this: If you don’t have something the customer needs, don’t you think they’re going to notice? If the rejection will happen either way, isn’t there some benefit to offering it yourself, sparing both of you the tension, and building a bit of trust?

We all know the phrase “selling is a numbers game,” and it is true. But how you approach the numbers will make all the difference between productive, enjoyable sales experiences and attempting to numb yourself to serial dismissal. You don’t need all the customers—no business does. You just need the right customers. Asking pertinent questions and learning about the customer’s needs and desires will tell you if you are communicating with the right type of customer for your business. If you’re not, make a friend and move on. Once you are listening to the right type of customer, offer to share ideas with them about how your products and services can help meet his or her needs.

I’m not such a Pollyanna that I believe a salesperson can avoid all rejection, but I do know this: When Joe shut down his computer and pocketed his keys at the end of the day, he always seemed happy. Once, when speaking to an applicant for a job on his team, I heard him say that he enjoyed his job because he knew that he helped people. What’s not to like about that?