A sales rep new to our company attended an intensive training program given by one of our primary vendors. He was very excited about what he had learned and asked, “Why don’t we sell more of their products? Their equipment is outstanding. It should sell itself.”
Vendors take pride in doing a good job of explaining and promoting their products to the people responsible for selling them. This often leads to an abundance of enthusiasm among trainees, however, with newly educated reps envisioning their entire customer base installing that company’s products immediately.
Don’t be “blinded by the light.” When I invited the new rep noted above to join me on a sales call, his single-focused outlook led to oversight. We were visiting one of my established customers – and I let the new rep take the lead. He immediately launched into a diatribe, expounding the benefits of the products on which he had recently been trained. After 5 minutes, the customer began to fidget, so I interrupted and asked if he could show us his company’s plant. That facility was full of the latest equipment we had sold to him, but from a different manufacture than the one the rep was pitching.
When we left the account, the rep apologized. I explained that while product knowledge is important, the sales rookie with the least information often becomes the winning salesman because he knows he has to observe each client carefully in order to find the best solutions for that company’s needs.
Rookies who look, listen, learn, and ask for help are often more successful than seasoned veterans. Let’s spend a moment examining those 4 basic principles:
Look –
Eye contact is essential when you meet new people. It demonstrates active listening and subconsciously it communicates you care.
Listen –
New reps with very little product knowledge tend to ask more questions and listen more closely, allowing the customer to carry the conversation.
Learn –
When you are new at a job, feel free to let those with more experience know that you would like to learn from them. Customers are generally excited to show you through their business and explain what has made them successful. Experienced people recognize their obligation to educate and mentor those who are just starting a career. Many feel duty-bound to give rookies a good start by buying from them.
Ask for Help –
We all like to help others. It gives us a sense of generosity. Most people will bend over backwards to assist someone who has a need.
The young rep in my story went on to become a highly successful professional. He now manages a thriving business.
Stephen Covey writes in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People about a man who had been feverishly sawing down a tree for hours. When a friend suggested he might try sharpening the saw, he replied, “I’m too busy sawing!” Whether you are new in sales or a seasoned veteran, don’t forget to take the time to sharpen your saw by applying these four principles.
Your Five Key Sales Takeaways:
- After intensive training sessions, you may become over enthusiastic. Be sure to check that energy before meeting your clients.
- Eye contact is essential when you meet new people.
- New reps with very little product knowledge tend to listen better because they don’t have anything to share.
- Ask for help. We all thrive on generosity.
- Whether you are new in sales or a seasoned veteran, we can all sharpen our saws by the application of “look, listen, learn, and ask questions.”