There is an old joke that says somebody is a great salesperson if he or she can sell refrigerators to the Eskimos in the Arctic. But in today’s thorny economy, less-than-stellar salespeople can find themselves left out in the cold if they fail to understand how to connect to potential customers. This week, MortgageOrb speaks with Jaynie L. Smith, CEO of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Smart Advantage Inc. and author of the new book Relevant Selling, to understand the challenges of today’s sales environment.
Q: In your opinion, what is needed to be a superior salesperson in today’s business environment?
Smith: A great salesperson is personable, a good listener and knowledgeable, and can solicit what is most relevant to that customer and respond to that with laser focus. Salespeople must be able to listen with minimal personal bias. That means having an objective “ear” that can truly hear what the customer is asking for and/or concerned with.
Many salespeople have canned presentations that they use, and they are often loaded with info that has little relevance to the buying criteria of the person making the decision. A superior salesperson never assumes what the customer will want, and is never defensive about his or her product or service.