Each week I am covering one step to Mastering The Sell, an ongoing series that explores how to transform the process of selling to achieve champion level results. Make sure to go back to the original article titled the Sale Vs The Sell. Each of the articles in the series can be found there.
Do you care?
Of course, you do! But let’s get real for a moment. What do you really care about when it comes to selling what you sell?
If we’re being 100% honest, we all work to make a living. If we didn’t need to worry about making a living, likely we’d be doing something else with our time every day.
Some people really care and have passion for what they do. Some are doing it because they just care about the paycheck.
In sales, you need a healthy motivation toward making money. This is why people are attracted to a career in sales. Limitless income opportunity.
But the champions realize a simple fact of life. The more they care about the customer, the more they will make. So, they shift their thinking away from personal gain to concern for their customer. But it has to go beyond just making the sale. To truly Master The Sell, you need to take it a few steps farther...
The big shift
If you don’t do it already, time to start caring what happens after the sale. Not just lip service. Really, truly, deeply caring. And then putting your money where your mouth is… don’t just say you care. Show you care.
To truly Master The Sell, you’re not concerned with just the transaction. You care that it’s the right thing for your client. This was covered in Mastering The Sell Part 2.
What we should all care about most of all is what happens after the transaction has been made. What happens once they have made the purchase? Many sales professionals-and by the way, if you’re the owner of the business and doing the selling, you count as a sales professional-care deeply about the prospect when the hunt is on. But once the hunt is over and the prey has been captured, they are on to the next prospect.
The truth is, depending upon your role in the business, there may seem to be nothing more in it for you once the sale is made. If your role in your company is commission-based sales, you don’t eat unless you sell more stuff to more people.
But this is not really true
It can be difficult to make this shift. But trust me, in the long run, you’ll make more this way.
First, keep in mind, the better the company does, the more opportunities you get to sell. The more revenue that comes in, the more leads they can generate for you.
And if you own the company, obviously you know it’s real important for the client to stay happy and benefit from working with you over the long term. The happier they are, the more referrals come your way. The more upgrade opportunities are there to increase income.
This may not directly impact you if you are sales only. But if the company is healthy, you will be too.
How to be human
It’s as simple as this: just care what happens next after the paperwork has been signed and filed. Is your client happy? Are they being served well? Are there any issues at all you can help them with even if it won’t make you any more money right now or at all?
When you’re in the act of selling, are you doing everything in your power to insure they will be served well once they go from being a prospect to an account? Are you laying the groundwork for their success long after the commission is paid?
We’ve all been the victim of the disappearing salesperson. They talked an amazing game when they were wooing us into signing. Then we never heard from them again.
Pick up the phone and say hi. Shoot them an email. Send an actual handwritten card. Don’t wait for the renewal or for them to call you upset by something that happened.
This is the mindset of the sales champion. It brings you one step closer to Mastering The Sell!