People Buy You

People buy you before they buy what you are selling.

There is no sales technique in the world to change a prospective client’s mind if you turn him or her off.

Focus on relationship development first and selling your product or service second.

To sell yourself approach each interaction with these five things in mind:

One: Be Confident In Your Ability To Help

Selling is helping people in return for financial compensation. You must feel great about your ability to help the person sitting across the table from you. They have a need you can fill or a problem you can solve. Help them. That’s why you are there.

Two: Want to Close the Deal But Don’t Need It

Go into every interaction with a sincere desire to close the deal but do not appear anxious. Neediness kills sales. If you need the client more than the client wants what you are selling, he will smell it on you just as if you stepped in a giant pile of horse manure.

Demonstrate a desire to work with the client but do not appear desperate.

Three: Listen More and Talk Less

Ask great questions. Show a desire to understand the situation. Uncover the “who,” “what,” “when,” “where” and, most importantly the “why” of the deal.

Simply put: Gather the facts by listening 70% of the time.

Four: Emotionally Engage the Client

Facts tell but emotions sell. The client is motivated by how you make him feel and then he justifies his actions with logic. First, make your case on an emotional level and then give him the facts he needs.

This runs counter to what you hear from most sales gurus and it is contrary to what you learn in most selling systems – but it works.

Five: Stay In Touch

Do not let people forget about the value you provide. Keep the lines of communication open with clients after you make the sale. Help them solve problems throughout the course of your relationship and they will continue to do business with you over and over again.

People Buy You – In Other Words Develop a Relationship

Do not think of sales as a transactional process. Selling is advanced relationship development. Your prospective clients must get to know you, he must like you and he must trust you. Those are the qualities of true relationships.

Be the person they want to have around and you’ll be the person who can sell to them over and over again.