What selling is all about
How you define selling will impact your sales results.
Suppose that you think selling is all about persuading and convincing people to buy your technology product. If you have this definition of selling, chances are high that you will resist selling, and you will experience significant sales resistance from your prospects. You will resist for two reasons. First, you don't want people to think you are trying to persuade or convince them. Second, you don't like the idea of having to persuade or convince people.
All in all, if you have this persuading/ convincing definition of selling, you will resist having sales conversations, and the fewer sales conversations you have, the fewer technology sales will result. There is a direct correlation. If you have this definition of selling, your prospects will pick up that you are trying to persuade and convince them, and the moment they do, their sales resistance barrier will come up. They will do this to protect themselves from being sold – and no one likes to be sold. Also, the sales process you use will be one that is based on persuading and convincing.
When you use this 'tell/close' sales process, you will experience even more sales resistance from your prospect, because in their eyes you are now acting like a stereotypical salesperson. Now, let's assume that you define selling as being all about helping people to get what they want – whether it is your technology product or not. Now you have this definition of selling, how do you feel about having conversations with people to see if you can help them? What is your level of resistance going to be? Also, if you are now trying to help someone to get what they want, how do you think those people will react to you?
Of course, people are keen to have conversations with those who genuinely want to help them. There is little, if any, resistance. If you think selling is about helping people to get what they want, then instead of telling them all about your product, you are going to be asking lots of questions to find out if and how you can help them. Then, and only then, does it make sense to talk about your technology product. So your sales process is very different from the 'tell/close' sales process.
The more you ask questions, if you are sincere in your asking and listening, the more your prospect will open up to you and the less resistance there will be.
So, just by changing your definition of selling, your own resistance to having sales conversations will decrease, as will the resistance you get from your prospects. If you then practise asales process which aligns with this definition, any sales resistance will further decrease.
This definition of selling to help people get what they want does help you sell! I strongly recommend that, beginning today, you genuinely believe that selling is about helping people to get what they want. Then, as soon as you can, find and learn a sales process that aligns with this definition. Do that and your technology sales cannot help but increase.
