The old sales practices of the previous century were fine for the time and worked well. But then, salespeople primarily had to educate the customer in the product or service they were selling and lead them to a successful close.
In this day, these old practices won’t work. Customers are much more knowledgeable and wise on the product you sell, some may know more than you.
So what’s the role of the modern salesperson?
To help the customer buy. It’s that simple. Customers still want to buy. The new century hasn’t changed that. Many buy online and don’t need a salesperson, particularly if the product has been commoditised so that only price is the distinguishable factor. However, many customers still want a salesperson or adviser to guide them through the process and help them buy.
And if your product or service requires you to add something to the mix, for example, analysing their needs carefully or providing an added value, then your employment should be guaranteed for the near future.
When I say, we need to help them to buy, we need to influence them, gain rapport, pace them more effectively. We need to be more skilled at understanding customers, their ways, their motivations, their values. This will help you to stand apart from the average salesperson.
