Guest blog by Jason Desaulniers
“I realized early on that success was tied to not giving up. Most people in this business have given up and went on to do other things. If you simply didnʼt give up, you would outlast the people who came in on the bus with you.” – Harrison Ford, Actor
What is selling, and what does the actor Harrison Ford have to do with it? Simply put, everybody is either selling or buying, every day, in every relationship and transaction.
Whether you are an accountant selling your fee-based advisory services to clients, a car salesperson selling your vehicles to the public, or a teacher selling your lessons and knowledge to students…you are all selling…or else you are buying “their” reasons for not “buying” from you.
The underlying theme in the above example is certainly not a type of product nor an intangible service, but rather the psychological reason of why people do what they do…and in this case, why people buy when they buy. Here are 3 tips that will help you to achieve your “selling” goals.
1. In order to sell effectively, you need to demonstrate a reason for your customer to buy. Why do they need your professional opinion and advice on how best to structure their corporate affairs? Will you save them money and taxes, and perhaps mitigate the risk of an unpleasant audit?
2. Once you have demonstrated the need, you need to be persistent in pursuing it. Many studies have shown that buyers often say “no” on a number of occasions, without really meaning “no” at all. In fact the buyer is often signaling you that they need further emotional support in order to logically justify their decision to solve the problem that you have uncovered and presented solutions for. So…donʼt give up at the first opportunity to quit…press on and see where things go. Worst case…they will still say “no”. However, they may say “yes”! A good car salesperson will provide many opportunities for the buyer to buy…and so should you.
3. Many, many, many people never bother to follow-up on those that they meet. A simple email or handwritten note following a meeting thanking your customer for their time is light-years beyond what your competition is doing. Likewise, remembering what you covered during your last conversation and touching on it again reinforces that you care about your client, and that what they have been saying is important to you. This is also a great way to reiterate what you “taught them” last time about the problem they have and your solution for it.
So…as Harrison says…donʼt give up, and watch your positive results soar as a result. Happy selling!
