Good communication is key in all aspects of sales including utilising the right tone, body language and creating the best first impression! Writing for Sales Initiative Simon reveals four key questions you should consider to overhaul your sales conversations…
1. When are you most influential at work?
Don’t confuse influence and persuasion, especially in sales. Forget all the spiel and effort, and consider how easily you naturally influence others.
Consider times you have garnered support or agreement from others without actively seeking it or having any agenda attached to your words.
Now break down these scenarios and give some thought to what exactly it is about you that encouraged agreement from other people.
2. Which situations most often cause deadlock?
Deadlock refers to those situations in which you and another person seem unable to work in a compatible way. Take the time to consider what about your approach may be rubbing people up the wrong way, and what small adjustments you could make that might improve the way others relate to you in tense situations.
Try to look at the situation from the other person’s perspective to guide you in changing your behaviours.
3. What happens when you’re thrown in the deep end?
Being put in a work situation such as a sales pitch that you feel uncomfortable in or unequipped for can be a daunting experience, but it is surprising how often such situations can be turned around by just making slight changes to the way you talk to people.
If you feel that despite being listened to, you’re often not ‘heard’, it could be that your intention is not being communicated in your words, body language and tone. So let your actual words take the backseat for a while and focus on the ways in which you can impact your audience with your presence alone.
4. Whose impact do you admire?
Although charisma and influence often seem to go hand in hand, this isn’t necessarily the case, especially in a sales environment. Take the chance to shadow someone whose ability to impact buyers – a colleague who you look up to – and consider any characteristics that might allow you to be more influential if you were to adopt them.
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