Sales... is Like a Doctor

I doesn't matter whether you own a business or work for a big corporation, we are all in a sales related position. We must promote our business, company, department or group to have an ongoing profitable existence. If it is not showing a profit or completing a task needed it will not excel and take all the people involved with it. Even if you are just getting a paycheck that money has to come from somewhere and you are involved, either directly or indirectly. So the more you know and practice sales techiniques the better you can help and improve your company or business.

Think about how a doctor works, every situation is different, just like business. He/She doesn't start prescribing medicine or activities as soon as you meet in their office. They ask questions and they stop talking so you can answer and tell them why you are there. They may take routine tests, blood samples and examine areas of your body that will give them a better knowledge of how to suggest treatment that will work best for your current situation. A doctor is trained to find out what the problem is and then determine how to make it better or solve it.

Every potential customer or client is unique and needs to be handled with individual care and empathy. Just like the doctor, you need to find out what is ailing them, their business pain and problem they need solved before any solution can be offered. Do the exploratory surgery needed to see what the core of the problem is so you can begin to offer the best ways to make it better or ease some of the pain. If you don't find the underlying cause of the problem you may be prescribing apples when they need oranges to solve it. That's why the best sales and customer service people listen much more than they talk. Listen for the business need or pain then you can begin to solve it. The professionals learn and practice this every day.

Barry is a speaker on the Customer Experience and Marketing.  www.idealetter.com