Buyer-Driven selling is a customer-focused approach to selling. You talk to a client or a potential client. You uncover a need. You fill that need. They buy your product. You service the client. They’re happy. You get paid. The first two steps in a Buyer-Driven Sales approach are (1) building trust and (2) building belief. Trust is something you build with your prospect or client. Belief is something you build in yourself.
Cultivating Client Trust
So, how do you develop trust? In order to get a client to trust you, you have to be trustworthy. You have to do what you say you’re going to do. If you tell the decision maker that you’ll call on Tuesday then call on Tuesday. Otherwise, you lose credibility. Those little things that you do initially will make or break you.
Further, you have to want success for your clients. You have to want to help them. You have to keep your survival instincts – “What’s in it for me?” in check. Of course, we all go to work every day to make a living. If they stopped giving us money, we’d stop showing up. But that doesn’t mean you can’t really care about your clients.
If you’ve got to go somewhere every day, why not go somewhere where you really believe you can make a difference? You have to look for what’s in it for them – your clients, not for you. Here’s the hard part – if you don’t, you probably won’t. Either you care or you don’t. Can you succeed without really caring? Yes, but not to your fullest potential. Someone who cares more will always out-sell you.
Building Belief in Yourself
It is also imperative that you believe in your product and in yourself. If you don’t have that basic belief, then you need to figure out why and fix it. If you get to the end of a presentation and you’re scared to ask for the money, then you don’t believe in something. You either don’t have confidence in your ability to recognize a problem and solve it or you don’t think you’ll be able to deliver what you promised, or maybe you think your product is inferior.
So, how do you fix this? If you don’t believe in yourself, go to a seminar, read a book, take a class. All of these things build your knowledge and your confidence. If you know more, you feel more qualified to do the job. If you don’t know your product, learn it. Know the strengths and weakness of each product you represent. Know that if your client has a problem, you can find a solution. You’ll never be scared to take the call, make the appointment or ask for the order if you know your business.
If you don’t believe in your product, go back to “you don’t know your product”. You could still be the problem. If you are a decent sales person and your product just stinks – why would you continue to convince people to buy it? You can sell an inferior product but you shouldn’t have to.
Preparing to Succeed in Consultative Selling
If you believe in who you are and what you represent and know your product then your clients will trust you and you will get the order. Using a buyer-driven approach to selling is always the best way. It’s simply the best solution for you and best for your clients.
About the Author
Michelle C. Ritter is a the owner of E-Worc.com, a web design and sales consulting company where she works with many types of product and service based industries in developing sales and marketing plans and effective online programs. She specializes in cross-industry communication and teaches a series of seminars for Mobile Technical Institute & MTI Business Solutions, that focus on teaching others to enjoy success in sales by learning how to speak in the language of the buyer. Register online for Ritter’s next Mobile, AL sales training seminar.
