The art of buying and selling security systems has changed drastically in the past 15 years. Prospecting for new customers, asking probing questions, presenting value, closing business, and every other part of the selling cycle has been affected; however, there are five old school sales ideas that have been critical for decades and are still relevant today:
1. Relationships are important. There is a trendy concept that has been endorsed by engineers, accountants and introverted salespeople throughout the world: They read one of dozens of reports that conclude that relationships are no longer the most important factor to success in sales. The analytical masterminds took these results and have concluded that relationships are no longer important to sales.
Untrue. Relationships are still important. Do not assume your friendships will help your overcome poor service or high prices like they might have 15 years ago, but all things equal – even a little unequal – and the salesperson with the alliances will win. As the research has illustrated, relationships are no longer the number one factor leading to success; however, nurturing professional relationships is very important.
2. Professionalism and manners matter. In 1997 I showed up to a sales call in a suit and no tie, and my customer asked: “Is it casual Friday?” She was joking, but not really; she was really saying: “Don’t take me for granted, buster.”
When I show up looking like that today, my customers ridicule me to take off my jacket, while they are wearing jeans and designer t-shirts. It is common for people to arrive 10 minutes late for a meeting, and then type away on their phones while others are talking. Thank you notes? Forget it. When is the last time you received one?
With all this said, professionalism and manners still matter; in fact, when salespeople practice business etiquette that was taught decades ago, they stick out among their competition and thrive.
3. Listening is more important than speaking. One of the principles I teach as part of our modern-day sales execution is to establish credibility with prospects before asking probing questions. We are not alone – many other philosophies have subscribed to the idea that salespeople must establish themselves as competent or they will not be able to have a transparent dialogue with their customer. I completely agree.
However, once you have established yourself and asked the right question, shut it. That’s right – bite your tongue if you have to, but keep quiet. In today’s world of immediate responses and distractions, listening is more critical than ever.
4. The best prospectors are the best producers. Marketing automation software companies pound sales managers with this statistic: “Sales opportunities are 70% of the way through the process when a salesperson becomes engaged.”
Do not buy into this statistic. Is it true? I assume so, but that’s because most salespeople sit back and wait for leads today. The great ones create their own.
The art of prospecting has changed, but it is still same concept: pursue prospective customers and figure out a way to schedule an appointment with them. Salespeople who do this were the best producers 15 years ago, and they still are today.
5. Grit is the most critical talent for salespeople. You can fill your team with the most intelligent, charismatic and well-connected salespeople in the security industry; I will take the grittiest salespeople from any industry and I will win every time. Someone who makes results happen regardless of hurdles or circumstances will be a successful sales professional.
Find a gritty competitor. If they also have an impressive database and the charisma of a talk-show host, great! But if they don’t have grit, you are going to struggle leading them to success.
Chris Peterson is the founder and president of Vector Firm (www.vectorfirm.com), a sales consulting and training company built specifically for the security industry. To request more info about the company, visit www.securityinfowatch.com/12361573.
