“Appreciation for those people who do business with you will take you farther than almost any other activity that you do at the end of a sale.” – Meshell Baker in today’s Tip 1321
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1314: Relating vs. Transacting (Part 1)
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Transcript
Scott Ingram: You’re listening to the Daily Sales Tips podcast and I’m your host, Scott Ingram. Today Meshell Baker is back with part 2 of the set of tips she started last week. Here’s the second half of a giant dose of goodness:
Meshell Baker: Hello and welcome to part 2 of 2, of the 10 Tips of Relating versus Transacting in sales.
Number five. Understanding the power of yes and no. In some industries, like the service industry, it’s very easy to see and differentiate yes and no for the client. Yes, you get tacos. No, we don’t have Coca-Cola. Other industries, like say, for instance, where if you’re doing SEO or software where the client wants something and it’s not necessarily needed to succeed or to have a solution to what they’re looking for, it may require that you clearly differentiate and delineate yes or no that’s favorable to them. So understanding the power of your yes and the power of your no as it is to help serve the client customer and to create a favorable outcome for them is powerful.
Tip number six. Be prepared for surprises. Now we know everybody likes the surprise. Well, I won’t say everybody. Most people like surprises for your birthday or for an anniversary or just a surprise in general, that’s favorable. In business and service, surprises are not necessarily welcome where they’re unplanned and unexpected and aren’t headed in the direction of the solution that you are committing to demonstrate for your client. Be prepared to have contingencies and guidelines. Know who your allies are, your go-to people who can help you in the pinch to create and solve. And don’t skip a beat. Be prepared to show quick resolution and positive outcome that is favorable for your client.
Number seven. Honesty. Really is the best policy. There again, are going to be times where things don’t go as planned. You’re winging it and fudging and getting into the gray area will never be favorable for you and or the client. How you do anything is how you do everything. And once you start down that path, it is very difficult to turn about and come back to that path. Just be accountable and responsible, to tell the truth. And saying I’m sorry is not as powerful as apologizing and telling them how you plan to solve it. Prioritize the solution, be clear about what happened, concise to the point, and move directly into your plans for a resolution.
Number eight. Sometimes a disguise may be in order. What I mean by that is everybody has a bad day. So your client may have a bad day, you may have a bad day, your supervisor, your managers, customer support, everybody has a bad day. So disguising and staying in the positive, staying favorable, allowing people’s bad day not to distract or deter you from delivering incredible, favorable outcomes is powerful and it’s how you stay in that relating versus transacting. If you’re just transacting, you’ll blow people off and you’ll just go about doing the business at hand and make excuses and justifications for your behavior. If you’re looking at establishing strong long-term relationship, you will actually pause, take a beat, catch a breath and not allow them to see yourself. You’ll be in disguise and you will just show up and be fabulous regardless of anything that’s transpiring outside of your life. And you do not allow their bad days dictate how you deliver excellence.
Number nine. Get regular feedback. Some of the most recognized brands Apple, McDonald’s and Starbucks and one of the oldest brands, Jim Bean has been around since 1795. These are brands that have created their ability to be of service to their ideal client. You don’t magically just create these incredible companies and brands and a reputation for yourself as a seller, as a sales leader, without getting feedback. The clients, your ideal clients, will always tell you how you can do better, how you can improve, what other products and services they need are looking for, how they can help you. And again, these are the people who will refer, recommend, become your raving fans and your advocates in the marketplace. Getting feedback means that you’re communicating and it’s another level of relating with the people that you are doing business with, so that they know that your goals to succeed will also help them as they succeed as well. So demonstrate your caring through that conversation and regular feedback.
And finally, always say thank you. It’s the easiest thing to do, it’s the most overlooked. It can be a simple note, it can be email, it can be a gift. However, appreciation for those people who do business with you will take you farther than almost any other activity that you do at the end of a sale. Have a happy day selling.
Scott Ingram: Any tip that mentions Jim Beam is a winner in my book. For more from Meshell, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast for her regular Monday appearances and click over to DailySales.Tips/1321 where you’ll find links to connect with her directly. Once you’ve done that, be sure to come back tomorrow for another great sales tip. Thanks for listening!