Is Selling Somehow Unprofessional?
Here's an interesting problem -- a sales rep who believes that selling and being professional are mutually exclusive! Sales Machine reader Tmickel writes:
My weakest link is having a hard time mingling at conferences, or other work-related activities where there is potential for generating sales. I have a tendency to feel somewhat awkward, or like I will be perceived as too over-bearing. I have a hard time finding the balance between being "profriendly" (professional and friendly) and mining/harvesting for future sales opportunities.MY RESPONSE:
Your problem is that you have the mistaken belief that being "professional and friendly" is inconsistent with "mining and harvesting." You're probably thinking about the two activities as being separate, and putting yourself into "sales mode" when you remember -- in the midst of enjoying yourself -- that you're supposed to be selling.
The truth is that the two sets of behaviors, far from being mutually inconsistent, are actually identical. If you truly are trying to help people (being friendly and professional), then you should always be looking for opportunities to help them through selling them products and services that they need.
Rather than "being friendly" and then waiting to pounce on an opportunity, keep the focus on the other person and what's going on with them. There's nothing wrong with guiding the conversation a little to see whether you can be of service. Remember: when you sell to a customer, you're doing them a favor.
It's all a matter of being comfortable in what you're selling and believing in yourself and what you have to sell. A good touchstone here is: if the prospect actually needs something else that I don't sell, am I willing to give him/her a hand finding it, even though there's nothing in it for me, other than the feeling of doing the right thing?
If the answer to that question is YES, then you should feel completely at ease selling your offering if it turns out that the prospect DOES have a need for what you're selling.
READERS: Comments?
Note: the question above came from the recent post "Free Coaching: Accelerate Your Career" asked Sales Machine readers to identify the weakest link in their sales skill set.