I wanted to title this article, “The Sales Secret They Don’t Want You to Know About.” The problem was twofold: first, I didn’t know who “they” were, and second, it sounded too clickbait. There are a hundred articles like that each day on LinkedIn. Doesn’t mean this post won’t be some of the best sales advice you’ll ever read.
Throughout my career, I have been praised for my prompt responses to requests, whether they were from email, phone, or cuneiform (my posts are multi-dimensional and educational). At first, I thought it was weird (it still is), I mean, I was doing my job, right? Then I realized that most salespeople do NOT respond in a timely manner, let alone quickly. That’s great….for me!!
I actually kept a separate folder in Outlook to keep these “trophies” from prospects and customers. I’ve made a lot of money in my career simply by responding with lightning speed, at all hours of the day. So why is this so important? Trust.
Prospects, especially in B2B sales, don’t buy because of a superior product. That’s obviously important, but the product (or service) in B2B sales is only part of the equation. Customers are buying the company behind the product or service, and the salesperson represents the company. Prospects need to know if they can trust this company.
I actually flipped that script and made myself the most important part of the sale. I would “sell myself” and explain why they should choose me. Part of the reason that I was the best option for what they needed was the company I represented.
Earlier this week, I came across an article on entrepreneurship that had a great title, called The Currency of Trust. In a start-up, investors need to trust management; management, in turn, needs to trust its employees. It’s no different in sales; prospects need to trust the person they are buying from.
In a 6- or 7-figure purchase, buyers don’t care about features, benefits, specs, or shiny objects. They care about peace of mind. Peace of mind that they aren’t making a mistake buying from you. If a person makes a mistake buying a TV, they’re out several hundred or a couple of thousand dollars. If a corporate buyer makes a mistake with a purchase for their company, it might cost them their job.
Trust = Peace of Mind
Trust (and therefore Peace of Mind) is earned. It is not given; it has to be proven. You can say you will always be there for someone, but it’s not proven until you have the opportunity to show you backed up your words with action. The simplest way to show a prospect that you will be there for them is to respond to any request with weapons-grade speed!
Happy Selling!