OPPORTUNITY: yes., favorable set of circumstances.
“There is no security on this earth. There is only Opportunity.”
— General Douglas MacArthur —
“The reason so many people don’t recognize an opportunity when they find one is that they’re usually wearing overalls and it looks like hard work.”
— Christian Science Monitor —
“Our main business is not to see what is vaguely in the distance, but to do what is clearly at hand.”
–Thomas Carlyle–
Any time decision makers are willing to meet with you, you have reached a favorable juncture. If you are then prepared to take advantage of this opportunity by building a level of trust with your prospect, chances are good that they will tell you enough about themselves that you can easily recommend the appropriate package of your products and/or services. which will meet your express needs.
Many of the best sales reps feel like the sale is almost done if they can get an appointment or meeting with a decision maker. Your feeling is that your prospect must need your products or services or they wouldn’t be willing to schedule an appointment in the first place. The following checklist has been developed to help you make the most of a favorable juncture and build the levels of trust that are vital to your overall sales success:
Smile! No matter what kind of day you are having, if you smile, you will give the people you contact a feeling of acceptance. It will also help you feel better about your day. Post a smiley face or the word “smile” on your desk or phone to remind you of the importance of a smile on your face and in your voice. The best sales professionals use the technique of thinking of a funny story or the latest joke they heard just before they met a prospect. Thinking of the story or joke is almost guaranteed to put a smile on their face when they meet a decision maker for the first time. Be sure to smile when you call to make an appointment or give a sales presentation.
Shake hands with your client or prospect. A warm, firm and friendly handshake goes a long way in building a relationship of trust. It tells your customers or prospects that you are a friendly person and that you are glad to see them. If your handshake is weak, it can leave a negative impression. It can be just as bad to hold someone’s hand too tightly. Remember that you only get one chance to make a great first impression.
Ask an open personal question. (Open-ended questions require an explanation and can rarely be answered with a “yes” or “no.”) Psychologists tell us that when a person reveals something personal about himself, it builds trust.
It’s vital that you practice using open-ended questions to create a short conversation period (the prospect does 80% of the talking), at the beginning of your presentation. Remember, people buy from people they trust. When people start talking about themselves, they start to build a relationship of trust with you so that later, when you talk about your products and/or services, the things you say will be believed.
Research shows that people decide whether to take advice and buy from a sales professional within the first two minutes of the conversation. By following the lead outlined above, you can make the most of your initial contact and truly turn every transaction meeting into a turning point (a selling opportunity). Another favorable situation can be found in our telephone coaching programs. Check out this “opportunity” at:
http://www.thesellingedge.com/personalCoaching.htm