by Dave Kahle
Sales is, at its most basic level, a relatively simple process. I recall one of my clients showing me the flow-chart of his sales process. Twenty six steps. That level of detail may be appropriate for that specific situation, but it is an overkill when we are talking about the application for a typical professional salesperson.
The job of the salesperson is much like playing golf. In a four-hour round of golf, the club hitting the ball only takes about three minutes. Everything else is prelude or postlude. The essence of the game is, of course, to hit the ball correctly.
The same thing is true of sales. The essence is to interact with the customer effectively. Everything else is prelude or postlude. The best golfers execute the essentials with excellence. They focus on the three minutes. The best salespeople execute the essentials with excellence. They focus on the quantity and quality of their interactions with their customers.
So, regardless of the intricacies of the customer, the product and the setting, the job of the salesperson can be reduced to these basic elements:
- Engage with the right people.
- Make them feel comfortable with you.
- Find out what they want.
- Show them how what you have provides them what they want.
- Gain agreement on the next step.
- Insure that they are satisfied, and leverage that satisfaction to other opportunities.
