Tips: Winning them all (even if you're losing)
We can’t win them all, and when we lose – we need to do so with dignity. In PROFITS, Your Seven Letters to Success, I define what a Sales Professional is. I have heard from hundreds of you that this definition really applies to most any professional, be it an engineer, operations, or administration personnel. For those of you that need a refresher on the definition, here it is: A Sales Professional:
Is a PEAK PERFORMER who has the abilities and understands the importance to PLAN and PREPARE
Understands and acknowledges their RESPONSIBILITIES to their organization and customers, and can RETAIN their business, while maintaining RESPECT with their clients, companies, and most importantly themselves
Takes OWNERSHIP and are ORGANIZED
Maintains a FOCUS on their duties and goals
Has a character built on INTEGRITY and they have personal INITIATIVE
Has the ability and TRUST to work in a TEAM environment
Provides all this to their internal and external customers with the utmost SINCERITY
Throughout the book, I try to elaborate on each of these key aspects via real life examples, metaphors and analogies. I realized that an important variable has been left out, or at least could be added as an addendum to this definition. When I look at the definition, the line for “T” states: Has the ability and TRUST to work in a TEAM environment. What is painfully obvious now, is that this all must be done in as TRANSPARENT way as possible.
To be respected, and considered a professional with integrity, your actions & motives need to be transparent. As a sales rep, your customers know that you are trying to sell something at the highest benefit to your company. Why hide from that? If business is good for them, but bad for the company you represent, there should be no hard feelings when we sit around the conference room table to discuss an exit plan. Keep in mind that your customers (the good ones) want you to be successful. They will understand that your company cannot be all things to them, no matter how diverse they are. When a piece of business doesn’t make sense, help your customers find a better solution. Don’t stand in their way, and make sure you act professional in every step of the exiting process. Customers that take business away and are treated well in the process, will be back. They will remember that you were there to help, and didn’t try to derail the process. And, they will remember not to consider you for business you aren’t comfortable with. If you are struggling with customers that don’t trust you, it may be because you aren’t as transparent as you could be. Let Pinnacle Sales help you with these cases. Give us a call!
(734) 516-0221
email: mkole@pinnaclesales-llc.com