Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9 pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with Shari Levitin is an internationally known sales strategist, writer, speaker, entrepreneur, and author of Heart and Sell: 10 Universal Truths Every Salesperson Needs to Know. For more info: www.ShariLevitin.com.
SmallBizlady: What’s the Biggest Challenge for Business Owners in the coming Years?
Shari Levitin: Grabbing, Holding and Keeping the Customer’s attention. Neuroscientists tell us we’ve created five times as much content in the last five years than in all of human history. Sorting through this avalanche of information, trying to figure out what you need to know and deciding what you can ignore is exhausting. And it’s the same for your customers. How do we engage today’s information-rich, tech-savvy, distracted customers?
SmallBizlady: So What is the Best Advice for Doing this?
Shari Levitin: You need to have a sales process that’s based on how customer’s actually buy. And surprisingly, that process must do everything technology can’t do. Today’s customer’s need a relationship with someone who asks questions rather than makes declarations, who listens more than they talk, and who creates value in every interaction whether digital or in-person.
SmallBizlady: Why is an Actual Sales Process So Important for Business Owners and Entrepreneurs?
Shari Levitin: That’s a great question. Pilots run through preflight checklists. Free-throw shooters develop rituals to help them hit the same shot time and again. Bakers adhere to time-tested recipes. So why should it be different in sales? Highly successful salespeople have a process they follow, and they follow that process every time. It may sound counterintuitive, but structure creates the freedom to act authentically and to create true connection.
SmallBizlady: What are the Challenges when we Don’t have a Process?
Shari Levitin: Without structure, salespeople fall victim to their emotions, external dramas, and whims. You’re tired from a big night out, so you say, “I’ll skip that warm up step just this once.”
Process keeps you on track, freeing you up to listen and connect with your prospects. If you manage a team or a business or hope to one day, you need to know what you’re doing right so you can repeat your process, scale it, and teach it to others. The good news is: while a lack of process is a common problem, it’s one that’s easily solved.
SmallBizlady: Do you find that most salespeople, those that have salesperson on their business card, have a repeatable sales process?
Shari Levitin: Here’s what I’ve found to be true: They simply don’t have a process!
People without a process sell on instinct. The problem is they don’t know what it is they’re doing when they do it right so they can’t scale and repeat the behavior. Also, they can’t make incremental changes to increase efficiency if they don’t know how that change impacts productivity. every time. For business owners, when you sell on personality and instinct alone, you can’t teach others, grow your business or increase your own effectiveness.
SmallBizlady: WHAT ARE SOME OTHER FACTORS?
Shari Levitin: They have a process, but they don’t understand the psychology behind their process.
You must not only define steps of your sales process, you must learn the psychology, skills, and tools needed to perform each step effectively.
Just like playing a game, “The object of the game is to win.” That was it. No rules, no strategies, no nothing: just win!
SmallBizlady: IS THERE A CERTAIN MINDSET THAT SALES PEOPLE NEED TO HAVE?
Shari Levitin: Too many salespeople enter the sales game thinking the same thing. While you’re partly right, each step of your process has a unique goal, specific strategies, and must-do’s that, if performed correctly, will ultimately win you the sale. Sales psychology not only involves knowing what and how to perform each step, it means knowing why you’re performing each step. Knowing the “why behind the what” helps you adapt.
SmallBizlady: WHAT IF A BUSINESS OWNER HAS A PROCESS, WHAT IS THEIR BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN RETAINING CUSTOMERS?
Shari Levitin: They have a process—but they don’t stick to it. Just as you need to stick to your workout if you want results, you need to continually monitor your process and solicit feedback from a mentor or colleague to make sure you’re maximizing your effectiveness.
You can use other tools, as well. On-going training and checklists are two of the best ways to stay on track so you don’t skip steps and lose deals.
SmallBizlady: What are some Best Practices for Creating a Sales Process?
Shari Levitin:
- Number your steps.
- Name your steps. You need to name the individual steps of your presentation. This will help you remember which stage of the process you’re in and will help you strategize next steps.
- Adopt The “No Matter What Rule.”
SmallBizlady: YOU MENTIONED A “NO MATTER WHAT RULE,” WHAT IS THAT?
Shari Levitin: Non-negotiables are foundational must-do’s that contribute to the sale and the prospect experience. I believe that when you have non-negotiables, or core principles, it actually frees you because knowing your basic structure, you can focus on bringing your authentic, creative personality and self to work each day.
Join us every Wednesday from 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter to stay up to date on our upcoming guests.
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