The Most Repulsive Sales Pitch Ever
by Rebecca Chandler
Picture this. Your newly-hired sales rep leaves your training program, brimming with new product information, a tried- and-true sales story, and overflowing with enthusiasm. Nervously, they make their first appointment and show up over-prepared and over-confident. And then they . . . . vomit all over the prospect.
I don't mean literally losing their lunch. I mean they spew every bit of new-found knowledge about their product, hardly pausing for a breath. And, it's about as repulsive as it sounds.
It's understandable. Armed with indisputable research, shiny sales materials, and a well-scripted and rehearsed pitch, they are bursting with excitement. However, most forget the most important rule of sales. It's not about them. It's about their customer.
If you think about the sales people who have pitched a product to you, a few painful memories may stand out - of the car salesman repeatedly going back to the sales manager, the pushy phone solicitor who would not stop talking, or the guy at the mall kiosk who chases you down. These experiences make us anxious or even angry. Even if we buy, we probably don't feel good about the transaction.
A positive sales experience was one in which you were the focus, not the product or service. It helped you. Brought you joy. Solved a problem. The sales clerk who helped you find the right fit in jeans. The real estate agent who tirelessly showed you home after home until you found just the right one - and then walked you through the transaction. The sales rep who showed up at your business and asked questions first to understand your needs, customizing their product and training to fit you, not them.
Do your customers love their sales experience? Or do they feel repulsed?
To keep the training momentum but not the mess, try these tips.
Combine sales training with customer service training. To help your new reps understand their prospect's real world challenges, let them spend some time with the customer service team. They will better understand problems and solutions - and have the confidence to overcome objections.
Insist they research their prospects. Most sales people love research about as much as a long-tailed cat loves a room full of rocking chairs. However, the only thing more repulsive than a spewing rep is one who knows nothing about their prospect's business or conducts and FBI interrogation during the sales call. Google. LinkedIn. The company website. A little pre-call research will lend immediate confidence to the rep - and build their credibility to the prospect.
Role play and practice. Most sales reps I've trained hate the role play . . . at first. In their heads, they KNOW this stuff. They don't need to practice it. However, when the words start to come out of their mouths, they stumble. Their tongue gets tangled and they miss key cues from their prospect because they are so focused on saying the right things, they don't listen. Once they go through the first role play, many will say, "I can do better than that. Let's do it again." The story becomes more familiar and they can focus their attention on their prospect instead of what they are going to say next.
Resist the temptation to rely on your top sales rep train your new sales rep. This may be counter-intuitive and even controversial, but taking your top revenue producer out of commission to train on products or services questions that others can handle will cost you (and them) money. And, dragging the new sales rep to appointments is like taking your kid brother to the prom. It will annoy your date (and prospect). Let your seasoned rep play the part of the prospect in a role play in the office but don't rely on them for the total training experience.
Tie sales goals to retention or repeat business. Getting new customers does your business no good if you don't keep them. Reward your sales reps for building relationships that leave your customer confident that continuing to do business with you will not only be smart, but will feel good.
Need more help building a sales training program? Let's talk.