Conversational selling.

Safely back from HRD expo and caught up on the waiting emails and phone calls. Now is the time to be following up on the great conversations we had with potential clients and future business partners. Or it would be if I could get off the phone from all the sales people now calling me as a result of us being listed as a participant in HRD!! 

It's one of the occupational hazards of being a business owner that many other businesses want to sell you something. After all, it is what we want to do with our prospective clients albeit I think we go about our 'selling' with a little more subtlety than the average call-centre operative that seems to have been bending my ear for the last 2 days.

I've had good and bad examples of sales pitches this week. Having worked in sales for many years and subsequently designed and delivered many sales training and coaching interventions, I believe the bubble team are well qualified to know a good sales pitch when we hear one. 

What makes a good sales pitch? Well, the most important aspect for me is whether the sales person is genuinely concerned about my needs and is actively listening to me, responding appropriately, not continuing to rattle off a script no matter what I might say. Also, well skilled handling of objections is a key attribute of the great sales person. And you can always rely on me to throw in a few objections even if I want the product. That way I can test the depth of the sales person's understanding of their product or service. If it is only superficial then I worry about the credentials of the company providing the product or service. I would in this case probably decline the offer and look for the product or service from another provider. 

For me,  a great sales pitch (and advertisement for the company represented) boils down to the sales person having in-depth technical knowledge of the product or service, backed up with a well structured but flexible script. When rehearsed well, these two aspects allow the sales person the confidence and flexibility to enter into a conversation with me. Something I am always more likely to respond to in a positive way.