Over the past two years it has been an honor to share with you many great truths within my message of Modern Day Selling. I want to thank everyone who has helped to facilitate change on the sales floor by implementing what you have learned.
The winds of change have continued to blow as many of us in the industry have chosen to turn our attention back towards our customers and away from greedy sales tactics. Because of your efforts to reconnect with your customers and reestablish the bond of trust, I’m confident that many great things will continue to happen for you and your store.
Building on those ideas, I am very excited to announce a new series titled, “The Modern Day Sales Presentation.” Today, we take all the pieces of the puzzle that I have shared with you over the past few years and put them to work for you and your unique sales presentation. We’ll discuss:
- Self Examination (managing yourself)
- Maintaining your Levels of Passion and Energy (the fuel that drives you to greatness)
- Serving while selling (a forgotten pastime)
- Creating a Showtime Experience (showman and seller)
- Overcoming your Fears (understanding how fear operates)
- Understanding the Modern Day Customer (the four basic customer types)
- Re-Connecting with your Customer (establishing trust and loyalty)
It’s only appropriate for us to begin our journey by understanding where we have been. For many years the basic training on sales presentation has been based on the concepts of greeting, asking open-ended questions, overcoming objections and closing the sale. In retrospect it was kind of like the invention of the automobile which made travel more efficient than using a horse and carriage. For many years it has provided us with a more efficient way to sell our customers.
Having said that, I have a few important questions to ask you. What if I told you that there was now a way to fly, would you still want to take the longer journey to reach your destination in your sale? What if I told you that there was an easier way to be successful? Would you change? People who have utilized my insight will testify that these simple truths have the potential to revolutionize your sales career.
Today I would like to welcome you to your flight – admission is totally free. By the end of this series you will be given the knowledge and skills to sell your customers more efficiently and effectively. Many of you will soon see selling in a whole new light as you add to the skills that I have shared with you. If you live by my motto, “Success is found when you take what is good and make it great,” then you will have the potential to become a leader in your store as well as your industry.
Before we begin our journey it is important that we go over the instructions for successful travel. In order for this state-of-the-art training to be effective there are a few things that you must abide by.
First, learn to rewire your thought process. Your customer is no longer your competition. Reality has been altered; the customer is now your boss and they have the power to give you their business or take it elsewhere. The days of playing mental chess with your customer to make a sale are over. You as a sales associate are working for your customer as well as your company. Take a minute and let that one soak in a bit.
Secondly, you are there to serve your customer as well as entertain them. Every customer should be treated with the same enthusiasm, excitement and passion. If you truly want to be successful, stop sizing up your customer based on buying potential. The trick is to build a LARGE and loyal customer base. When your customer realizes that you are looking out for their best interest, the sales process becomes very easy and often effortless. People respond to loyalty. Using this approach, you’ll find there are hardly any major objections after the bond of trust and lines of communication have been established.
And last but not least, your sales presentation doesn’t have to be a marathon. Most of my sales only take a couple minutes once I have established trust and created loyalty with my customer. This is created by having a great understanding of who the Modern Day Customer really is. As homework I encourage you to read The Four Basic Customer Type series that can be found on my website www.moderndayselling.com or on the Southern Jewelry News website under columnist Brian Barfield. Within this five part series you will begin to see your customer in a whole new light.
Next month we will continue our journey as we discover ways to connect with our customer like never before. This will be equivalent to the greeting process, but make no mistake, it will be different from anything that you have heard thus far.
In closing I encourage all you business owners to invest in a few copies of Modern Day Selling for your staff. At $14.95 in paperback and $8.95 in e-book it is the perfect Christmas gift that will keep on giving all year long. Have a super month!
Brian Barfield is a two-time published author, world-wide, who specializes in offering fresh new insight in retail sales training. Modern Day Selling offers a unique perspective in teaching sales associates how to reconnect with their customers and how to achieve greater success in their sales career. For more information please visit his website www.moderndayselling.com. Brian also offers in-store sales training and can be reached at brian@moderndayselling.com.
