• Swindon & Wiltshire Experts
• Friday June 6 2014

Expert opinion: Are you too busy to sell more?

Some people are just naturally great at sales aren’t they? They slide effortlessly into ‘sales mode’, are immediately comfortable with strangers and make people feel engaged and at ease.

Well, yes, some people are naturally comfortable with these behaviours; but funnily enough this doesn’t necessarily make them great at sales.

All behaviour is, of course, learned to some extent, and anything we learn we can improve.

Can you cook? Want to improve? Do some training, take a course, practise and you will improve, right?

Play golf? Want to improve? Do some training, take a course, practise and you will improve, right?

Speak Spanish? Want to improve? Do some training, take a course, practise and you will improve, right?

Sell your product or service? Want to improve? OK just keep doing exactly what you always have and things are bound to get better over time, right?

Strangely, in business, this is what often happens. I’m sure it’s not the experience of anyone reading this, but I see it all over the place!

A typical conversation goes like this:

‘I’m too busy to go on a course or work on my sales process’

Why are you too busy?

‘Well we need more sales so I’m pretty busy working on that. Plus we’ve got lots of other things we need to do this week/month/year.’

But you’ve got big plans for more sales, right?

‘Of course’

Hmmm. Would it help if:

• You had a clear process for achieving the sales you want, and you and others in your business executed it consistently?
• You had some measures in place so you knew how effective your sales activity really is?
• You really thought about the behaviour that works for you and your customers?
• You practised it…
• …and trained others in the team so that everyone is really good at it?
• Your customers really understood how their interaction with you is going to work, and what they can expect?
• Your team really understood how their interaction with customers is going to work, and what customers expect?

Often there are some simple things that, done well and consistently will make a real difference. Why not give it some thought?

Nigel Scott offers business and executive coaching in Wiltshire and Swindon. Contact him on 01672 512001 or via email at nigelscott@actioncoach.com