While sales doesn’t require that we be obnoxious, sales does require boldness.
We must gain commitments regularly. We have to stand firm in our convictions about our product or service and not always compromise on price because we get caught up in the emotions of the buying process.
We have to be confident that selling is, in and of itself, a service. We are helping people find solutions to problems they have, even problems they might not realize they have.
Here are a few ways that we can increase our winsome boldness:
- Continual improvement: We must grow as salespersons and experts in our product. The more we know and understand, the more we realize we have something of value people need to know about.
- Understanding our customers: In order to be bolder, we must learn about our clients. Niche out and go deep into understanding the needs of your clients and their day-to-day problems. If we can contextualize our offerings into our clients goals, then we can be more confident.
- Practice gaining commitments: Gaining understanding at the end of each interaction as to next steps is imperative. Guiding our clients along a sales process until they either realize they don’t need what we offer or can make a confident decision to purchase is a huge help. Learning how to help them clarify their next decision is huge. Learning to ask for those next decisions will grow our boldness.
Salespeople get a bad rap for being too pushy and smarmy and sleazy. My experience is that many salespeople have gone the other direction. They’re too scared to ask for the next ‘yes’ or ‘no’. They’re too worried to put clients on the spot.
While we don’t need to pressure, we do need to make decisions clear for our clients. Offering prospects clear choices requires boldness. They want clarity. We need to confidently give them that clarity.