Well it’s about time that a legitimate sales blogger is writing about selling. Geoffrey James used to write for Selling Power and now writes for the Sales Machine blog through BNET Insight. Some good blog posts and some I don’t necessarily agree with- but that’s okay because it encourages Geoffrey to learn more about the power of Web Conferencing throughout the sales cycle and not just in the introductory stages.
I really enjoyed reading Solution Selling is all in Your Mind- so very true. Geoffrey observes that most people are selling products and not selling solutions and the way to make the leap is to change how you talk and think about the product. He suggests making 4 mental shifts which include:
1. Think about what you sell as a verb rather than a noun- just in case you forgot the differerence between a verb and a noun- a verb illustrates action, experience, occurance.
2. Think about yourself as the customer’s ally rather than an adversary- Remember customers don’t want to feel sold, they want to believe you are partnering with them.
3. Think about sales calls as inquiries rather than pitches- So true, that’s why curious salespeople make the best hunters, they love to dig and find new information.
4. Think about disqualifying a customer as a success rather than a failure- hmmmm, so if I lose a deal, is that a success? Actually it could be if there wasn’t a good match with you and the customer, you’ve saved time and stress.
Great work Geoffrey, I’ll add you to my blogroll if you add me to yours?
1 Comment
Josiane, thanks for the kind words about BNET. It’s gratifying when someone who really knows an area of business finds our editorial valuable.
Please allow me one minor correction, though: Geoffrey James still writes for Selling Power and anybody else he wants to. We’re excited to have have him blogging daily on BNET, but we have a pretty open mind when it comes to contributors.
Stephen Howard-Sarin
VP, Products
CNET Networks Business