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Purchase article. How does it work? Figure 3. Each of the social styles has specific characteristics that are important to keep in mind as you prepare and present your sales presentation.
In short, you are inspiring trust by acting according to the old adage of the golden rule. Do you know someone who only wants the facts to make a decision? Analyticals are all about the facts. They are defined by low responsiveness and low assertiveness. In other words, they like to hear about the pros and cons and all the details before they decide. They are likely to have a financial or technical background, and they pride themselves on being an expert in their field.
They want to hear about the tangible results, timelines, and details before they make a decision. In fact, they are the ones who will actually read the directions before they put together a new grill or set up a wireless home network.
They are so focused on facts that they prefer to disregard personal opinions in their decision making. They like to understand all the facts before they decide so they know exactly how the product, service, or contract arrangement will work.
You might have some visual cues that will help you identify an analytical. She probably dresses conservatively and has her achievement awards proudly displayed on her office wall.
She is organized and focused on work activities. If you are selling to a customer who is an analytical, she will ask you very specific questions about all the details, and she will respond positively if you make her feel as if she is right.
Rather, provide history, data, financial details, and other facts in an organized, structured format. She will ask many questions so that she clearly understands the product or service.
Use facts, historical data, and details to be sure she has all the information she needs to make the decision. Use guarantees or warranties to reduce any perceived risk. Give her the time she needs to analyze, evaluate, and decide.
One of the traits that makes him a champion is the fact that he is focused exclusively on winning each game. When he is on the field, everything else is in second place in his mind. Peyton Manning is a driver. Drivers have some characteristics that are the same as analyticals in that they like to have all the facts to make their decision. However, drivers are different from analyticals because they make decisions quickly. On the social style matrix, they are in the low responsiveness, high assertiveness quadrant.
They work with people because they have to; they see other people only as a means to their end of achievement. They are smart, focused, independent, and competitive. Like the analyticals, drivers dress conservatively and display their achievement awards on the wall of their office. A calendar is usually prominent to keep focus on how long it will take to achieve something. Because they are not focused on the feelings or attitudes of other people, drivers usually do business across the desk rather than on the same side of the desk.
The best way to adapt to a driver is to be professional and to the point. Provide options so that he can feel as if he is in control. Include a timeline so he can see how quickly he can get results. Actress Reese Witherspoon was recently named the Honorary Chairperson of the Avon Foundation for Women because of her ability to unite women around the cause of breast cancer.
She is an amiable. They value relationships and like to engage with people whom they feel they can trust. They are less controlling than drivers and more people oriented than analyticals because they are in the low assertiveness, high responsiveness quadrant of the matrix. Amiables provide some visual clues because their offices are typically open and friendly.
They often display pictures of family, and they prefer to work in an open environment rather than sitting across the desk from you. They tend to have a personal style in their dress, being casual or less conservative than analytics or drivers. When you are presenting to an amiable, establish a personal relationship. She will be more likely to discuss issues with you.
When you demonstrate your personal commitment, she will be open to doing business with you. An expressive is intuitive, charismatic, persuasive, nurturing, and engaging.
Oprah Winfrey is an expressive; she has excellent rapport with people, even people she has never met. Relationships are important to her, but only to help her achieve her higher goal of giving her viewers inspiration and a better way to live their lives. Expressives are creative and can see the big picture clearly; they have a vision and use their style to communicate it and inspire people. Expressives build relationships to gain power, so people like employees, viewers, or voters are very important to them.
Status and recognition are also important to them. Since expressives are not big on details, you might find their offices to be a bit disorganized, even cluttered and messy. Their offices are set up in an open format, as they would prefer to sit next to you rather than across the desk from you. They avoid conservative dress and are more casual with their personal style.
They want to engage with you and talk about the next big idea. When you are selling to an expressive, take extra time to discuss everything. Give them recognition and approval. Appeal to their emotions by asking them how they feel about the product or service; focus on the big picture of what is possible as a result of buying your product or service.
Before you think about the social styles of other people, you might find it helpful to think about your own social style. Are you very emotional when you express your opinions, or are you more reserved and formal? Are you the type of person who agrees with everyone, or are you extremely interested in the details?
You might want to take a few minutes to take the Keirsey Temperament Sorter to understand your social style. It would be easy to get stuck in your own style preference. For each of the following situations, identify the social style of the buyer and suggest how you would adapt to appeal to the buyer:. Did you know that 80 percent of jobs are filled through networking? This is true now more than ever because of the challenging economy.
Traffic at job boards like Monster. They tend to be connected. Zappos, a billion-dollar online retailer of shoes and apparel that was recently purchased by Amazon, has taken employee referrals to the next level and has implemented software that lets employees use their LinkedIn and Twitter contacts.
The software uses an algorithm to identify people who might have a skill set and experience match for open positions and then allows employees to invite the prospective candidate to apply. So now you can see why networking can be a very effective method to potentially learn about or land the job you want.
But you might be wondering where you start and exactly how you network effectively. Like everything else in selling, you need to develop a plan. Just as in selling, networking is about building relationships that are mutually beneficial; it is about the exchange of value between people, usually over the course of time.
Someone might help you now, and you might help that same person or someone else later. It requires a relationship and ongoing commitment. You should approach networking for the long term and realize that you will help some people and some people will help you. To help guide you, here are six power networking tips. Start building relationships with people—family, friends, professors, and executives—now. That will give you the opportunity to build relationships and potentially help someone even before you begin your job search.
When you do begin networking to find a job, be yourself and get to know as many people as possible using the methods described earlier in the chapter e. Keep in mind that you may have the opportunity one day to help the person with whom you are networking, so network with confidence.
You will be surprised at how many people are willing to help you because you ask. The fact is people want to help you; they want to see you succeed. Start by exploring the professional organizations on campus. Many are local chapters of national organizations designed to encourage students to get involved. Or go to a meeting and check it out; most organizations allow nonmembers to attend at least one meeting or event at no charge. A good number of professional organizations offer student membership rates that are designed for student budgets.
At the same time, you can be developing professional references to speak on your behalf. Networking, like selling, is personal. So make a list of all the people you know with whom you can network.
You never know who knows someone who might be the link to your next job. Everyone tells you to do networking, but after you create your list, what do you say? You will be delivering your brand message to everyone with whom you are networking, so be specific about what you are looking for. Always take the opportunity to expand your network by asking for the names of other people whom you might contact. For example, assume you are networking with Vera, a friend of the family:.
You will be surprised at how many people may be able to give you the name of someone you can contact. You might also network with someone who gives you the name of someone to contact. For example,. That way you have an opportunity to create a relationship remember how important relationships are in selling, especially when you are selling yourself. A phone call might start like this:. If someone has referred you, always include that as part of your introduction.
If your networking takes place via e-mail, you should do the same thing. Writing a short, easy-to-skim note helps tell every recipient what you have to offer. For example, see Figure 3.
You can see that when you are networking you want to focus on being specific about what you are looking for, asking for names of people with whom you might network, and creating a relationship with those people. Social networking sites can be a more powerful job search tool than most people realize, and their power can go both ways: The sites can work in your favor, but they can also work against you.
In fact, 22 percent of employers claim to use social networking sites when considering potential hires, and of those employers, 34 percent said they chose not to hire a candidate based on the information they had dug up about that person online. Your Facebook or MySpace profile could negatively impact your chances of getting a job at your chosen company. Gauge the appropriateness of the videos, photographs, and comments on your pages and decide whether it would be a problem if a potential employer saw them.
On the other hand, professional social networking sites are tools you can leverage to great advantage in your job search if you use them proactively. LinkedIn is the biggest and most frequently used networking site, but there are a number of others, including Jobster, Ryze, ZoomInfo, and Plaxo, that allow you to create a professional profile and find contacts in your target industry or at target companies. Here are a few social networking tips to keep in mind:.
This short video series provides step-by-step instructions as to how to use LinkedIn for networking. Sometimes, you may not find people who want the value you have to offer at the time you are offering it. Follow-up is important in every part of your job search, so follow up with everyone with whom you network. Sometimes, people are simply distracted or overwhelmed at the time you first contacted them.
It may seem easier to follow up by e-mail, but you increase your likelihood of being successful and building a relationship when you follow up by phone. Continue to call until your contact answers the phone, or leave a voice mail and tell her when you will call back along with your e-mail address. Then, call back when you say you will. You will be pleasantly surprised at the results. Keep in mind that networking is an ongoing process, whether you are looking for a job or not.
When you establish a relationship with someone, keep in touch with her. You should touch base with people in your network at least once every four to six weeks. Send a link to an article or video that you think she will like. Now that you have read this chapter, you should be able to understand the importance of relationships in selling and how to develop effective relationships. The following are two roles that are involved in the same selling situation; one role is that of an interviewer and the other is that of the aspiring salesperson.
This will give you the opportunity to think about this networking situation from the perspective of both the networker and the person with whom he is networking. Read each role carefully along with the discussion questions.
Then, be prepared to play either of the roles in class using the concepts covered in this chapter. You may be asked to discuss the roles and do a role-play in groups or individually.
Role: Pharmaceutical sales manager. You are a sales manager at a major pharmaceutical company. You are always looking for extraordinary people—the ones who really stand out. You judge people by your first impression of them. Even if you are not hiring, you usually take the time to meet with people who impress you, or at the very least, you refer her to someone you think may be hiring.
If you are not impressed, you are courteous to the person, but leave it at that. You are you. You are looking for a job in pharmaceutical sales, and you are networking to find any job opportunities in that area.
You have been given the name and phone number of a sales manager at a major pharmaceutical company. You are not sure if the company is hiring right now, but the sales manager is well connected in the industry so he is a good person with whom to build a relationship and put your networking skills to work. Help Creative Commons.
Creative Commons supports free culture from music to education. Their licenses helped make this book available to you. Help a Public School. Previous Chapter. Table of Contents. Next Chapter. Explain how relationships bring value through consultative selling. Identify who wins in the win-win-win relationship model. Explain how networking builds relationships and businesses. From Personal to Problem Solving Think about your best friend. Common Ground Selling relationships start as personal relationships.
Face Time Figure 3. Fore Relationships What makes golf a good way to build a business relationship? Power Player: Lessons in Selling from Successful Salespeople Sign of Trust Imagine not even bringing in product samples or literature with you on your first sales call with a customer.
Video Clip Jeffrey Gitomer on Trust click to see video Learn the two important questions that can give you insight on trust. Source: Buy Gitomer, Inc. Underpromise and Overdeliver One of the tenets of selling is establishing trust and setting expectations.
When Times Are Tough No one likes to deliver bad news. Win-Win-Win: The Ultimate Relationship If you do volunteer work for an organization such as Autism Speaks, you get involved because you believe in raising awareness of autism to increase funds for research for the cure.
A Seat at the Table Figure 3. Networking Tips of the Trade Today, networking can be done in person as well as online. Attend Industry Events Make an effort to attend industry or other professional events. Keep in Touch Many people think that networking is just about collecting business cards. Online Professional Social Networking Online professional social networking Online communities that focus on business members and provide a platform for members to communicate and share with each other.
Video Clip Twitter Sells click to see video How to use Twitter and Twitter-related Web sties to network before and after a professional conference. Source: Mig Pascual.
Be Proactive Ask for introductions to people with whom you want to network and ask your boss, colleagues, and customers to write recommendations for you.
Mind Your Manners Just a word of caution about professional social networking: Be professional in all of your communications. Key Takeaways Consultative selling is the process by which you get to know a customer personally, understand her needs, and put her needs first in the relationship. Relationships are vital to success in most selling situations. When you understand what the customer wants and needs, you can provide solutions to help your customer meet his goals.
Lifetime value is a term that refers to the amount of business that you do with a single customer over the course of the relationship. When you have a long-term view of your relationships with customers, you have an opportunity to realize even greater success.
Trust is the cornerstone of every relationship. A solid relationship is essential, especially when delivering bad news. Always be honest and timely with customers when you have to communicate news that might not be what they want to hear. They will respect you and trust you for it.
The win-win-win is when all parties in a relationship win: your customer, you, and your company or organization. Networking , the art of building mutually beneficial relationships, is an indispensable business tool. Exercises Identify a situation in which a salesperson has developed a relationship with you. Do you trust her more since you know her better? Identify at least one way she puts your needs first in the relationship.
Name a situation in which a salesperson provided you with information to make your purchasing decision. Did you trust him to provide this information?
Why did you trust him? Think about a situation in which a salesperson underpromised and overdelivered. How did your perception of the salesperson and the company change because of your experience?
Research professional organizations that might be of interest to you that have a chapter on campus or in your local community.
What is the mission of each organization? What events are scheduled soon? How can you become a student member of the organization? Understand how the social style matrix can help you be more effective in sales. That is the epitome of consultative selling: you are included in the process from the beginning.
When you are a true partner with your customers, you will be given a seat at the table when direction-setting issues are discussed. This allows you to participate fully as a trusted advisor and asset to the customer and to help shape the strategy of the company. It changes your relationship with the contact and the company from salesperson to partner. In other words, it means that you have to think ahead of your customer, not just along with her.
How Do You Bring Value? This video features Jeffrey Gitomer discussing the value of providing value to customers. You probably use Facebook frequently to keep in touch with your friends. If you want to know who took a particular course with a particular professor, you can ask your friends on Facebook. If none of your friends took the course, one of their friends may have taken it and could give you some insight about the course and the professor. Whether you realize it or not, you are networking.
The art of building mutually beneficial relationships. This is a value exchange. What makes the network function is the fact that people in the network at some point have a need and at some point may be able to help someone else with his need. Said another way, networking is based on mutual generosity. Building strong relationships with customers is an excellent way to build your network.
Satisfied customers will refer you to other people who might become potential customers. It also gives you the opportunity to help someone else first, which can go a long way when you need help in the future. Today, networking can be done in person as well as online. Networking is best done both in person and online to be truly effective.
Here are a few tips for networking in person. Include people such as your hair stylist, car mechanic, and others. Get to know everyone in your extended network as each can be a lead for a potential sale or even a job. Joining is good, but getting involved in one of the committees is even better. It helps demonstrate your skills and knowledge to the other people in the organization. Make an effort to attend industry or other professional events. Arrive early and work the room.
If you come with someone, be sure to branch out to meet and mingle with other people. Set a time and a place to meet the person with whom you came so you can both maximize your networking. He suggests always asking questions of the people you meet; it helps keep conversation going and gives you more insight into their background and how you might work together in the future.
And always have your business cards handy. Many people think that networking is just about collecting business cards. Networking is so much more than that. Networking is about creating mutually beneficial relationships.
Go beyond the e-mail by inviting someone to lunch. Online communities that focus on business members and provide a platform for members to communicate and share with each other can be an equally powerful tool to build your contacts.
Consider a situation that Austin Hill, Internet entrepreneur and founder of the angel investment firm Brudder Ventures, encountered when his firm was trying to get access to someone in a specific department at a vendor.
It was a large company, and he kept getting the runaround. But after going onto LinkedIn and getting introductions to the right people, within two days they were able to start doing business with the company.
LinkedIn, Ryze, ZoomInfo, and Plaxo are all online professional social networks that have a substantial number of members. You can also use Facebook MySpace, and Twitter to create profiles, peruse job boards, and join the conversation. You can join the conversation about careers in sales created for this course on LinkedIn.
You will be able to listen to the conversation, ask questions, and start or join discussions. This group is an excellent way to network and find people who work at companies that you may want to work at.
Start your professional networking now and network with sales professionals that want to help you. The number of connections you have is not a badge of honor. Take the time to connect to all the people you know, and network within their networks. Ask for introductions to people with whom you want to network and ask your boss, colleagues, and customers to write recommendations for you. Just a word of caution about professional social networking: Be professional in all of your communications.
Skip to content Understand why relationships are so important in selling. Explain how relationships bring value through consultative selling. Identify who wins in the win-win-win relationship model. Explain how networking builds relationships and businesses.
Consultative selling is the process by which you get to know a customer personally, understand her needs, and put her needs first in the relationship. Relationships are vital to success in most selling situations. When you understand what the customer wants and needs, you can provide solutions to help your customer meet his goals. Lifetime value is a term that refers to the amount of business that you do with a single customer over the course of the relationship.
When you have a long-term view of your relationships with customers, you have an opportunity to realize even greater success. Trust is the cornerstone of every relationship. A solid relationship is essential, especially when delivering bad news.
Always be honest and timely with customers when you have to communicate news that might not be what they want to hear. They will respect you and trust you for it. The win-win-win is when all parties in a relationship win: your customer, you, and your company or organization. Networking , the art of building mutually beneficial relationships, is an indispensable business tool. Identify a situation in which a salesperson has developed a relationship with you. Do you trust her more since you know her better?
Identify at least one way she puts your needs first in the relationship. Name a situation in which a salesperson provided you with information to make your purchasing decision. Did you trust him to provide this information?
Why did you trust him? Think about a situation in which a salesperson underpromised and overdelivered. How did your perception of the salesperson and the company change because of your experience?
Go to LinkedIn and create your profile. Research professional organizations that might be of interest to you that have a chapter on campus or in your local community.
What is the mission of each organization? What events are scheduled soon? How can you become a student member of the organization? Mitchell, J.
New York: Hyperion. The Difference between an Account and a Relationship. Long Island Business News. Service That Sells!
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