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Supple Selling for Sales Success #464
Today we investigate flexible selling. For example, we don’t let little kids drink out of glass. Why? Because if they drop it, it will shatter in a million pieces. But what happens when a child drops a plastic sippy cup? It bounces! They’re soft and supple and last forever. In fact your child will outgrow it before it wears out. But what’s this got to do with sales? What can a flexible supple accident forgiving sippy cup teach us? That’s the topic for today.
Today’s Chapter: Bend Don’t Break
The Master Seller takes a balanced approach
They are never stubborn with fixed opinions.
Because they are tolerant of difficult prospects
They are supple like a field of wheat
Bending to the buyers whims
Giving answers to even the silliest of questions.
No deal is impossible for them
Because they let go of fear.
They care for the needs of the customer
Like a parent.
This is called deep roots.
They have longevity with this foundation.
They have lasting success.
Today’s Story
Honestly, Lee was a difficult prospect with fixed opinions stuck in the past. Chris struggled to connect and show the possibilities of the new services package. But after three sales meetings, Chris reached out to Pat in frustration.
Chris started, “This deal is a hot mess! Lee asks dumb questions irrelevant to the product. Lee’s thinking makes zero sense. I don’t know what to do to advance the sale.”
Pat smiled. “I can understand your concern. But maybe it’s you who has the issue.”
“Oh?” said Chris.
Pat went on “What do you think really matters to Lee? Revenue? Profit? Cost? Time? What’s crippling the company? “
“I’m not sure.” said Chris.
Pat then said, “Instead of using the slide deck trying to persuade Lee, take a more parental point of view. Spend more time looking for their Owies, soothing their pains, discovering their desires, telling them everything’s going to be alright and we‘ve got their back. Like they say, the soft and supple grass bends. Stiff and brittle it snaps. You’re snapping!”
Chris laughed! “Yes I guess that’s true”
Pat finished “Why not set aside selling them for a moment and help Lee out of Lee’s troubles whether it makes a sale or not.. That’s what extinguishes fear and makes for lasting success”
Take Action Quote
According to Lisa J Morris
“Achievement is often a balance between following through with a well made decision, accepting the process, while embracing flexibility until its completion”
I agree. This quote goes hand-in-hand with letting go of control. Stop planning and stop trying to control how things will go and what the outcomes will be. Life never goes according to plan. So why stress out worrying about the future and then worrying about the past when plans go wrong?
Sell in the moment, with no fixed outcome in mind. Let things happen, and be content with what happens. Sell of course, but do it because it gives you joy. That is the path of supple selling.
Habanero Media Network
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How to Connect with Pat Helmers at Sales Babble
Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers. Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help, showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours. See https://salesbabble.com
I’ve interviewed 100s of sales experts and discuss all things sales: prospecting, qualifying, value propositions, presentations, demos, closing, generating referrals, earning references, upselling, marketing, lead generation, copywriting, and most important the right selling mindset. Stop fearing sales and embrace it.
This is a production of Habanero Media https://habaneromedia.net
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