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What Bartenders and Therapists Can Teach Sales People #437
A research study at West Virginia university studied bartenders to “elucidate how bartenders define themselves, their work, and their occupation as a whole. “ Of course the craft of making cocktails was of high concern but so was customer service skills, time management, memory and situational awareness. Skilled bartenders are great listeners which in turn build trust and loyalty with patrons. Just like therapists, they display empathy. The same is true for sellers. How? Let’s listen and find out what therapists can teach sales people.
Today’s Chapter: Understand Before Being Understood
The Master Seller listens first
to understand
Before being understood.
By asking,
They receive
Creating opportunities.
Both bartender and psychologist
The Master Seller listens.
Today’s Story
Chris had worked on the new product presentation for a week and was excited to get it front of a prospective client. The day came when Pat and Chris sat at the front of the conference table, excited to share with the prospects. But Chris was surprised that’s not what happened.
Pat kicked off the meeting by thanking the audience for taking time to meet, but then asked them to restate what they are looking to get out of the meeting. Chris was surprised since they had already covered that on a phone call a couple weeks ago. Pat went on to ask about their challenges, struggles, things they tried in the past, frustrations the team was experiencing, lost revenue and lost time to market. This went on for 40 minutes. When it came time to share their solution. They went directly to the 7th slide page, talked for 10 minutes and by the end of the conversation they agreed to take the next steps to start a pilot test project. Good news.
Afterwards Chris goes to Pat “But we never even showed them the presentation?” “True” said Pat, “but great sellers listen first to understand before pitching a solution. We did that, they appreciated it, and that’s how we got the sale to advance. Sometimes all a customer is looking for is a therapist. We gave them what they wanted.”
Take Action Quote
The stoic philosopher Epictetus said ‘We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.’ This is even more true for sales professionals. The best way to know what a buyer is thinking is to ask them. Most people will tell you everything about the troubles in their lives if you’re willing to listen. To know what a buyer wants is the key to framing your products and services when you present. Stop guessing what people want and assuming you have the solution to all life’s problems. Instead be the bartender and ask “How’s it going?”
Sales Babble Research Study
I just commissioned a research study to better understand the interests of listeners and the challenges they face. It will only take two minutes. Thank you for your help!
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
You can be yourself when selling. It’s all about helping others with their challenges and aspirations. 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. Learn the selling secrets for non-sellers and start making a difference today. Here is the entire back catalog of episodes in the sales podcast. Look here https://www.salesbabble.com/sales-podcast-free-advice/
This is a production of Habanero Media https://habaneromedia.net
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