You Can’t Challenge Your Way to a Sale with Meridith Elliot Powell

You Can’t Challenge Your Way to a Sale with Meridith Elliott Powell #231

Meridith Elliott Powell Sales BabbleOur guest is Meridith Elliott Powell, an award-winning author, keynote speaker and business strategist. Meridith is the author of four books, including Winning In The Trust & Value Economy and her latest Own It: Redefining Responsibility – Stories of Power, Freedom & Purpose. Today we challenge the Challenger Sale and  discuss better ways to engage, qualify, and build client relationships that last.

The Challenger Sale

The Challenger Sale advices sellers to take control of the sale by taking on the role of teacher. This doesn’t work in all situations. The sales conversation is a dance where we learn about our prospects AND they learn about us. You can’t teach your way through most sales!

Sales is not a task to win according to Meridith. If a prospective  client is a fit, that’s great. If they’re not a fit, that’s OK too. We’re not a match for everyone. The goal is find those that DO see your value.  It’s a case of learn not teach!

Sell From A Place Of Power vs a Place of Need

Our responsibility as sellers is to make people aware of our amazing product and its benefits. Meridith believes we are driven by the desire to love people and help them. Yet we can’t be a human specification sheet. Instead we need to build a relationship and explore the buyers needs and desires. For example:

  • slow down at the beginning
  • sell aggressively on the subsequent sales
  • sell an urgent need
  • remember it’s unlikely you are top of mind when first meeting a prospect
  • customers need to be heard
  • sales training doesn’t apply to everyone

Take Action Advice

Lastly, listen, learn and allow the buyer to talk.  If you do that they will tell you what you need to do

How To Find Meridith Elliot Powell

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/meridithelliottpowell/
Website – www.valuespeaker.com
Twitter https://twitter.com/meridithpowell
Facebook –https://www.facebook.com/meridith.powell

This is the link to the FREE ebook 42 Rules to Turn Prospects Into Customers that Meridith mentioned in the podcast.

Sales Skills Training

Below are a number of past episodes that talk about mindset, rapport and generating genuine conversations that lead to closed sales. Enjoy!