Selling is Changing... Not Really
by john chapin
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This past week I’ ve received three separate e-mails from various sales gurus talking about how much sales has changed. While the internet, social media, and advances in technology have altered some of the peripheral aspects of selling, the foundational principles and keys that lead to sales success have remained the same.
Sales Facts that will Always Remain the Same
Fact 1: Sales IS still a numbers game
99.9 % of the time failure in sales is due to a lack of activity. In other words, not making enough calls. Now that we have the internet, I know sales reps who spend hours looking up background information on prospects before they call them. This is a mistake. Look up the information a prospect would reasonably expect you to have, but don’ t spend hours being perfect. Just look up some quick information and make the call.
Another way technology can work against us is that some people believe they have to be technical experts before they call anyone. An insurance agent I know spent a full six months in the office studying cyber liability because he had to know everything before he could speak to anyone. The insurance agent is a producer( salesperson) first, not an underwriter( technician). The reality is: you will never know everything and this is usually just an excuse to avoid doing the hard work of making lots of calls. Also, just because you now have the internet to look up information doesn’ t mean you should be spending hours“ preparing” at the expense of making calls. Just get some basics and make the call. Learn what you need to learn so you don’ t make any careless or“ stupid” mistakes, but focus more on activity than on being technically proficient.
Fact 2: You’ re still the expert.
While it’ s true that today’ s consumer is, generally speaking, better informed than in years past, you’ re still the expert who has probably forgotten more than they will ever know. The famous author Malcolm Gladwell once said that it takes roughly 10,000 hours of study to master one’ s craft. While you may not be at the 10,000-hour mark yet, you are still far better off than someone who has spent 5, 10, or even 40 hours on the internet studying your industry and products. You live in your business every day, the prospect doesn’ t. People still need an honest, straightforward salesperson who understands the subtleties and idiosyncrasies and can educate them on what’ s best for them.
10 KANSAS INSURANCE AGENT & BROKER | September- October 2016 |