Ask any sales person and they will tell you that ABC stands for Always Be Closing. Always; with every meeting and opportunity try to close the sale and get the business. Don’t get me wrong – you do have to ask for the business, but this should be done at the right time. This article is to teach you about the new ABC of Sales. An ABC, if applied will help you build your business on the creation of value for all stakeholders.
The new ABC of Sales: Always Be Creating
Winning in the new world of sales is about creating value for you, your client, your company and all the other stakeholders. Better than winning for yourself, you feel fantastic about it because everyone has won! So let’s step through how you should apply the new ABC of sales in your business.
Create Relationships
Your first job in the new ABC of sales is to create relationships with people you meet. Get to know them as people so you can relate to them, their needs and desires. Share with them honestly about your business and life. You know you have won at this stage if you leave knowing something new and interesting about the other person and if you have been given permission to take the next step.
Create Trust
Trust is an equation. The key elements are Credibility (be knowledgeable and be yourself) + Reliability (say what you do and do what you say) + Intimacy (when your client is happy to talk to you about sensitive issues or personal ideas). Lastly it is about minimising conflict of interest. The best way to do this is to be transparent about what you are doing and why at each step you take in business.
Create Value
In the new ABC of Sales value is for all parties. Create value for your clients, you, your company, your community. Creating value is about finding a great solution for people’s problems, where everyone wins.
Create Referrals
Referrals are the easiest way for you to grow your business. Referrals come from happy clients. The best way to get new referrals into your business is to ask for them. Here are a few tips asking for referrals:
- Let everyone know that your business is built on referrals, so then when you ask them, they won’t be surprised.
- Make your ask specific; so that the person you are talking to knows exactly what sort of client you are looking for.
- Make it a habit to talk about referrals as part of your daily business conversations.
My challenge to you is to get out there and get creative, to talk to people and show them how you can help them. For the love of selling, Fran.
