Dilemma: “What’s more important in professional selling … is it my depth of knowledge about my solutions or is it how I communicate with my customers?”
Solution: The simple answer is that it is BOTH. But, professional selling isn’t that simple.
Your depth of knowledge in the solutions that your company offers is important to establishing credibility. But, all that great product and solution knowledge is useless if you do not understand the customer’s company goals and business needs. Connecting customer goals and needs to company capabilities is the gold standard. Spend time researching company goals, industry trends and competitive positioning. Help your customer see how your solutions can help them achieve their goals, capitalize on important industry trends and differentiate their business. Your customers care about THEIR business, not yours. Your solution is a means to the end. Your solution is the “how to” for the customer to achieve their own goals.
People buy from people they trust. Businesses decisions are made by people. It is not a nameless-faceless company buying form another nameless-faceless company. If what you offer is a straight forward commodity then perhaps it is a nameless-faceless transaction done on the internet. But, then why would the company employ a professional sales person like you? Communication with customers is more than just voice, text, PPT and email. Connect with them as people. Respect their time, knowledge and professionalism. Be human. Have fun. When work is fun, it just doesn’t seem quite so much like work. When you work with people you like, things seem to flow more smoothly. Customers are people too. Enjoy connecting with them. Helping people achieve their business goals can build lifelong respected connections that can extend well beyond a buyer-seller relationship.