There are 3 classes every sales professional could usefully take. On the face of it, nothing to do with selling, so this may seem a little strange. But they’ll dramatically improve anybody’s ability to relate to, and communicate with, prospects. For that reason, these classes should be considered vital to the sales persons self improvement.
Those 3 classes are Accounting, Behavioural Analysis and Communication.
Accounting can seem a dry subject. The very name conjures up pictures of clerks hunched over ledgers, like in a Dickens novel. But Accounting is all about money, and so is selling. Understanding Income, Expenditure, Profit, Assets Liabilities, Net Worth, Cash Flow and Opportunity Cost helps the sales guys see every sale from the prospects’ point of view. This is particularly true when it comes to B2B, of course. In those deals there’s always a CFO sat in the back office crunching the numbers. Whoever wants to buy anything has to run the gauntlet, persuading the bean counters of the merit, i.e Business Case, for the purchase. But it’s also true for B2C. No matter why somebody wants to buy, there’s always a question of how they’re going to do it. And that’s where the money comes into the picture.
Behavioural Analysis is a branch of Psychology. It helps sales people understand the personality types for individual buyers. It explains why they act in ways they do, and which are the appropriate responses. Some customers enjoy interaction in the sales process. Others don’t. They feel intimidated, and threatened by the ultimate need to make a decision. Still more will focus forensically on detail, while others bully and bluster. They act the way they do, because that’s the way they are. Interfacing with them in the right way, appropriate to their type is probably the strongest competitive advantage anybody can have. Sales professionals who can match their persona to compliment the buyers will have a head start on the competition for sure.
Communications is unbelievably important – this doesn’t have anything to do with email or phones, or technology of any kind. It’s the kind of communications skills the Public Relations people teach to politicians. It’s all to do with the way you look, talk, and act. There’s nothing easier to get wrong, or harder to get right. For example, if you’re a hardened veteran with a waist line to match forget power dressing and choose pastel colours and more relaxed fit. Sit down. Be aware of your impact. On the other hand if you’re younger choose well tailored, serious suits – definitely not fashion – stand up and impose yourself. Eye contact is important. Look directly at people when you’re talking to them. Absolutely, do not obviously ignore the 9 stone weakling in the room. There’s a whole bunch more of this stuff. When you’ve taken the class you’ll understand just how important it is.
If you’re interested in more ways to develop skills, experience and insight check out our eBooks Sales Story Playbook and Succeeding in Sales Management.
