5 Business Development BlundersWritten by Joseph Sommerville, PhD
Effective communication skills are essential to successful business development. Yet they’re often under-emphasized and sometimes completely ignored. Why? Because we communicate so much and so often (approximately 20,000 words per day) we often take it for granted. But regardless of how good your product or service is and how much expertise you have in your area, it all goes to waste unless you can communicate it to others. When you actually get chance to sit down with a potential client and discuss doing business together, don’t blow it by committing one of these big five business development blunders. 1. Talking about your product or service. Infodumping is simply telling someone all there is to know about what you’re selling. You probably cover how long you’ve been in business, who developed what, your philosophy of business, your market share and all choices you have available. This approach is likely to leave potential client in exactly same place on sales continuum as when you started. Your objective should be to get him to gravitate towards you. Go into your meeting with a strategic goal. What specifically do you want him to know, do or believe after meeting with you. Is it to place an order, sign up for a trial or believe you’re only logical choice? Once you have a strategic goal, your destination is in sight and you can begin mapping a route to get there. 2. Not listening. No salesperson has ever listened herself out of a sale. Yet, when asked a simple question, many salespeople take it as a license to deliver a monologue. Here are three tips to practice better listening. First, use questions to discover what’s important. If potential client says “tell me about yourself (or your product or service or company)”, respond with “what would you like to know” or “what aspect is most important to you in making a decision?” Second, never talk continuously for more than a couple of minutes without giving other person an opportunity to speak. Third, don’t correct other person unless it’s absolutely essential for discussion to proceed—it rarely is and no one likes to be told he’s wrong. 3. Using sales clichés. People usually begin to lose interest moment they feel they’re being sold. They usually begin feeling that way when they hear stock phrases such as “That’s a great question” or “What will it take to get your business today?” People need to feel like individuals, not like pieces in an assembly line. Sales clichés operate on a Pavlovian model—use a specific phrase and you’ll get response you desire. It’s manipulative. Try shifting to a consultative approach where you’re seen as a advisor or problem-solver.
| | Schedule Time for InterruptionsWritten by Eric Plantenberg
One of most challenging situations people face when planning their day is how to stick to their schedule when they are constantly being interrupted. Just when your activities are organized, someone else’s emergency seems to get in way. A client has a crisis, co-workers are in a jam, your boss is breathing down your neck, a friend calls, or any of dozens of other interruptions you face on any given day. The training tip for month of March is extremely simple and equally powerful ~ Schedule Time for Interruption. That’s right, just as you would schedule a meeting with a customer or event with your boss, scheduling a specific time in your day for interruptions is a technique that our students nation wide continually tell us is one of most powerful time management tips they have ever used. How does this work? There are two components. First, as you are planning your day or week, allot a certain amount of time for sole purpose of dealing with ‘other people’s emergencies.’ What normally happens when someone calls or comes running into your office with something that they need your immediate help with? You drop whatever you are in middle of and rush to their attention. Not only is their issue something that may not be of any importance to you, but I recently heard that it takes most people around 20 minutes to return to level of focus they had before being interrupted. Wonder where those ‘lost hours’ go each day? Rebounding from all your interruptions!
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