Many building materials sales people fail because they are in too big of a hurry to make a sale. The most effective sales people take a more patient approach.
There’s an old dirty joke
There’s an old dirty joke you’ve probably heard that will help make my point. I’ve tried to clean it up.
There were two bulls standing at the top of a hill under a tree.
At the bottom of the hill, there was a herd of cows.
The young bull said to the older bull, “Let’s run down the hill and have our way with a cow.”
The older bull replied, “Let’s walk down and have our way with all of them.”
Too many times I see building material sales people acting like young bulls.
Mistakes young building materials sales bulls make
1. Assume his or her product is right for everyone. They feel that their sales skills can sell their product to anyone.
2. Don’t understand their customer. While sales people should have excellent product knowledge, they frequently don’t know very much about their prospect’s business.
3. Think too shallow. They assume, “My price is lower” or “You will make more money” is all they need in a presentation.
4. Don’t identify real decision maker. They assume that anyone who can say Yes, has the power to actually make a purchase.
If you want to see young bulls in action, walk around the opening morning of a trade show.
How to act more like an old bull in one word.
“Curiosity”
I find that the most effective building material sales people and marketing people are very curious.
They want to know a lot about the customer, the market and the competition. They take the time to learn the customers business. They are able to identify the best prospects for their products that may not be the largest customers.
They learn how their product fits into the bigger picture of the customer’s world. And most importantly, they think about how their product will help their customer’s customers.
In today’s world where there is constant pressure to sell more as soon as possible, it’s easy to forget about the benefits of slowing down. The next time you find yourself in a hurry to make a sale, remember the wisdom of the older bull.
Maybe we’ll start to see more building materials people in yoga or meditation classes. A little Namaste probably wouldn’t hurt your sales efforts.
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