To develop a successful business, you must be able to communicate effectively. However, it is often under-emphasized and sometimes ignored completely. Why? As we communicate so frequently (approximately 15,000 words per day), we often take it for granted. No matter how good your product or service is or how much expertise you have in your field, it will only be useful if you can communicate it effectively to others. Whenever you get the opportunity to sit down with a potential client and discuss doing business together, please make sure to make one of these big five business development mistakes.
1. It is important to talk about your products and services. You can describe info dumping as simply telling people everything they need to know about your product. As you explain your business history, who developed what, your business philosophy, market share, and all the options available, you will probably cover how long you have been in business. If you take this approach, you will likely leave the potential client in the same place on the sales continuum as when you began. It would be best if you created a positive atmosphere to get him to gravitate toward you. Make sure you have a clear strategy in mind before you meet. After meeting with you, what do you want him to know, do, or believe? Place an order, sign up for a trial, or believe you’re the only logical choice? You can start mapping a route with a clear vision of your destination.
2. A salesperson can’t listen herself out of a sale. However, many salespeople adopt a monologue approach when asked a simple question. You can practice better listening by following these three tips. The first step is to ask questions to discover what is most important. In response to a potential client asking, “tell me about yourself (or your product or service), reply with “what would you like to know” or “what aspect is most important to you in making a decision? “. Second, only speak continuously for up to two minutes, giving the other person a chance to respond. Third, don’t correct the other person unless necessary—it rarely is, and nobody likes it when they are corrected.
3. By using sales clichés. People generally lose interest when they believe they are being sold something. They usually feel that way when they hear stock phrases like “That’s a great question” or “What will it take to get your business today?” People must feel like individuals, not like pieces on an assembly line. There is a Pavlovian principle to sales clichés-use a specific phrase, and you’ll get the response you want. This is manipulative. Change your approach to a consultative one where you have seen an advisor or problem solver.
4. Need to adapt to the situation. There is a problem with using sales scripts since they make many assumptions. Motivators, perspectives, and situations in life are assumed to be similar. I know a financial planner who has developed a clever approach to meeting clients. Higher-end restaurants in his territory have bowls placed near their cash registers. Every bowl has a small sign encouraging patrons to drop their business cards in to win a free meal at that restaurant. Each time he goes through the cards, he invites someone to lunch with the understanding that he’d like a few minutes to discuss his services. During lunch, he presented his sales talk that was assumed. I had taken on a big mortgage to finance my house (I didn’t). I had to save for a child’s college fund (I don’t have one), and I had to save for the possibility that my parents might need assisted living care someday (they’re both passed). Never assume anything about a meeting. Treat it as a unique opportunity.
5. It needs to differentiate features from benefits. A salesperson often focuses on what a product or service does instead of what problems it solves or how it relieves pain. It was my pleasure to observe a commercial leasing agent show office space. While meeting the clients outside the building foyer, he commented on the large parking lot. It was a feature statement. There would have been a benefit statement emphasizing how people would never have to search for parking or that they could always park close to the building in bad weather. For example, if your product includes a video, that’s a feature. By showing how to use your product, someone will be able to understand how to use it. You can apply this test to your statements by asking, “so what?”. If you can’t answer this question, you have a feature rather than a benefit.
Conclusion
Communication skills are developed by thinking more strategically about how communication affects how we interact with others, then putting those strategies into practice. By avoiding these top five business development blunders, you’ll not only gain more business, but you’ll lose less as well. Remember that your opinion deserves to be heard if it is important.
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