Are You Doing The Sales Walk of Shame

The Sales Walk of Shame

I was in Subiaco just after 7am this morning
where I’d just arrived to run a customer service
excellence program for a client.

As I was getting my gear out of the car,
I saw her…

Picture me in my suit in an empty car park and
its pretty cold maybe 10 degrees c

At first when she walked past I didn’t detect
anything unusual and wasn’t really paying much
attention.

Out of the corner of my eye…

Dark hair in her mid 30’s

Walking with purpose in her step, fast…a little
too fast…wearing heels and a singlet with her orange
leather jacket slung over her arm.

Hang on, I’ve seen this before she…she hasn’t
been home

The walk of shame

She nearly pulled it off too, it nearly slipped under
my radar

It got me thinking about another conversation I had
with a client this week.

He’s been doing the same thing over and over again
for a number of years and the result isn’t changing
he’s frustrated and feels stuck in what I call a
commoditisation pattern.

This happens when all you are perceived as is a
sales person who is collecting a commission on
a sale.

And you know what?

When things were booming and people were actually
buying with out anyone actually having to really
sell – this was fine.

but not now.

I am having an increasingly larger amount of
sales people and business owners I am talking
to who are doing the sales walk of shame.

Metaphorically walking home all dressed up with
their very best sales efforts every month with
a lingering sense of regret about repeated
bad performances.

But it does’t have to be like that – if you are
selling a product that adds value and if you have
expertise that your client can profit from having
in his business, you need never be seen as a
commodity.

But unless you demonstrate it and articulate it
and behave consistently with your own acknowledgment
of it

Your client will never get it – they will simply see
you as interchangeable next to your competitor.

You’ll keep walking home in your best maxi dress
carrying your heels in your hand.

And the more ways you can create to demonstrate this
value

In the way you position yourself to clients
In the way your sales process is designed
in the language you use

and in the way you package up your solution
will be to the extent that you effectively eliminate
your competitors.

This is what I will be covering in the next
professional sales master class which is now
totally sold out. (sorry)

However in the meantime for those of you who
are interested I will be running a sales
scripting webinar in the coming weeks.

This is a core part of the way your articulate your value

and it will form part of a series I will be doing in the

above 4 core areas.

I haven’t set a date as yet but if you would
like me to give you options on the first
spots available for this click here and send me a quick note then