It’s well known, that before a customer decides what they think of your product, they decide what they think about you. First impressions and building trust are essential to business-to-business (B2B) sellers. What else should you be coaching your sellers to develop and why?
At Selgine, we’ve learned the very best B2B sellers have three, very strong soft skills. First, they are coachable and willing to learn. The best sellers are able to separate their performance from themselves, their ego does not impact their ability to learn and grow. Second is professionalism, we’ll talk about competency later, but for professionalism we’re focusing on sellers who know that following a sales methodology or process will not assure an outcome, but diligent tenacity coupled with punctual and actionable communication skills are key to advancing any relationship. Lastly, is just the right pinch of creativity; coachable, professional, creative wins the day, every day, day after day.
So, what gets a seller in the door?
It’s empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. It’s the first focus area for sellers to develop. What’s key to empathy is one needs to get close enough to one’s customer or prospect to understand their feelings (care abouts and needs).
What keeps a seller in an account and growing the business?
In addition to empathy, Selgine has observed that the best sellers develop and retain customers best when they focus on these four additional focus areas: competency; reliability; integrity; and vulnerability.
Competency, the ability to do something successfully or efficiently can never be discounted. Sellers need to know their product they are selling and know how to help their customer or prospect navigate the purchasing (selling) process.
Reliability, the quality of being trustworthy or of performing consistently well. Consistent, trustworthy performance creates an environment where customers want to have sellers in their meetings, versus needing to have them in a meeting. If your invited to a customer meeting where the topic is not related to the products you sell, you know you have reached the status of reliable (and trustworthy).
Integrity, the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. Customers know that projects always have problems and hiccups, they want to work with a trusted innovator (seller) who has the moral compass to “do the right thing” when wrong things happen.
Vulnerability, the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally. Vulnerability straddles a sellers ability to have the hutzpah to be creative and the self-awareness and coachability to learn from the chances they take.
How do you best leverage “Trust” to win more business at scale?
At Selgine, its no secret. You lead with your B2B sellers and you never disintermediate them. Through training, surveying, scheduling subject matter expert meetings, and providing them access to anything and everything they need to become the best seller they can be is essential. That’s why Selgine’s Drive and Relay™ approach to sales motion and sales play management is so vital in today’s B2B market.
In terms of engaging customers, anything and everything Selgine can do to assure that sellers are positioned and can demonstrate empathy; competency; reliability; integrity; and vulnerability is no accident; its curated and nurtured in everything we do.