Carole Mahoney wrote a review of Sales Shift by Frank Belzer last Sunday. I commented almost immediately and subscribed to see future comments. David Weinhaus couldn't help himself and shared his thoughts. I was commenting at David when I realized that it was going to be a long comment. So, use the link above to go read her review and the comments. Then come back and finish here. I'll wait.
OK, so I started with "Here's the upside, John. Salespeople and business owners that refuse to adapt will be out of business or out of a job and those that do learn how to make the shift will be wildly successful and have a line at their (virtual) door because there are fewer choices for the buyer. How long do you think it will be before LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, even Google, etc have a "reviews" link like TripAdvisor does? Do you ever vacation at a place that gets bad reviews? Imagine a review that reads, "Information on website was OK, but when you ask a question, the salesperson won't answer unless you tell them what your goals are, what your budget is and get the decision maker on the phone. Pushy salespeople only interested in their next commission check." or "when I asked for a demo, they started trying to 'bond' with me by asking questions that weren't relevant and I wouldn't share with strangers."
Salespeople and business owners need to learn that it's critical to learn that they have a few seconds to make the first impression and it's easier to click away and hide behind a gmail address than it used to be to hang up the phone on a cold caller and that it starts with the salesperson or business owner fixing themselves.
- Are you too quick to solve problems?
- Do you think that you know the answers?
- Do your prospects move slower than you?
- Do they not want to share?
- Do they give you false information?
- Do they stall, not show up, or not follow through?