Teamwork

An important part of sales is creating a team. If you truly want to reach special heights in sales and business teamwork will be the key. The first part of teamwork you want to foster is with your assistants, your sales team, your back office or anyone else that would work with you. Even if you are the boss you can create a better environment when everyone believes they are part of a team as opposed to feeling like an employee. When people are brought in as a team member they buy in and are willing to do more. An employee feels like it is their job and will only do what is required while a team member wants to dive in, stay late without being asked or do whatever is necessary to finish the job and get more than the required result. “Unity is strength... when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.”, Mattie Stepanek. When you create that unified front you create a team that will fight for and believe in one another and will pick up the pieces for each other this will create the teamwork you need to reach that pinnacle of success you are looking for.

This is the first part of the teamwork the second part is the teamwork you create with your prospects and clients. When you are prospecting whether it is a new client or an existing client you need to team up with them to help them solve their need. Everyone knows or has a salesman they don’t like because they never bring a solution but instead they bring a product to be bought and on occasion they buy but mostly they look for excuses to get rid of or not see them. However when you make a sales call and bring the features and benefits of how your products will fill their need you have now become a team member of your client and team members will never have a problem revisiting their client. “It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.”, Napoleon Hill. So help your clients succeed through teamwork and watch your business grow.

Coaching up your clients

As a sales person, you do far more for clients than sell them something: One of your most important skill sets is to serve as a developmental coach. It is your job to play a critical, value-producing role that relies on your knowledge of what they are buying and their history, their beliefs and behaviors.

You need to be knowledgeable, motivated and well-intentioned. When you take time to identify the goals of your prospects you are on your way to the start of a rewarding client relationship. You succeed by understanding your clients’ fears, weaknesses, and temptations and providing solutions.

"Listening is such a simple act. It requires us to be present, and that takes practice, but we don't have to do anything else. We don't have to advise, or coach, or sound wise. We just have to be willing to sit there and listen.", Margaret J. Wheatley.

If you want to edge out the competition you need to help clients plan for goals and stick with their long-term plans even when they have doubts. This kind of coaching is the biggest contributor in allowing you to cultivate the relationships you want instead of reacting to outside influences. Leaning to proactively coach your prospects and clients is a better solution than being reactionary. Stressing your role as coach in client appointments will promote you above your competition. Most of your client know what they should be doing but lack the time and discipline to get it done which is why they are looking for someone like you even though they don’t know it.