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 Effective communication skills are essential to successful
business development. Yet they're often under-emphasized and
sometimes completely ignored. Why? Because we communicate so
much and so often (approximately 20,000 words per day) we
often take it for granted. But regardless of how good your
product or service is and how much expertise you have in
your area, it all goes to waste unless you can communicate
it to others. When you actually get the chance to sit down
with a potential client and discuss doing business together,
don't blow it by committing one of these big five business
development blunders.
1. Talking about your product or service. Info-dumping is
simply telling someone all there is to know about what
you're selling. You probably cover how long you've been in
business, who developed what, your philosophy of business,
your market share and all the choices you have available.
This approach is likely to leave the potential client in
exactly the same place on the sales continuum as when you
started. Your objective should be to get him to gravitate
towards you. Go into your meeting with a strategic goal.
What specifically do you want him to know, do or believe
after meeting with you. Is it to place an order, sign up for
a trial or believe you're the only logical choice? Once you
have a strategic goal, your destination is in sight and you
can begin mapping a route to get there.
2. Not listening. No salesperson has ever listened herself
out of a sale. Yet, when asked a simple question, many
salespeople take it as a license to deliver a monologue.
Here are three tips to practice better listening. First, use
questions to discover what's important. If the potential
client says tell me about yourself (or your product or
service or company), respond with what would you like to
know or what aspect is most important to you in making a
decision? Second, never talk continuously for more than a
couple of minutes without giving the other person an
opportunity to speak. Third, don't correct the other person
unless its absolutely essential for the discussion to
proceed it rarely is and no one likes to be told he's wrong.
3. Using sales clichés. People usually begin to lose
interest the moment they feel they're being sold. They
usually begin feeling that way when they hear stock phrases
such as That's a great question or What will it take to get
your business today? People need to feel like individuals,
not like pieces in an assembly line. Sales clichés operate
on a Pavlovian modeluse a specific phrase and you'll get the
response you desire. Its manipulative. Try shifting to a
consultative approach where you're seen as a advisor or
problem-solver.
4. Failing to adapt to the situation. The problem with using
a sales script is that it assumes too much. It assumes
similar motivators, perspectives and situations in life. A
financial planner I know has developed a very clever
approach to meeting clients. He places bowls near the cash
registers of higher-end restaurants in his territory. On
each bowl, he places a small sign encouraging patrons to
drop their business card in for a chance at a free meal at
that restaurant. He goes through the cards periodically and
invites someone to lunch with the understanding that he'd
like a few minutes to talk about his services. When I met
him for lunch, he presented his sales talk that assumed A. I
had taken on a big mortgage to finance my house (I didn't)
B. I had to save for a Childs college fund (I dont) and C.
that my parents might someday need assisted living care (theyre
both dead). Treat each meeting as unique and dont assume too
much.
5. Failing to distinguish features from benefits.
Salespeople often focus on telling someone what a product or
service is or does at the expense of what problem it solves
or what pain it takes away. I once observed a commercial
leasing agent show office space. As he met the clients in
the building foyer, he commented on the large parking lot
outside. That was a feature statement. A benefit statement
would have focused on how clients would never have to search
for parking or that people could always park close to the
building in bad weather. Lets say your product includes a
video that's only a feature. The benefit is that someone can
see exactly how to use your product. Apply this test to the
statements you may ask the so what question. If you cant
answer it, you've got a feature rather than a benefit.
Developing good communication skills is a result of thinking
more strategically about how communication affects our
interactions with others, then putting those strategies into
play. When you avoid these top five blunders of business
development, you'll not only gain more business, you'll lose
less. Remember, if your idea is important, it deserves to
get heard.
About the Author
As the leading authority on the language of influence, Dr.
Joseph Sommerville shows professionals how to create more
persuasive messages that increase sales, visibility and
credibility. He is the President of Peak Communication
Performance (www.peakcp.com), a Houston-based firm working
worldwide to help professionals develop skills in strategic
communication. Contact him at Sommerville@Peakcp.Com
Written By: Joseph Sommerville, PhD
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