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What are some sales practices that were acceptable 20 years ago but should now be avoided at all costs?
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2 Answers
Hi Nicholas. Great question. Mari Anne Vanella certainly provided one key answer to the question when she said you cannot be unprepared for a first call/meeting given the over-abundance of information available today with which to be prepared.
Another one from my perspective is to be more competitively aware because the prospect/customer surely is. This means an end to assumptiveness on the part of the salesperson.
I also believe that given the speed of information flow today that there is more demand on timeliness in not just the follow up but also the follow through in constructing a more effective and distinctive competitive stance.
I would also like to add though that some things never change. There are essentially 4 elements to establishing not only more, but more effective, relationships: Time (being present and attentive), Intensity (creating an emotional connection), Trust (earned over time), and Reciprocity (establishing a mutual choice).
Lastly, realize that everyone should be treated with dignity.
Hi Nicholas! A glaring example: a string of closed-ended qualifying questions, usually driven by the data fields in a contact management or CRM system.
In 1996, I actually saw a 22-question (all closed-ended) call guide/script at a software company! It sounded like an interrogation rather than a conversation … a deposition not dialogue. Nowadays, such behavior … on the phone or in-person … will stop a sales opportunity dead in its tracks.
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