Richard Maun

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  • Sales Skills #2 …Send Or Receive?

    You need two-way communications to survive!
    You need two-way communications to survive!

    Calling Houston… Calling Houston… Are you receiving me, over? *static hiss and crackle* Houston…are you receiving, over? *more static* Houston COME IN PLEASE! *silence*

    If you’ve seen Apollo 13, where the trip to the moon is aborted after the astronauts realise they forgot to pack a nickel for the fresh-oxygen-vending-machine, this kind of frantic radio call for help will be familiar to you. Luckily, in Apollo 13, they were assisted by some Blue Peter trained NASA technicians who were able to lash up a toilet roll tube and some sticky back plastic to a pair of Val’s own knickers (old 70’s gag) and solve the problem.

    Now, this is all very exciting, but what’s the link with sales?

    Well, when you’re with a potential client and making your pitch it’s tempting to be on ‘send’ and simply rattle off information. This is a common trap to fall into, particularly if you’re at a networking meeting, attempting to get to know a new person and make a good impression. Just because someone says ‘tell me about yourself’ remember that you don’t have a green light to babble on for 20 minutes….

    …If you’re on ‘send’ the other person is likely to be getting frustrated at your constant stream of delivery. It’s much better to talk for a minute and then stop and ask them a question, in order to get them talking.

    You can now enjoy being on ‘receive’ which means they are feeling good, because being listened to is a positive stroke.

    So therefore, one way to improve your sales skills is simply to spend more time on ‘receive’ than you do on ‘send’. It’s a tiny tip, but when you’re lost in space it can make all the difference.

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    Interview Skills in The Guardian

    Click here to see my contrbution to last Saturday’s The Secret To… section

    Next Week

    We will continue with some sales skill tips…if you run your own business this series is here to help!

  • Sales Skills #1 …Take The Telephone Challenge

    Put it away dear!
    Put it away dear!

    Ok, hands up if you have a smartphone? Keep your hand up if you tend to put it on the table during business meetings…I know I do.

    I used to have a mark one Blackberry that slept in my briefcase and was only checked at the end of the day for emails. I kept it as a spare telephone and email catcher and that was it. My flip-phone just flipped and phoned and that was it too, so I would switch that off and park it in a pocket.

    Now though I have a special NASA edition of the Blackberry which streams emails, sms, Facebook, Twitter, altitude readings and magnetic north compass bearings and is both simultaneously weightless and so tactile that if you don’t push a button once every five minutes, it sulks.

    So of course I have to put it on the table during business meetings. It would be cruel to hide it in a dark corner.

    However, last week I learned a lesson.

    One of my co-Directors in our Centred Development training business commented that he sometimes works with a top Consultant who is ex-McKinsey. This chap is a successful globe trotting advice dispenser and on the subject of mobile phones he is unshakable. He says:

    ‘Switch it off. Put it away. Only check it at the end of the day. Nothing should come between you and your client.’

    It’s a way of making sure you’re focused on the client and it tells them they are the most important thing at that time.

    I’ve tried this on a couple of occasions and it did make a difference. So, if you’re trying to sell to people, take the telephone challenge:

    Put your smartphone away and give the client 100% of your attention!

    It could mean that you win the order!

    …And if you’re in a meeting and fed up with your colleagues keeping one eye on you and one on their baby phones then set up a phone-creche. Fold a soft fluffy towel into a flat-bottomed basket and put all the phones in there, so they can all sleep together whilst you do some work. Ahhh…bless!

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    Interview Skills in The Guardian

    Click here to see my contrbution to Saturday’s The Secret To… section

    Next Week

    We will continue with some sales skill tips…if you run your own business this series is here to help!