*The following is an excerpt from Mark Bishop's book, The Trusted Seller; the foundation for the What Buyers Want sales training program. Contact us for more information.
Top salespeople are LIKEABLE. The customer can see SIMILARITIES with the seller and feels COMFORTABLE dealing with the salesperson....Personable people are just plain likeable. In a sales context, they exude confidence without coming off as arrogant. They speak passionately about their diesel-powered shears because they know theirs are more reliable – and better made – than any other on the market. Their enthusiasm shines through without sounding forced. Their positive body language and relaxed demeanor suggest sincerity. And it works!
Buyers like to be around pleasant people. Who doesn't? It's human nature to enjoy encounters with others when the experience is pleasant. Interestingly, research in psychology generally finds a positive correlation between a person's likeability and the extent to which others trust that person. Empirical studies in business marketing reach the same conclusion: Likeability is a distinct dimension of trust in a salesperson ("Many U.S. companies" 2002, 2). Trust just comes easier when you like the other person you're dealing with.
One tactic for achieving likeability is to communicate positive body language. Nonverbal communication speaks volumes about what you're really trying to say. In fact, evidence indicates although people may "strongly attend" to what you are saying, nonverbal behavior may "constitute two-thirds or more of total communication" (Beall 2004, 2). Furthermore, although we always have the option of shutting up, we don't have the option of controlling our nonverbal communication. Our bodies communicate for us.
I strongly encourage you to videotape yourself while interacting with a willing colleague or friend; it could be an invaluable tool that helps you learn about your own body language and any potential problem areas. I know... you're busy – perhaps too busy to take time for this little activity. But you're reading this because your goal is to improve your performance in sales. Nonverbal communication plays a huge role in your success. How can you improve if you don't first identify specific areas for improvement?
You're not alone if you hate seeing yourself on tape. Consider the holiday drill. The taping frenzy ensues before the turkey leaves the table. Later, everyone crowds around a matchbook-sized screen to see how silly Uncle Joe looks in the reindeer suit singing karaoke. And then, pretty soon, you see yourself on tape doing something that is (1) a source of great amusement for everyone else; or (2) mildly embarrassing because it's drawing attention to a habit you didn't even know you had.
Don't let your appearance or any repetitious behavior, such as smoothing your bangs, tucking hair behind your ears, clearing your throat, etc., become a source of distraction for the buyer. I won't launch into Body Language 101 at this point because I'm sure you've got the basics down. But do you know which nonverbal behaviors actually helpyou convey likeability? If not, check out the following:
Does your body language help you convey likeability? Research shows certain nonverbal communications suggest you're liekable (Beall2004,4). Reflect back on a recent sales meeting with a prospective buyer. Did you:
If you answered 'yes' to the above, congratulations! Your body language worked in your favor. If not, you'll want to modify your nonverbal communications next time.
Yet another tactic to help you achieve likeability is face time with your buyer. The best reps make time to visit buyers in person instead of managing the relationship purely over email and the phone.
On a personal note, I've noticed over the years that whenever a telemarketing-based sales rep competed with one who had visited me on site, the one who had visited in person always ended up with our business. Putting a name to a face really can make the difference in cementing the relationship. Once you recognize the prospect by sight, and vice versa, it's acceptable to manage the relationship remotely.
But until you get to that point where you both recognize each other, go out of your way to make your contact personal – and in different settings whenever possible. Research suggests buyer trust can evolve when buyers and sales reps have repeated contact for business or social purposes; in fact, frequent social interaction can "engender trust because buyers attribute benevolent intentions to salespeople with whom they share common professional and social bonds" (Doney and Cannon 1997, 9).
One reason this works is because frequent contact provides buyers with multiple opportunities to observe salesperson behavior in a number of situations, which, in turn, gives buyers confidence they can predict future rep behavior. In fact, familiarity with a person in and of itself increases feelings of likeability.
If the buyer is unable to accommodate a visit at his office, perhaps you meet him at an upcoming trade show. Or, you could meet for a low-intensity breakfast or a quick lunch meeting and keep the conversation light. These are great ways to personalize your contact a bit more with the buyer, demonstrate that you're serious about gaining his business and position yourself a bit closer to earning the buyer's trust.
"So, tell me about yourself." Not surprisingly, few sales meetings start with this buyer request. But consider the results of a sales meeting in which the salesperson is able to disclose a nugget or two of personal information while still effectively hitting what's most relevant to the buyer.
Research shows that when sales reps make self-disclosures (reveal personal information), long-term customer relationships can advance; the conversation grants customers a "special intimate status" and helps to foster customer trust (Jacobs, Hyman and McQuitty 2001, 2). In fact, at least one study goes so far as to claim the "chief way to move...customer-salesperson dyads beyond mere acquaintanceships" is through mutual self-disclosure (Jacobs, Hyman and McQuitty 2001, 2).
Certain self-disclosures are more appropriate than others in the early stages of the relationship. Consider the two types of self-disclosures, both detailed recently by Journal of Marketing Theory & Practice (Jacobs, Hyman and McQuitty 2001, 1):
Exchange specific self disclosures are immediately relevant to the conversation at hand. A customer who makes an exchange-specific self-disclosure may reveal facts about his income, assets or liabilities. In contrast, a sales rep making an exchange-specific self-disclosure generally prefaces the statement with "phrases such as 'I believe,' 'I think,' and 'I know'" and then reveals information such as product-related facts or recommendations. For example:
"I think our product has been successful in solving this problem because..."
"My experience with organizations similar to yours tells me that..."
"I'm willing to bet your systems analysts will appreciate this feature because blah, blah, blah. At least, that's the feedback I'm hearing from the systems analysts I've interviewed who are using this product."
These disclosures go beyond discussing the business at hand and are more personal. For example, a salesperson makes a social self-disclosure by relaying a brief, personal story about how his children adapted one of his products to suit their art-project needs.
Self-disclosures play a significant role in facilitating long-term relationships. But for now, we'll hit only those aspects most relevant to helping you build rapport. From a likeability standpoint, the evidence indicates that disclosing information about yourself makes you more attractive to the other person, and it also suggests that customers tend to buy more from salespeople they like (Jacobs, Hyman and McQuitty 2001, 5).
For sales reps, the secret lies in what you disclose and how you do it. To be the most effective, you should "be sufficiently personal to establish rapport" while "maintaining exchange-specific efficiency" (Jacobs, Hyman and McQuitty 2001, 12).
In other words, it works in your favor to share bits of personal data periodically that may help the prospect relate better to you. But the majority of your self-disclosures should be focused on the exchange at hand. Buyers prefer task-oriented sellers; they're just "more interested in the task, rather than the social, aspects of the buyer-seller relationship" (Comstock and Higgins 1997, 401).
Top salespeople remember they're not the only ones who want the business. Remembering that others are competing for the same chunk of business is another tactic to help put your efforts in perspective.
It's OK to be confident – in fact, you need to be. Just make sure that your confidence in yourself and your products or services doesn't come across as arrogance. Arrogance is a turnoff in general. But arrogance combined with competitive or dominant behavior is especially detrimental. Buyers want sellers who are confident and assertive, not aggressive or controlling (Comstock and Higgins 1997, 414). Remember that you're up against others who want the same piece of business you do – and remember that nice, capable salespeople are a lot more appealing than know-it-alls.
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