Are You Too Smart to be Sold?

Recently during a sales training class, a gentlemen told me that according to marketing experts, consumers are smarter than they have ever been and they can see through sales techniques like trying to relate to them. You should get down to business and forget trying to make a connection. I agree that people are more informed than any other time in history. I also agree that most people can see through an insincere manipulation from someone trying to get their money. My question is do people want to do business with people they like or is it just an unemotional financial transaction? The real problem lies with the salesperson's approach. I teach that you should build trust and rapport in a successful sales process. I also believe making a connection is important to relationship selling. How this is accomplished will be different with each prospect depending on their personality and circumstances. For example, just because a prospect has pictures of his family and his favorite hobby displayed in his office does not mean he wants to discuss them with you on your initial visit. If he is a golfer, I will certainly be tempted to bring this up since I like to play and this may be a good ice breaker. However, several other scenarios should be considered. He may be in a time crunch and too busy for small talk or he may want to get to know you better before discussing anything other than business. Your job is to be sensitive to these signals and be respectful of your prospects time and personality. This can be accomplished by asking questions and listening intently to the answers. Not by using the same approach regardless of the circumstances. People are smart enough to know they are being sold. It is your job to give them a positive experience that they will want to tell their friends about. Have a great week! Pierce