The Sins In Sales Communication

Communication, as in most every human activity, plays the key
role in bridging interests, cooperation, and yes, reconciliation.

And for that matter, any miscommunication specially with lack
of consideration results in misunderstandings that could greatly
affect relationships; and thereby, business sales in this case.

Ok, business sales. Yet to have a better grip, let us first define
“salesmanship.” Certainly, most everybody has his own definition
for this; however, one striking definition of salesmanship is
“the art of building value in your customer’s mind up to the point
when value becomes greater than price.”

So, for this issue, let us briefly look into what makes a
communication failure in sales.

The Eight Sins.

LACK OF STRUCTURE IN THE PRESENTATION. See,
when we try to persuade people to pleasurably and permanently
purchase our products… “sales presentation” is crucial,
everything should be in place, organized and not messy.

UNEXPLAINED ABBREVIATIONS, TERMS, ACRONYMS,
ETC.. Now here, when we speak to our prospects, we have to keep
in mind the special terms that our products and company uses
need to be explained clearly to better reach an understanding with
our listeners.

TOO MUCH OR NOT ENOUGH DETAIL. Being wordy could
at times be irritating and so is lacking in details. It does not make
your prospect want more, but more often than not, it makes them
seek alternatives. Remember, they do not need scientific
explanations, all they need is enough detail to realize your products.

LACK OF DEFINED GOAL. In any worthwhile conversation,
there is a worthwhile agenda. But with no or lack of defined goal,
the conversation becomes something like gossiping… and
gossiping, as we know, brings down reliability.
Focus on your agenda.

LACK OF SUFFICIENT PROOF, EXAMPLES OR
ANALOGIES. You have to accept it, most customers are
“doubting Thomases”, they need proof that your product works…
proof that your product could satisfy their needs.

FAILURE TO CONTROL TIME. As we know “time is gold”,
therefore, plan ahead on what to say and do. Proper use of time
actually strengthens the points you want to make; while “time
mismanagement” only leads to greater costs for your company
and an inevitable disinterested customer.

OVERUSE OR POOR USE OF AUDIO-VISUAL AIDS.
As closely linked to presentation, audio-visual aids create that
necessary impact for your product resulting in longer “retention”
on the minds of your target customers necessary for purchasing.

FAILURE TO HANDLE QUESTIONS WELL. To simply put
it, if you can not handle questions well, then this puts a question
mark on your product knowledge. Well, who wants to buy
something they are not sure of? This inability, then, affects your
customer’s decision making in a negative way.

“You do not need to glamorize addiction to sell clothes.”
- Bill Clinton

Take note…
“To Communicate Effectively… LISTEN before you Speak.”

The Busy Manager

For our initial offering, let us get into the perspective of
being "busy". By simple definition, "busy" is doing something;
however, "busy" can not be simply tagged to someone employed
while "lazy" attached to the unemployed or underemployed.

Well, before we go any further, what's all this crap about
being "busy" or not? So, what if one is "busy" or not?

Ok, point taken.

See, again, we can be employed but we may not necessarily
be "busy" but just a busybody.

Being truly busy implies three (3) aspects...

BUSY: Responsible. As the word tells us, busy is about doing
what you are tasked to do on time and to the best of your abilities.

"If you want a thing done well, call on some busy person to do it.
Busy people are generally painstaking and thorough in all they
do." - THE LAW OF SUCCESS

A busy manager is responsible. He knows he is a vital part of the
machine... whether he is in charge of marketing, operations,
finance, human resources or what; he knows his accountability
to the organization regardless of his mood.

BUSY: Productive. When you are responsible, you are generally
productive. As we know, productivity is about input and output.
However for this matter, productivity suggests going that extra
mile. Taking on more responsibility. This means, not because you
have accomplished your task, you could now sleep.

"Your employer does not control the sort of service you render.
You control that, and it is the thing that makes or breaks you."
- THE LAW OF SUCCESS

A busy manager is good in time management. He is excellent in
planning, consequently, he actively seeks ways to improve his
department's methodologies. Once work methods are improved,
productivity increases, hence, he can take on more
responsibilities.

This now brings us to the third aspect of being "busy".

BUSY: Growth. Because our productivity increased, growth
is inevitable. Yet again, for this article, growth is about gaining
more knowledge and/or skills. And so, growth is the laurel of
being truly busy; and this is seen not by simply being employed
but by knowing one's plans and activities.

"I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill,
one only finds that there are many more hills to climb."
- Nelson Mandela

A busy manager knows he can not sit on his laurels. He knows
that technical competence or professional knowledge is a key
strand in his authority; as a result, he constantly looks out for
trends and developments in his field of activity.

For the coming issues, we would be going into the different areas
of management such as marketing, operations... to name a few.

Take note... "If you know how to prioritize well...
... then you are that manager we can depend on."