Product Pusher or Pain Reliever? Which Are You?

I have been in sales for almost 30 years. 10 years working for a few different companies and for almost 20 years I owned a franchise selling print and promotional products. Over that time, I have met with probably thousands of prospects and clients. I never had any official sales training. I pretty much taught myself. I think most salespeople don’t receive any official training. They just do the best they can. I also think some people who sell products, programs, coaching, etc. don’t realize they are in sales. News flash: you ARE in sales.

Many people approach sales with a cookie cutter thought process. They present the same contract and program to every single prospect. Sales is not cookie cutter. It should be a personalized approach if you want to achieve more success. More YES and less NO from prospects.

For years in my career, I would meet with a prospect and run my mouth about how long I have been in business, how many clients I have, tell them all the different products I could sell them. Blah Blah Blah. Never once stopping to ask my prospect any questions.

I was a product pusher.

Your prospect doesn’t care how long you have been in business.

Your prospect doesn’t care how many clients you have at the moment.

They DO care about what you can do to help them. How do you find out what they need help with and how they describe it? You become a pain reliever.

Here are the steps to becoming a pain reliever and no longer being a product pusher:

Step One: Stop talking about yourself

Step Two: Ask good questions, close your mouth and listen. Let your prospect talk and take special note of the words they use to describe their ‘pain’. This is about THEM not YOU. I often say More Them Less You.

Step Three: Do not use a cookie cutter solution/contract/program for every prospect. Everyone is not the same. Customize the contract/proposal to fit their needs and by using the language they use to describe their ‘pain’. If they say cold calling/speaking/working out (whatever you offer help with) makes them nauseated/have anxiety/cry, then use that language in your proposal/contract. If you sell a product and their current provider makes them do too much of the work themselves, charges them for samples, takes too long to respond explain in your meeting or proposal how you will address the issue (whatever they mention to you) and be a better choice. Remember to connect with them and stir their emotions by using THEIR language in some way in the contract, proposal or your verbal response.

Step Four: Consider using an intake form with questions they can answer on their own before/after you have a conversation with them. I usually had them do the intake form first because it provides valuable information to you as the coach/trainer/salesperson before you a discovery call with them.

Examples of questions to ask on your intake form or during your first meeting with a prospect:

Coach: Remember to ask the question, close your mouth and listen.

What is your main reason for reaching out to me?

How long have you been dealing with that?

How does it make you feel to have this issue?

Have you worked with any other coaches related to this issue?

What has worked and what didn’t work for you in trying to work on this issue?
(This is important because you don’t want to include something they tried that didn’t work or they didn’t like in your plan/proposal unless you think you can help them flip that to work for them.) (i.e. you don’t want to suggest reading a certain book, taking a specific action, etc. if they have already read that book or tried those ideas.)

Describe how it would make you feel to succeed at X (whatever the issue is)?

Product: Remember to ask the question, close your mouth and listen.

(I’m addressing this as I would when meeting with a promotional product prospect.)

How did you hear about me? Did someone refer you?

Why are you looking for a new provider?

Who have you used for promotional products now and in the past?

What did you like or not like about working with them?

Which products you purchased in the past were a big hit?* Why were they a big hit?*

Which weren’t?* Why were they not a big hit?*

What do you need help with today?

Do you have a budget in mind?

Where will the item(s) ship to? (I ask this so I can pick a manufacturer close to their delivery point to save them money on shipping cost.)

Remember to include some of their language in your contract/proposal.

I hope you find this information helpful. Sales is not always easy, but you can do your best to improve your chances of a YES by setting yourself up for success by being a Pain Reliever not a Product Pusher. Relieve their pain!

Good luck!

If you would like me to look over your intake form, give feedback or offer you some suggestions, I am happy to do so. You can email me your form at pam.russell579@yahoo.com

*i.e. Remember: You ask these questions so if you sell (windows) you don’t want to offer them (wood framed windows) if they say they don’t like (wood framed windows) because they already tried them and didn’t like them because the wood rots.

Pam Russell has been in outside sales for over twenty years, primarily in the printing and promotional product industry. Fifteen of those years she owned a printing and promotional product franchise. She has won multiple awards during her sales career, that includes one for increasing her sales by $100,000+ in one year, most new clients in 30 days, most new orders from existing clients in 30 days and highest average order size. She loves to talk sales and encourage new salespeople to create their own style and do what works for them. She has lived in the DFW area of Texas her entire life. She lives with her eighteen-year-old rescue dog named Lacie.