Modern consumers like to be informed, but sometimes “gut” emotive responses can be the biggest sales weapon, says Lackovic.
“People make quicker, faster emotional decisions with their right brain, but a statistics-based decision is left brain focused. When a person is hit with too much information, it slows their ability to have confidence with their immediate decision,” he says.
He says the salesperson should ask questions about the person to help determine what they want to know.
Barrett believes it’s important to be able to switch between the two approaches.
“Empathy and analysis reside in the pre-frontal cortex of the brain and you need to be able to switch between the two. You also need to be able to read people,” she says.
Barrett also believes a mixture of empathy and analytics is vital.
“Really good salespeople have always been able to be empathetic with the proper analysis in place. They have an ability to take into account their situation, the company they work for and their customer’s situation. They see things analytically but realise there are people involved.
“A good salesperson is good at telling a client that perhaps what they’re trying to achieve is not possible… the real secret it to be able to understand yours and other people’s perceptions,” she says.
A commonality between all experts was the need for well-honed communication and personal skills.
Atkinson says there’s no trick to being a good salesperson. It largely comes down to two basic things – “a good personality and confidence”.
“A good salesperson builds a relationship and finds a way to relate to the consumer. Establishing and maintaining relationships is the key to selling a product or brand, it’s not about sales processes anymore. I teach my staff to simply relate and communicate – the rest just happens once a relationship is built,” she says.
Lackovic pointed out well-known personalities Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and Steve Jobs as examples of successful communicators.
“The better communicator you are, the better salesperson you are. It’s all about your skill set with communication and your relationship with people. The product is insignificant if your people skills are poor.
“There is too much product skills training. Businesses need to invest in communication skills and you also have to be a good listener. The oldest sales myth is you need to have the gift of the gab,” he says.
Barrett agreed but emphasised salespeople need to “understand their value proposition” for their clients and to design one’s communicative strategies with their customers in mind.
“Don’t write your materials for yourselves; write it for your customers. This allows a connection to form between you and indicates that you’re ‘other aware’.
With the rise of the online world, consumers are changing and salespeople need to be aware of their online audience, our experts emphasised.
“Social media is not relevant to all industries, but you’ve got to have at least a basic internet presence that offers insights into the business. The site needs to inform customers, but at the same time remember you can’t just rely on the internet,” Leyshan says.
He makes an example of the banking industry driving their customers online.
“I think the banks did a great job in turning customers away from the brand a few years ago. They sent their customers online, but what they soon realised was they were losing their ability to really engage the customer and sell products,” Leyshan says.
Atkinson says the web has changed the way the consumer buys.
“A retail shop now needs to have an online presence to survive. In some cases we are seeing a website pull in the majority of sales with the shop simply being there as a showroom for those that want to have a look before they spend their dollars.
“In order for brands to survive I believe they have to find a way to communicate socially via the net. Their message needs to be clear and targeted and consumers must see the same message consistently in order to buy. Brands need to think outside the box, they must be unique and dynamic to keep a customer satisfied and wanting to come back for more,” she says.
Lackovic says the Internet has increased the competition for businesses and the challenge for companies is to find a way to keep their customers on their website and generate loyalty.
“With the internet, there are more people in the same market and the same industry, increasing competition for businesses.
“What’s available to the consumer is much broader and people must be trapped differently. It’s all to do with relationships and the experience the customer is having. Is your website simply advertising a brand or is it generating leads? You need to have a sticky website,” he says.
