From Sales Competency to Sales Fluency

What if you could walk into a negotiation or a sales presentation equipped with a better game plan? Getting the maximum out of any presentation involves truly connecting with a client or prospect, communicating with them on a level where both parties walk away feeling it’s a win-win. Talking about things that are actually of interest to the client is a great way to start the process.

Moving beyond sales competency to sales fluency (greater retention and proficient use of acquired skills) can be a key element in sealing the deal. New technology and software applications have made it easier in some respects to attain that fluency, but it starts with listening to the client and observing clues they are transmitting about their communication styles. Most salespeople like to discuss things that interest them about their product or service, not what their clients need to hear in order to make a buying decision because, in many cases, they just don’t know.

Sales Performance Technology

Sales performance software available now for handheld devices can be used in sales and management environments to help sharpen interpersonal communication skills. Picture a sales process. On an initial visit or phone call before the serious negotiations begin, the user looks and listens for clues about the demeanor (behavior) of the prospect: Are they rushed for example or are they offering a generous time slot, perhaps centered on an invitation to lunch? What seems to be of interest to them? Are they quiet or very talkative? Are they detail-oriented or do they see the big picture?

Before the next meeting with this prospect, those observations are loaded into a program which can be updated before each subsequent meeting as further clues emerge about a prospect’s communication style. The application then produces a handful of specific key points that should be employed while dealing with a client – information delivered “just in time” (JIT).

Call it simplified, focused communication: one application available at the touch of a finger will produce in 30 seconds five product benefits that would appeal to a particular prospect or client. After all, everyone hears, sees, thinks and acts differently. Not surprisingly people are motivated by different factors too.

JIT is a term that some associate with the manufacturing world, but the concept is valid in many fields through mobile learning and communication support software applications. In this case, it is information about a client or a prospect delivered just before a negotiation begins that can be the deciding factor in the sales process.

Those details will also help build quality business relationships. The competitive advantage is realized when the salesperson builds trust and can actually predict how the client or prospect will react in a negotiation or sales process.

That same technology can also be used as a tool to help managers communicate more effectively with those reporting to them. Asking someone to change a course of action, to try a different approach to their job, is often met with resistance or even fear on occasion. Recognizing and meeting someone’s interpersonal needs can help overcome that hurdle. People are more likely to change if they can see what’s in it for them.