What would you think of a surgeon who told you after your procedure that he didn’t follow a process for the operation; that he just improvised? How would you feel? The first thing I would do is check to see if he fixed the right organ, joint or limb. Then I would probably lie awake at night wondering if there were going to be complications. If I ever needed additional surgery, you can be certain I would find another surgeon.
Wouldn’t you feel that way about any professional? After all, accountants have systems for completing tax returns. Lawyers have systems for creating contracts and documenting business deals. Financial planners have systems for developing investment strategies and financial plans. I wouldn’t be comfortable using the services of any professional that doesn’t use some kind of system in their professional work.
Systems not only save time for the busy professional, they ensure a consistent level of quality for the client. If respected professionals have a system for what they do, why should it be any different for a professional salesperson or business owner?
If you hope to have any success in sales or business, you need a consistent process for selling that ensures that you do the right things in the right way every time you are in front of a prospect. A selling system is an overall strategy and set of techniques designed to ensure that you handle every buyer-seller interaction in as close to the optimum manner as possible.
Here are the top ten benefits of using a system for selling:
- It saves time.
- You make fewer mistakes.
- You can readily recognize and correct the mistakes you do make.
- You can learn from your mistakes.
- You can work at avoiding these mistakes.
- You can replicate the things you do right.
- You always know where you stand in the process, and have a greater ability to correct course if you get off track.
- It increases your level of competence and confidence.
- You increase your ability to stay focused and on track during the appointment.
- It gives you and your colleagues, a common language with which to share ideas, analyze past sales calls, and strategize upcoming appointments.
Frankly, I don’t know how sales manager can do their jobs effectively without one. Without a sales process, you are at the prospect’s mercy. Without a process, whatever sales your salespeople close will be random collision of the prospect’s pain and blind luck. Without a process, they won’t know how to allocate their time and energy. Without a process, your sales force simply won’t be effective in today’s time-starved, highly competitive business climate.
