How to sell yourself during a sales call.

What behaviors do you normally recommend for a SR to sell themselves during a sales call? -Slick

First and foremost, make sure you are on time! And make sure you look professional.

Remember is that the call is not about you, it's about demonstrating how your product, service, or solution will help your prospect so make sure you do your homework BEFORE your sales call. Research the company so you know what questions to ask. Invest the first portion of your call asking high-quality questions so you can properly position your solution. Avoid asking questions that can be answered by browsing their website or talking to a more junior person or one of your prospect's customers.

Don't waste your prospect's time with small talk. Get to the heart of your call right away.

Listen carefully to your prospect and demonstrate that you have listened by summarizing (in your own words), their issues, concerns, and problems.

Lastly, be open and honest in everything you do and say. Resist the temptation to overstate your product's capabilities.

I trust this helps. -Kelley Robertson

All things being equal, people buy from people they like, trust and believe in....all things not being equal, people buy from people they like, trust and believe in...therefore people buy from people they like trust and believe in.

Making that statement, says you must during a sales call get your prospect comfortable with you to build a relationship with you based on trust, so they can believe that when you show them your product or service, they see and believe that your product helps them more than your competitors.

The focus does need to be on the prospects issues not on you, but in a way to build the comfort and trust and eventually believe your product can help him overcome a problem he has.

You need to do some research before you talk to the prospect;
You need to show them that you value their time, and not waste it; don't underestimate 'small talk', but know how to manage time, so that you don't spend 50 minutes of an hour appt doing small talk and then the prospect says....'OK you have 10 minutes left, tell me what you do' and you 'do a features and benefits dump', because you did not use your time well.
You need to learn how to uncover what they really need and WHY they need it; How they will decide who to use; and will they really make a decision that will solve their problem or are they just 'tire kicking'. All this before you make your presentation.

Most sales people present too, too early and have poor sales results to show for it.

All of these and others are learned skills and behaviors....but throughout the selling process, you are in many ways, selling yourself. -Paulette Halpern

Hi. It looks like you are a retail sales manager? Is that the context of the situation you pose?

Retail usually being business to consumer can take the same path as business to business in sales behaviors.

First be customer focused. Before an SR goes into a spiel, they would be wise to find out all they can about what the customer's wants and needs are as well as surmise their decision making style.

Second, when it comes to buying style, if you can uncover this quickly, then an SR wants to sell this way. The natural tendency of many SRs is to sell the way they want to and then they are off track with the buyers style. For example, if you find you have a fast decision making style, cut the small talk but if you have a slow and friendly decision making style, then make time for small talk.

Third, Kelly and Paulette have covered behaviors worth putting into action to build the know, like and trust factor. In addition, surveys show that listening is by far the one skill customers want to have in action the most and is yet, the most under used. So I would add know how to display listening behaviors to give the customer what they want.

Remember, as unfair as it may be, people tend to buy from people who are most like them. One reason to find out as much as you can about a prospect so you can adapt to their buying style.

Regards, -patweber

I agree it's important to "sell yourself."

But, having said that, it's so much more important to get to know your customer. If a salesperson is adept at creating rapport and trust, you need to sell yourself less and just be who you are.

So many salespeople focus on themselves instead of focusing on the prospect. The prospect is king (or queen).

But, during the presentation phase of the sales process, I do believe one does need to be able to articulate why a prospect should buy from a salesperson.

s -Skip Anderson

With all due respect to some of the other Experts, IT IS critical that you "sell yourself" during your Presentation because People do indeed buy You. In fact this is a major missing part of most Presentations. It can be as simple as an expanded Elevator Speech of 30 to 60 seconds. Depending on your Product or Service, it might include your Education or Degrees in your Field, your commitment to your Company, why you believe so strongly in your Product or Service and even your promised Service after the Sale. Folks, this is not small talk. I'll go so far as to offer that this one point can make a Sale because you can use it as an extra value Benefit by saying; "In wrapping up there is one more Benefit that you can't get from any other Company likes ours in the entire World, and that's me. You see I come with this Product." Now you continue with your background, experience, dedication, etc.

Have a "FANTA$TIC Future!
Stan Billue, CSP -Stan Billue

My opinion on this may be a bit biased - over here in the UK we really dislike people who overtly "self promote".....

I would say that the best way of selling yourself is to do it subtly and implicitly - not explicitly.

It's far better to sell your self by demonstrating how good you are (in the way you act, the questions you ask, the insights you share) rather than by claiming that you're good.

People who spend their time claiming how great they are tend to provoke a negative or disbelieving reaction. No one likes a show off.

If you need your client to know some of your achievements, then build them implcitly into a story or anecdote about how another client succeeded.

But really - good empathy, good questions, a professional manner, good follow-up, adding real value in your discussions with them - these will all do your selling for you.

Ian -ianbrodie

Bravo Ian,

"They don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care".

Spend as much time as you need building rapport and listen twice as much as you talk. -Jim Klein