This is one of the great experiences from a sales workshop in last quarter three 2012. I felt strongly about sharing with you the good feeling of creating results for customers.

It all started when a General Manager engaged me to conduct a sales training workshop for his sales force. The GM agreed to the rational of conducting a 2 days sales workshop, with another ONE day of sales effectiveness workshop to review the take away and practices of learning to review the progress of sales force.  The workshop included a mix of senior sales person and few juniors.  It was clear from the beginning that the GM’s purpose was to make the training relevant for his industry and to develop the people.

What touched me was how committed the GM in developing his people.  Most of the challenges/issues of sales were identified and discussed.  We needed to go through many meetings on the training objectives, methodologies, and contextualization to achieve the expected outcomes. The GM suggested what and how he wanted the workshop to be conducted.  I adapted the delivery style to address the situation, put in topics that were more relevant and was involved in one small part of the role play. I was so upbeat with his assertiveness to conduct a relevant training session for the best of his people.

The GM was very analytical, meticulous, and result oriented. The entire course’s materials and agenda were read, analyzed and feedback was given. We mapped the training to address his requirements and needs.  Most of the time, he would not hesitate to tell me what – case contextualization – he thought would work better for his company. I felt a strong desire to provide benefits and value to him and his organization. I was committed (as always) to developing training solutions that could bring results for him.  I listened to him, agreed and disagreed, resonated and responded to changes that were needed and moved on.  The training went well for both workshops.

So what have I learnt again that reinforced my beliefs? It is about creating results for customers when working with them.

Here are 7 Sales Habits to Create Results for Customers

1. Focus on customer results as the core objective when developing solutions for your customers. This is not a one-time act. It has to be sincerely from the bottom of your heart. Build that mindset as a philosophy, a commitment of wanting to create results for customers.
2. Be patient with customers. Listen and understand what results they are looking for.
3. Visualize the customer’s positions and experiences. Walk through their processes together with customers to know their situations, challenges and issues
4. Identify the most pressing issues and problems of the customers. Understand what the customers want to solve, and provide value-added solutions that are relevant and workable.
5. Collaborate with customers in the solutions building process. Engaging with customers in the discovery process to such an extent that the customers feel that the solutions are centered around them. In my case, the case scenarios were bite-sized, short and relevant to demonstrate the exact challenges and objections of each sales encounter from the perspectives of the customers.
6. Sell more value.  Pitch value that links your solutions to what is happening in the customers’ business. Use value to drive the sales momentum and increase your competitive advantage.
7. Establish market credibility for your solutions. Share the stories of how you have created results for your customers.

The result was obvious.  I heard laughter from the team amidst all the criticism (constructively) exchanged between the senior salesforce and the juniors during the practice session. I could see how the GM and a few senior sales managers could move into the role of mentoring to establish a high performance sales team.

This is a company that demonstrates what people development is all about. And I was glad to have the opportunity to be part of the team for creating the results they are looking for.

Question: What are the strategies you have been implementing to create results for your customers for increasing your sales opportunities? Share your comments with our readers!