Rethink your sales strategy

IF TMCs want to stand

out from the crowd and

capture the attention

of prospective buyers,

they need to conduct

differentiating conversations

with clients. This point

was made by Shelley

Walters, presentation skills

presenter and coach, during

a presentation at the Asata

conference.

The current sales

principles taught at school

are largely outdated and

based on a 1922 handbook,

Shelley said. One of the

main differentiators of

a good sales person is

that they will educate the

clients on problems they

didn’t know they had.

“You need to educate

your clients on problems

that are inevitable. If your

competitor then neglects to

mention these problems,

it doesn’t look very good

for him. Meanwhile, you

position yourself as a

trusted adviser. Even better,

educate him on a problem

that you are in a unique

position to solve.”

“We’re drowning in a

sea of sameness, and

our customer can’t tell

the difference between

our competitors and us,”

Shelley said. To stand

out from the crowd, TMCs

should become strategic

partners for their clients

and help them achieve

their objectives. “What is

the outcome they want to

achieve? What impact are

you, as a strategic partner,

driving for them? Those are

the questions your clients

want you to answer.”