Chapter 25 - Creating Client Confidence
The chapter starts with a narrative about the anxiety of an inexperienced salesman: after a few years on the job, a salesman has done over a thousand presentations and answered the same questions hundreds of times and sales ahs become a familiar process, but the new salesman has a great deal of anxiety, fears that everything will go wrong, fears he won't be able to handle it when it does.
The problem is that prospects pick up on anxiety and read it as dishonesty or untrustworthiness. A person who is on edge is concealing something - if he's not outright lying he's at least unsure that the things he is saying are really true. This makes them uncomfortable, prone to ask more pointed questions, and uncertain whether they should move forward - which only makes matters worse.
Confidence Inspires Confidence
Thus, a confident salesman inspires confidence in prospects - at the very least he is not signaling them that something is wrong; and at best his demeanor is reassuring that he is comfortable with himself and his firm, and confident he has something of genuine value that people are willing to pay to get. It comes naturally with experience, but until it has (and even when it has), a salesman would do well to consider a few things.
First, being prepared is critical. Learn everything you can about your product to be able to speak confidently about it and handle questions with ease. Be prepared to represent facts and figures, and have the answers to common questions well rehearsed. And remember to speak to the benefits - customers will show genuine interest in what you have to say if they don't have to guess at the benefit of your service.
Second, show a genuine interest in the prospect's welfare. Don't merely speak to what you think they want, but find out what they do want, and determine how you can help them. If the conversation is about solving their problems rather that a describing a product and hoping it will help, you can proceed with greater confidence that you offer them something of genuine value.
Finally, beware of the border between confidence and arrogance. Arrogance occurs when you stop listening to the prospect and are focused on what you want to say, taking it for granted they will be interested in hearing from you. Your confidence in yourself inspires the confidence in others, but your arrogance will only drive them away.
The First 20 Seconds Count
The author suggests that the first twenty seconds are the ones in which the salesman has made an "indelible first impression" on a client. (EN: Sources vary about this, ranging from two seconds to "a couple of minutes" and none of them seem to have any scientific backing . More importantly, the author's casual use of "indelible" is not at all accurate.)
Some random tips for making a good first impression follow:
- "Never let them se you sweat" is good advice. Sweating implies nervousness.
- A firm handshake makes a good impression.
- Eye contact is important, but staring is bad.
- Maintain a steady voice at conversational volume
- Be aware of your nervous habits and attempt to control them
- When giving a presentation, stand still (don't pace)
- Filler noises in speaking ("um" and "er") suggest hesitation
- Be organized - in particular if you are "going back" in the conversation to add or change information, it undermines trust
- Speak casually rather than informally, more like a conversation than a speech
(EN: Much of this sounds like folksy wisdom, but there's a fair amount of valid research into the psychology of confidence - though it's worth being cautious because the two become blended and much research is misinterpreted.)