For organizations looking to expand their footprint and extend their reach, these 3 tips to improve closing will help them achieve those goals. Johnny Lee operates a sales and marketing firm called C Level Partners that helps organizations expand their footprint, gain new clients, and move in the direction of their goals. He believes that sales is everything. His experience from the management side, from the individual side, and from the sales rep side gives him a unique multi-level vantage point. Listen to understand The biggest challenge Johnny Lee consistently sees is that sellers listen to reply rather than listening to understand. He recently carried out a DILO, or a “day in the life of” exercise with a lean, mature team that all suffered from the same problem. They all listened while waiting for the opportunity to explain why their company was so great. Sellers master the art of articulating their value, but before we win in the marketplace we have to master the art of listening. We’ve all heard it before, perhaps in the saying, “Telling is not selling.” But if we truly applied this truth to our everyday behaviors both in and out of business, we would know exactly how to articulate our value proposition to become the solution that the prospect needs. Exhibit empathy In many cases, the discovery call that precedes the demo doesn’t actually help the seller understand the challenges the seller is facing. In order to understand the problems they are trying to solve, you must listen and develop empathy for the pain they are feeling. Empathy helps us understand why people do certain things and how they end up where they are. When you care about helping people, you’ll be able to support them while they tackle the challenges they face. When we ask questions that lead them down the path of discovery, our prospects will outline exactly what they need and how you can help. Empathy acknowledges how the existing challenges affect the company’s bottom line and understands how important it is to consider shareholder value in the face of problems. Empathy cannot be rushed. When you communicate that you’re with them in the challenge, you’ll become a trusted advisor. You cannot begin the work of solving a problem until you understand several things. You must understand the challenge and how the prospect got where he is today. You must understand whether he seems himself getting out of the situation. You must understand how impactful it is for the business if he doesn’t get out of the situation. Once you build empathy and understand those three things, you can begin the next step of prescribing. Prescribe with confidence There’s a fine line between arrogance and confidence, and you must prescribe solutions with confidence. An arrogant person might immediately say, for example, “I have exactly what you’re looking for.” Arrogant people don’t listen. When you do step 2 right and you have empathy and understanding, you’ll find yourself in the position of a therapist of sorts. Like a therapist, you have to be welcoming, calm, and professional. Therapists don’t say, “Wow, you’re messed up.” They also don’t say things like, “I’m exactly what you need to solve your problem.” Instead, they operate with confidence, saying things like, “I’m so glad you took the first step. I’ve dealt with similar challenges before and I know we can get where you want to be.” Therapists become trusted advisors. They communicate that they are looking out for the patient’s best interests. Confident sellers must do the same. Pay attention to tonality Tonality is critical to communicating the...

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