This is the concluding part of Michael Byrne’s series of 8 podcasts on the Core Competencies for Sales. In this episode, we discuss what it means to be at the pinnacle of Sales Competence: Partners, with your Customers, in their Preferred Directon.

The key to this relationship is Trust. Trust which has been built up over time, through proven performance in the other competence areas we have discussed. Trust which is based on awareness that the salesperson understands the customer’s problems and is genuinely interested in helping to solve them. Trust which is won when the salesperson challenges the customer and awakens them to a deeper understanding of their preferred direction.

It’s possible that the preferred direction of a particular customer at this time may not always offer a sales opportunity. If so, no amount of sales effort will induce a customer to happily buy something they do not want. In that case your salesmanship will be more effectively employed elsewhere, for now.

Once again, Michael cautions against the pushy opportunism which, more often than not, can cut short a call, or worse still a relationship. Remember it’s not about you: it’s about your customer. It’s not about your product: it’s about their business. Earn the trust of your customers; go with them in their preferred direction and you will achieve real results.

Feedback: Michael AT QBC.ie. Call or text +353 87 2602205.

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You may be an expert on the product or service you are selling. You may know all about the problems it can solve. But the only problem that matters is the one which is blocking your customer’s path along his preferred direction.

Some serious skill is called for here. You see: the customer may not themselves be fully aware of what those problems are. The challenge is to listen, probe, challenge and awaken the customer to discover what they really need. Only then, Michael says, should you mention your product, and in doing present a solution to the problem – the real and genuine problem – which you and the customer have identified.

In this podcast, Michael identifies 14 universal challenges that face all types of customer. He outlines practical steps to help unearth problems your customers really care about. And he describes practical scenarios in IT and Pharmaceuticals which demonstrate the point.

Feedback: Michael AT QBC.ie. Call or text +353 87 2602205.

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In the last episode, we learned the importance of being able to have relevant conversations with very different types of stakeholders in your customer’s organisation. In this episode, Michael takes the idea further. How can you help reconcile these different interests (Production, Finance, HR, Logistics, etc), creating and nurturing connections which will help your customer reach its goals?

The scenario is a high-level presentation to the senior management team or perhaps the board of directors. This is “make or break”. How do you prepare for this kind of encounter? What are the competencies demanded by the situation? How can you advance your relationship with the customer towards becoming a partner in their preferred direction?

Feedback: Michael AT QBC.ie. Call or text +353 87 2602205.

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Having relevant conversations with your customers is vital to making the sale.

In this week’s podcast Michael talks about the importance of relevant conversations. He explains that while there may be one user of your product or service in your customer’s organisation, there can be many other people who have a stake – and a say – in the decision to purchase.

Each of these people views the decision using a different set of rules: rules which have particular relevance for them, but perhaps not for others. The challenge for the salesperson is to learn what is relevant for the different roles in their customers’ organisations, distinguish their products features accordingly and have relevant conversations.

Can you make your sales pitch relevant to your customer’s finance department? What about the logistics department? Or Health & Safety? Having relevant conversations with all the stakeholders is key to success.

Feedback: Michael AT QBC.ie. Call or text +353 87 2602205.

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Trust between the sales person and the customer is key to unearthing the customer’s specific needs.

Do you, as a sales person, know what you need to know in order for your customer to trust you?

In today’s podcast, Michael explains the importance of trust between the sales person and the customer. Only when a trusting relationship is established, will you as a sales person discover your customer’s specific needs. When you know what they want, and they trust you to deliver it, you will make the sale.

Feedback: Michael AT QBC.ie. Call or text +353 87 2602205.

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Familiarity with a customer’s Standard Operating Procedures is essential when trying to address that specific customer’s product needs.

In today’s podcast, Michael explains that it’s not enough to know about your product – you must understand your customers business. He provides two examples where the salesperson suceeds, not by talking about his product, but by asking about the customer’s use of that product. And he warns against highlighting newness and difference without recognising the positive aspects of the relationship the customer may have with their existing product.

Feedback: Michael AT QBC.ie. Call or text +353 87 2602205.

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In today’s podcast, Michael Byrne looks at the first of the seven defined core competencies for sales people: Product Knowledge.

“The key to producing a great customer experience is taking product knowledge, knowing who you’re going to have a chat with and finding out what that person is interested in.”

The challenge for a sales team is to take marketing or technical information and incorporate it into a sales strategy that can address the customer’s needs. Using practical examples, this podcast explains how Product Knowledge, and the way it is interpreted when dealing with different customers, is at the core of good Customer Experience.

Feedback: Michael AT QBC.ie. Call or text +353 87 2602205.

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Today, QBC introduces a new series of podcasts in the Customer Experience track, focusing on the theme of building core competencies in sales teams.

In this introductory episode, Michael Byrne explains the rationale for a competence-based approach to strategic management of sales teams, and outlines a model for developing competence, based on Customer Experience.

The challenge for sales managers is that a “one-size-fits-all” approach to developing competence in teams is unlikely to be effective. So it’s all the more important to understand the different kinds of competence and the part each plays in Customer Experience.

Over the coming weeks we’ll explore this topic further, with practical scenarios and advice. As always, your thoughts are welcome. Leave a comment on this site, email [email protected], or call our voicemail on +353 87 2602205. (You can send a text message to that number also.)

Finally, if you enjoyed our series of podcasts on Emotional Intellgence, we are delighted to announce that a CD version of the series will soon be available to purchase. Further details are on the way!

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We conclude this series of podcasts on the subject of Emotional Intelligence with a look at the area of General Mood, as it relates to the Customer Experience.

Michael reminds us of the importance of courtesy and congeniality in customer relations, and stresses that failure to observe this is “the one thing we won’t be forgiven for”. He explains why Customer Experience and Employee Engagement go hand in hand. “There was never a greater requirement for people in customer-facing roles to be supported.”

We’ve seen how emotional intelligence can be a powerful tool for managers, but it must be used properly. While it is especially useful for recruitment, there are real benefits to be gained when emotional intelligence is used to foster and develop existing employees. It’s not about “profiling”, Michael says. It’s about behaviour, and using emotional intelligence tools to identify and encourage those behaviours which consistently create great customer experiences.

Feedback: Michael AT QBC.ie. Call or text +353 87 2602205.

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Our final Emotional Intelligence podcast in the Employee Engagement series focuses on the area of General Mood. There are two attributes to consider: Optimism and Happiness.

Optimism refers to how we feel about the future, whereas happiness is about how we feel now. Not surprisingly, they are closely associated. Michael points out that these variables are very susceptible to recent events in an individual’s life, for example: bereavement. However, when unhappiness persists over time, it affects optimism, and has a significant impact on a individual’s level of workplace engagement.

Michael reminds us that the different layers of the Emotional Intelligence model are interdependent, with the roots of many issues being found in the Intrapersonal zone.

“If optimism is low … then invariably, if you look to the intrapersonal, at the inner dialogue … they are not perceiving themselves as successively successful, and they are not perceiving themselves as realising their potential.”

As we conclude the discussion of Emotional Intelligence in the context of Employee Engagement, we consider the contrarian view that feelings and emotions have no place in business. Michael points out that in the developed world, our culture places a high value on personal fullfilment and satisfaction. In a successful economy, workers have choices, and their retention and continued productivity depends on them feeling that their needs are considered, and their contributions recognised.

Next week we’ll conclude the parallel podcast track on Emotional Intelligence for Customer Experience. Having laid the ground work for the subject, Michael is looking forward to developing these ideas in future episodes using practical case studies and listener’s questions.

Feedback: Michael AT QBC.ie. Call or text +353 87 2602205.

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