
A Sales Professional Tactic: The Professional Friend
A Sales Professional Tactic: The Professional Friend tactic in sales, as highlighted by Stefan De Vito's 'Looping' training, emphasizes the power of authentic human connection. By focusing on empathy, active listening, and meaningful communication, sales professionals can build stronger relationships, leading to higher conversion rates and long-term customer loyalty.
A Sales Professional Tactic: Professional Friend is a sales tactic that Stefan De Vito named and highlighted in his training called "Looping" and that some salespeople apply consciously and some unknowingly. In today's world where artificial intelligence technologies are developing and digitalization is increasing, customers and potential customers are encountering robots that try to replace people. I must clearly state that these innovations will never replace socialization-oriented salespeople who value human communication and interaction.
Human Communication and Interaction
Sales is a communication business and the stronger your communication is, the more likely you will be successful. So what exactly is the communication mentioned here? I have mentioned it before in my article "Small Talk". How do you communicate with a friend? First of all, you get to know them well, remember what they say and ask questions that show that you remember. Right? When communication-oriented jobs are done exactly according to this simple rule, the probability of success increases.
Let's start thinking about ourselves first, what do we feel when we talk to chatbots or voice response systems of a company from which we have purchased or are considering purchasing a service or product? Frankly, I don't feel very good, the voice response system; I have to wait on the line until the system mention the category of my problem or question. I have to patiently guide the chatbot so that it understands what I say...
When we become customers, we start working for companies because of all these systems. Instead of spending our valuable time communicating with a person and sharing a value to solve our problem or meet our needs, we spend more time trying to communicate with a robot or voice response system.
When we look at the approach of companies, it may seem like it provides great cost savings, but in my opinion, these definitely cause loss of profit in the big picture. To give a simple example, a robot cannot calm down an active customer who has a problem and is angry with your company, but a representative with a calm tone and good energy can. In other words, in communication-oriented jobs; working by establishing a balanced empathy with the customers communicated with from the systems used is the biggest reason for success.
A Sales Professional Tactic: Professional Friend
In sales, there are sources from which our customers are formed, and the one with the highest conversion rate among these sources is undoubtedly the referral source. So why do customers who come to our company through referrals quickly turn into sales? Because since a friend or acquaintance recommended them, the salesperson does not need to work harder to convince the customer to buy their product. This customer is already convinced before even meeting the salesperson. This is exactly what being a professional friend is, making all our customers similar to come through a referral source.
How to Apply the Professional Friend Tactic?
This is my favorite part… As I mentioned before in my article “Corporate Sales 101”, our customers are also human and we need to communicate with them while being aware that we are interrupting their day. This communication actually involves simple human interaction, asking how they are, remembering them and transferring high energy. How do you communicate with your neighbor or your coworker who you are not very close to in the elevator? Do you get off the elevator without greeting them and talking about anything, or do you ask how they are and talk about a common topic or about the weather? According to a study, two-thirds of people prefer not to talk. As sales people who value social communication, we are in the one-third ratio, so I am not surprised.
Talking to a customer on the phone or in person is not much different than talking to a neighbor we bump into in the elevator or a coworker we are not very close to and making small talk. There is one difference. In fact, there is a difference for the better; you have something important to talk about with this person. Because this person needs your product, which you are an expert in. The customer may have reached out to you on their own, or you may have reached out to them. In either case, either your customer needs or wants your product, or you (as an expert) have reached out to this person because you thought they might need or want your product. Having something important to talk about will extend your elevator pitch and save you from those quiet moments during the conversation.
Now let's put our tactic into practice, I mention it as a tactic but isn't it actually a very simple subject? Sometimes because of our excitement, sometimes because we are too focused on sales, sometimes because of our mood that day... This list goes on like this, but sometimes we forget. Even if the person in front of us is a customer whose money we are trying to get, this person is also a human being. They deserve to be asked how they are and to be remembered. As we sales people ask and remember in every conversation, we become our customer's friend and do you know what kind of friend we are? A friend who is an expert in a subject they need or want. When you establish personal communication, you sell your expertise better.
A Sales Professional Tactic: Professional Friend stands out as a simple but effective way of communicating. Listening to people, remembering them and approaching them with empathy not only increases sales, but also creates more permanent and strong customer relationships. This has an impact in the big picture, from the salesperson feeling successful and happy in their job to the success of the company and the increase in its figures. Let's not forget that although technological developments make our lives easier, it is difficult to create a real impact without a human touch. So, in your next customer meeting or first contact, make it a priority to add value as a person and listen to the other person’s story. Because remember, stories connect people. Your customer’s story is as important as your product and company’s story. As communication-focused salespeople, this strong bond we establish with our customers will create positive effects in both our lives and theirs.