SELLING BUT NOT CLOSING

British salesmen and women are not as good as they think they are -
according to a recent UK sales performance survey.

A two year study of 1,000 salesmen has found that although they possess a host of other useful qualities, they fall short when it comes to actually closing a deal and selling something.

The study said that UK salespeople looked good, had great personalities and were capable of establishing a good rapport with prospective customers. They also had a sound knowledge of the product or service they offered. What they struggled with, was actually getting a commitment to buy.

Statistically, only one in five deals gets closed in the UK today. Although salespeople are adept at building rapport, they crumble when faced with objections or any kind of resistance from the customer.

American research claims that the 'softening' of sales, by focussing on consultative selling skills, has left salespeople with a fear of cold calling and closing - the two traditional areas that salespeople find difficult.

The other major issue highlighted by the UK survey was the management of the sales force. Most sales managers were 'best salesperson turned manager'.

The problem is that the qualities needed to be a good sales manager are often the opposite of those that make a successful salesman or woman - team focus rather than fierce competitiveness; team motivation rather than self-motivation only.

Training should be tailored to the needs of the sales force, with monitoring processes in place to gauge the benefits and effects of the training once the salespeople return to the workplace and put skills into practice.

We are a training partner with Solihull Chamber of Commerce.

We are pleased and proud to announce that Professional Development Training is now working alongside Solihull Chamber of Commerce to provide our top quality training to Chamber members having been selected as a Training Partner.