Salespeople who turn a complex issue into a simple one for their customers can be rewarded with more sales. By getting back to the basics and speaking in simple language, they can differentiate themselves in the minds of customers.
Yet some salespeople confuse prospects and customers by providing them with too much information, causing them to get stuck in a bog of facts and figures. They favor complex solutions over simpler and more effective approaches, and bury prospects and customers with too much unnecessary language and data.
‘Simple’ is often better
The word “simple” may arouse negative connotations with some salespeople, and it’s easy to see why. Complexity feels smarter.
But for the most part, it isn’t. The greatest thinkers have always tried to make their ideas intelligible. And the best salespeople have the ability to cut through the complex web of options and choices to find the right focus for their customers.
Here are three key areas where simplification is critical:
- Strategy. All of your competitors want your customers. You must let your customers know why you’re different from competitors and why they should buy from you. Come up with the differentiating idea and then figure out a way to get that idea into the minds of your customers.
- Information. We know we live in an information age, but we rarely question the value of the information we have access to. Excess information is making things far too complicated. You can have all the information you want at your fingertips, but you simply can’t have all the information in your head.
- Customer orientation. Some salespeople develop complicated theories about how to win customers, how to keep them and how to sell more to them. Some forget that there’s always someone trying to take their customers away from them.
