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Sales Tips & Comments Interpersonal Communication Skills Performance Selling! Series provides the process, and communication skills to work the sales process that is necessary to achieve success on a consistent basis. It is a course full of behaviors, which are assumed by the best sales representatives because they have worked hard to develop them over time. Perhaps they were fortunate, as I was, to work early for a company that invested in their employees by providing focused, effective, sales training. It is a foundation upon which everything else is built, and is obviously in the best interests of the company and sales representatives.Digital Sales Tools CRM (Customer Relationship Management), which emphasizes customer data base management, customers and relationships, is essential to reach, cost effectively, the right customers, at the right time, with the right message. Don’t confuse this with, or allow this to distract you from solid, interpersonal, sales skills training. You need both. Environment The environment in which you sell will dictate much of your behavior. Our learning must assume globalization. We operate globally, period! If you just sell products in the mid-west, that doesn’t mean you can operate without the global attitude because you can be sure that many of your competitors compete successfully around the world. They, of course, then have the economies of scale and other advantages that globalization brings. I am not saying you must operate globally to be successful, just that you need to think as though you are. If you do operate globally there are cultural differences you will learn, either the hard way or the easy way. Look at some examples: "Normal" Business Hours Not everyone knows what "9 to 5" means. In France, the business day is 8:30 am to 12:30 pm, and 3 pm to 6 pm. In Spain, the main meal is from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm and business continues from 6 pm to 10 pm. On the other hand, in Indonesia the working day is from 8 am to 3 pm, Monday to Thursday. Let’s Do Lunch In Greece, there are no business lunches, yet food and drink are often served before business begins. In France, there are no breakfast meetings, while in Hong Kong business is often done in restaurants and at any time of day or night. In the Netherlands, you may even be offered a drink during business hours. Watch The Hands In most countries, pointing at someone with your index finger is rude – Malaysians only do this to point at animals, while Indonesians prefer to point with their thumb. And if that seems okay, then making the okay sign with your thumb and forefinger is anything but: it means ‘money" in Japan, "worthless" in France, is rude in Greece, and obscene in Brazil. Handshake or Hug or…? In Europe, handshakes are important when meeting or greeting someone. But you can expect to be kissed in France and Mediterranean countries, and embraced- the abrazo – in many Latin countries. In Asia, however, except for Hong Kong and Singapore, handshaking is much less common. Bowing is the traditional greeting in Japan, and placing your palms together in front of your chest (namaste or wai, respectively) is used in India and Thailand. |