Online Sales Training | Old School Vs New School – What’s The Best Way To Sell?

Online Sales Training With Carl Davidson

The two best ways to stop yourself from accepting new ideas in online sales training and sales management training are to a) label the trainer as “old school” and b) decided that people in your market don’t like the sales training techniques discussed. Both of these allow a person to stay the way they are without being upset by new ideas.

Do You Want To Stay As You Are?

If you are happy with what you make, there is no need to change. If you want to make more, you need to try new ideas and keep an open mind to online sales training.  There is always room to learn in our profession and the day you stop trying new things in sales is the day your career starts to slowly die.

People Around Here Aren’t Like That

The easiest way to stop learning is to decide that you live in a unique market that is really different and requires completely different online sales training techniques.  I have sold in several countries and in states in every part of the country. I have found that people buy the same way in all locations. The words may have to be customized, the pace may have to change but the basic principals are they same. When you are presented with online sales training  or management training, try to keep an open mind and believe it will work in your market place enough to try it. After all, if you reject it without trying it, you definitely will not change or gain from it.

Old School Vs New School

Another great way to see that you never have to change it to label any online  sales training or sales management training as “old school”.  We have had to evolve our training as the market has changed but mostly it is words, pace and style that have changed, but not the basic principles. One of the problems with “new school” is that while those proponents of new school techniques decry “old school” they often offer no proposals for actual techniques. Often, “new school” advocates offer training that is based on theory and has not been proven in our industry. As we know from other fields, many new theories sound great but do not work in practice.

Take A Look At Love

People will not buy until they fall in love with your products or services. They need to want them more than the money it takes to buy them. People buy for emotional reasons, just as they fall in love for emotional reasons. Styles and terms may change. Not too many people “pitch woo” or “spark” these days but the basic techniques for falling in love have not changed in centuries. My nephew  recently moved to Japan for business. Even though he did not speak Japanese, he was able to fall in love with a Japanese lady and is now married with two kids. How did he do it since he wasn’t “from around there”? He did it because people fall in love and make buying decisions the same way all over the world. Until you find that people fall in love differently than they used to, basic sales techniques will not need to be changed. Styles however do need to evolve with the times and with popular culture.

Look At What Succeeds

One good way to check any assumption you have as to what works and what doesn’t is to check with successful dealers and salespeople and see what techniques they use. I am fortunate to work with several very large Culligan dealers, Kinetico dealers and Ecowater dealers plus others who report that  the techniques that worked ten years ago still work today. That is not to say they have not updated their style as markets have evolved.

What Has Changed In Water Equipment Sales?

There are several things that have changed in our business that you should be sure you consider so you can evolve with your market. Here are some of the changes that seem most important:

Who Is Buying?

It used to be the man of the house who bought our equipment. That’s why the demo was technical and emphasized science, engineering and savings.  Our questionnaires show that 85% of the buying decisions are now predominantly made by women, so demonstrations have become more lifestyle oriented with savings used to justify the purchase after they have fallen in love with improved water.

Trust Is In Appearance

People used to love it if the water guy drove up in an old truck and looked like he wasn’t making any money. They felt they would get a good deal. Now, customers report that they don’t trust people who do not give a professional appearance from the vehicle, to the clothing, to any materials used. Today’s customer goes more by appearance than ever before rather than on the substance of what you say when you arrive.

Earn Trust Before Selling

Customers have never been more skeptical and have never had such high resistance to buying. It is very important that you earn their trust before you start selling and even before you offer a test of their water. You earn trust by appearances and by giving something of value before you sell. It could be a blanket that will save them energy on their water heater, it could be a special report  on their local water. Be sure you offer something of value at no charge to earn trust before you start selling.

So, before you make up your mind that techniques are “old school” or won’t work in your area, do some research as to what successful dealers and salespeople are using. Stick to the basics that have worked for centuries but change your style to adapt to today’s market. I know you will be glad you did and that your sales will reflect your efforts.

For the best in guaranteed online sales training visit www.salesandmanagementsolutions.com or call 716-580-3384.

Online sales training.

Share this: