The Power of Comfort
How smooth is your sales process?
Is it more focused on securing a sale or building relationships?
Does your process make people comfortable or put them on edge?
When we are in the presence of people we are comfortable with, we tend to be more relaxed and, some might say, more our true selves. This principle is foundational in our DRIVESALES process. Comfort levels increase our levels of trust and, in turn, our willingness to be open and share deeper. This deeper sharing uncovers pain points and is where people are prepared to be more vulnerable about concerns, fears and dreams. The better you know a client the better you can serve them. How do you make people comfortable when you are taking them through your sales process?
The foundation of any relationship is trust. Without trust we tend to treat people warily and keep our distance. Trust is earned and built up over time. It is the accumulation of many factors - small and large. The friendliness of a greeting, the cleanliness of premises, presentation of staff, company image portrayed in marketing, referrals and testimonials are a small sampling of the multitude of factors that build trust. When we are engaging directly with prospective clients, our language (words, tone, and body language), questions and listening skills all contribute to the building of trust. This in turn builds confidence and positions the sales person more as a trusted advisor than as a rep trying to sell you something.
When a company is focused on setting up systems to make the customer feel as comfortable as possible, it equips and enables the team. When systems, processes, procedures and structures fully support the rep in creating a customer focused experience, the team is able to be completely present when are dealing with customers. This ability to be fully present is very engaging and elicits a similar response from customers. When the business is geared in this way, it is often referred to as “sales enablement” - everything geared towards making the experience as smooth and comfortable as possible. As the Navy Seals say, “Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.” Slowing down in the beginning and ensuring we have everything right at each step helps the journey to go smoothly without a hitch. This makes engaging with you and the company an experience worth commenting on and coming back for.
What parts of your sales journey do you need to look at?
