10PUTTING THE CUSTOMER FIRST

When I’m training salespeople, I like to sit and listen in on their calls. It gives me a good idea of their attitude, what they’re prepared for, and how they approach a wide variety of situations. After all, there’s nothing to make you think on the fly like being confronted with an unexpected question or challenge from a client.

SCENARIO

So one particular afternoon, I was sitting with a headset in my ear, listening as a salesperson pitched to a client.

Salesperson: Could you tell me a little bit about what you think the main issue your company faces in the area of competition? (Good, I thought. He’s getting it right. The main thing is to find out from the client what his problem is.)

Client: Well, right now we’re ...

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