(Time to read this Blog article is about 40 seconds)
Order taking is the process of taking someone’s money for something they’ve already decided to buy. Many so-called sales people are actually just ‘order takers’.
Selling is helping people make a purchase when they have doubt, confusion or concern, or convincing people to buy more than they intended. Ethical selling is when that purchase is a wise choice for them.
When we called a heating and air conditioning contractor for a quote on installing air conditioning in our waterfront cottage, the salesman gave us a quote on what we wanted, but also noticed that our furnace humidifier needed replacing. Then he found that two controls for our air management system were incorrectly installed and offered a solution. Finally, he told us about a new electronic air cleaner that would reduce dust and pollen, giving us a healthier place to live by reducing allergies. He sold us a much better outcome, increased his total sale by 18%…and turned us into ‘fans’.
How could you deliver better customer outcomes by coaching them on products or services that they’re not even aware of? How could you coach them on unseen possibilities? That’s selling.
So, in your business, are you just order taking or are you actually selling?
