The Sales Shortcut Hiding in Plain Sight

written by

Jim Mucci

posted on

September 2, 2024

sales strategy uncovered easily

Stop Losing Sales Because You're Too "Salesy"

Want to sell more? Stop selling! The best way to get more sales is to be a friend first. Talk to people like you would at a coffee shop. Get to know them and what bugs them at work.

Here's what to do:

  • Make a list of people you want to work with
  • Look them up on LinkedIn
  • Learn what they care about
  • Chat with them like a real person
  • Help them before you try to sell anything

When you make friends first, people trust you more. They want to buy from you because they know you care.

Never Let Another Lead Slip Away

A good CRM helps you keep track of everyone you talk to. It's like having a super-smart assistant who:

  • Remembers every contact
  • Sends follow-up emails for you
  • Tells you when to call people back
  • Keeps all your notes in one place

Your business can grow faster when nothing falls through the cracks.

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Key Takeaways

Be a friend to your customers and get to know them well. This helps you make sales faster.

Find the people who make choices and talk to them right away. This cuts out waiting time.

Answer customer questions fast. This shows you care and helps close deals sooner.

Pay close attention when customers tell you about their big problems. Fix those first.

Share real stories about how you helped others. This makes people trust you faster than fancy sales talk.

The Art of Sales Shortcuts

sales techniques simplified efficiently

Sales doesn't have to be hard. Smart sales people use simple tricks to do better at their job. They talk well with others, stay neat, and make friends with customers.

Keep your work clean by making good plans and lists. Talk to people the way they talk to you. Ask them easy questions about things they like. But don't ask too much about their private life.

Watch how your customers act from the first talk to the final sale. Show them you care about what they need. When you hear their worries, tell them about others who felt the same way. Then share how those people found good answers. This helps you sell better and faster.

Remember to keep it simple. Be a friend first. The sales will come next.

Finding Your Decision Maker Fast

Finding the right person who can say "yes" to your product is key. You don't want to waste time talking to people who can't make the choice to buy.

First, make a list of who you want to talk to. Look at their job title and what kind of work they do. Use tools like LinkedIn to find these people. Watch what they post and share online to learn what they care about.

When you find someone who might be right, ask them big questions. Find out if they can make the choice to buy. Make sure you talk about how your product can help fix their problems.

Remember: You need to find the person who can make the final choice. Look for the signs that show they're the right one to talk to. Then tell them how you can help them.

Why Most Sales Shortcuts Fail

sales shortcuts often disappoint

Taking shortcuts in selling is like trying to bake a cake without all the ingredients. You need to talk to the right people and learn what they really want.

When you rush to make a sale, you miss important clues. The people who make big choices may not trust you yet. This can stop your sale at the last minute.

Fast selling might feel good, but it hurts your success. Take time to know your buyers and build trust. This way, you'll make more sales that last.

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Woman at laptop happy and hitting her sales goals

Skipping Critical Sales Steps

When we hurry to make sales faster, we often skip important steps. This happens when our boss wants quick results or when we think a sale will be easy.

Skipping key steps like asking questions and showing how our product helps can hurt us. We might lose the sale, make customers unhappy, and miss chances to sell more things.

To do well in sales, take your time and do each step right. Use your sales tools to help you stay on track.

Going slow to understand what customers need helps you win more often and make customers happy.

Missing Decision Maker Buy-in

Selling is hard when you can't find the right people to talk to. Today, you need to talk to about 7 people to make a sale. This is more than the 5 people you'd to talk to back in 2015.

You can't just talk to one person and hope to make the sale. You need to find all the people who help make the choice to buy. Most companies don't have clear steps for buying things. This means you need to:

  • Find out who makes the choices
  • Learn what problems they need to fix
  • Show how you can help them

Each person you talk to will care about different things. You must listen to what they want and show how you can help.

To make the sale, you need everyone to agree. Take time to talk to each person and get them to say yes.

Speed Over Quality Problems

We all want to move fast in sales. But going too fast can hurt us. Just like running without looking where you go, rushing after every lead can make us fall.

Think of leads like new friends. Not every person who waves at you wants to be your friend. Some people just want to say hi. When we chase after everyone who waves, we miss the people who really want to be our friends.

A better way is to slow down and look for the right signs. Use simple tools to spot who might become a real customer. This helps your team save time.

They can focus on people who want to buy from you. In the end, you'll make more sales and waste less time.

Building Trust Through Social Media

Building trust on social media is like making friends. When you share real stories and talk to people, they learn to trust you and your brand.

Let's look at what works:

  • Show people what happens at your company
  • Answer questions fast
  • Work with people others trust
  • Say the same things every time
  • Share what you know best

Think about it like this: be real and be kind. Show people you know what you're talking about, but also listen to what they say. Talk to them like you'd talk to a friend.

When you're open and honest, people will trust you more. They'll want to buy from you and tell their friends about you too. The more real you are, the more people will stick with you.

Remember: don't just tell people things – show them who you really are. Talk with them, not at them. This helps your business grow in a way that lasts.

The Feel Felt Found Method

empathy driven communication technique

I know how you feel. Many people worry about the same things. Other people felt the same way at first.

But they found a way to fix their problems with our help. When you show you care about what others are going through, they'll trust you more.

When you tell them how others got past the same worries, they can see how we can help them too. This makes it easier to show them why our product is just what they need.

Building Quick Trust Bonds

Trust matters a lot in sales. A simple way to build trust fast is the Feel Felt Found way.

When a customer has a worry, first say "I get how you feel." This shows you care and listen.

Then say "Other people felt just like you." This helps them know they aren't alone.

Last, tell them what others found when they said yes. You can say "They found it helped them a lot." This shows how you helped others who'd the same worries.

People like to hear what others did before them. When you share these stories, it makes them feel safe to say yes.

This simple way works because we trust others who understand us. It turns a "no" into a "yes" by showing you care and can help.

Validating Prospect Pain Points

We all want to help customers who worry about buying from us. A simple way to do this is called Feel-Felt-Found.

First, listen to what makes them worry. Then say, "I hear you. This feels hard." Use their own words to show you really get it.

Next, tell them about other people who had the same worries. "Kim from ABC Company felt just like you do now."

Last, share how those people solved their problem with your help. "Kim found that our tool cut her work time in half."

This works so well because it shows you care. It lets worried buyers know they aren't alone. When they see others like them found success, they feel better about working with you.

Rapport Before the Sales Pitch

Making friends comes first in sales. Take time to get to know the person you want to help before you talk about what you sell.

Do your homework first. Learn about their work and what makes their job hard. Show them you care about fixing their problems.

Listen well when they talk. Ask good questions that let them share their story. Find things you both like or care about.

When they speak fast, you speak fast. When they speak slow, you speak slow. This helps them feel safe with you.

Remember – real connections matter more than quick sales.

Skipping Steps Successfully

successfully bypassing necessary steps

We all want to move fast when selling. But skipping steps can hurt us later. Yes, some buyers want quick answers. That's okay! We just need to be smart about it.

When someone pushes you to go faster, take a breath. Tell them why each step helps them. Make it simple. Show them how doing things right saves time in the end.

Don't skip the steps – just do them faster! Work with your buyer like a friend. Help them see how good choices now lead to better results. When deals skip big steps, they often take longer to finish. Or they fail.

To move fast and stay strong:

  • Do each step well
  • Move ahead when it's done
  • Show your buyer why it matters

If you can go fast while doing good work, you'll win more deals.

When to Push Faster

When to Speed Things Up

You can tell when it's time to move faster in sales. Watch how your customers act. Look for signs they want to move ahead now.

Clear Signs to Move Faster:

  • They say "yes" a lot
  • They need help right away
  • Other companies try to sell to them too

When people trust you and the right people are ready to buy, speed up. Cut out the small tasks that slow you down. Focus on the big talks that matter.

If your customer needs something fast or other sellers are talking to them, move quick. But always stop to ask what they think and need. When you see these signs and act fast, you will sell more.

Sign What To Do
They Show Interest Plan next steps now
They Need Help Fast Show them how you can help
Other Sellers Talk to Them Show why you are better

Conclusion

Want to hit your sales goals faster? You don't need to take risky shortcuts. Instead, use smart ways to work better. Talk to the right people who make choices. Show them how you've helped others. Be real when you talk to them. Do these simple things, and you'll see more sales come in while others fall behind.

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