Blog #1 What Marketers Lack

Books, articles and blogs continue to offer rules, strategies and tips on how to sell in the new economy of the 2100’s, many of them very useful. But most overlook the fundamental communications know-how and language skills necessary for maximizing their and their companies’ sales potential.
Employers responding to the National Association of Colleges and Employees Outlook 2007 Survey put communications skills at the top of the skills most sought from college students These skills have headed the list for eight consecutive years, according to Mimi Collins, NACE Director of Communications.
“Many specifically cited writing skills being weak and noted lack of verbal, listening and presentation skills among new college graduates”. You are these grads, and face it, No question that the ROI from investing in continuing education, even after receiving a degree, is limitless. And here are some of the prerequisites to selling success:

• Writing. Learning to write well to a targeted audience in language that is comfortable for that audience, involves…

ß Storytelling. Narrative shapes everything we do, telling effective stories in pitches emails and memos

ßMechanics. Mastering the building blocks of all communications – sentences, paragraphs, word choices, grammar, punctuation and editing – is essential to persuasive and understandable storytelling.

• Conversation. Using the transactional nature of conversation as a tool for learning, understanding and persuading, emphasizes…

ß Listening. Listening hard to what your customer is saying, and
following up to broaden the conversation and uncover fruitful
information.
ß Responding. Responding to others’ ideas and building them into
your narrative creates rapport and and enables you to match your
customers’ concerns, expressions and body language, effective
tools for leading conversations and influencing discussions without
overwhelming your opposite numbers.
ß Concluding. Establishing and maintaining control of a
discussion by asking relevant questions, seeking clarification and
summarizing key points and arguments.

• Communication. Learning to understand and respond to the needs and values of the other in order to make persuasive arguments necessitates…

ß Gathering and formatting ideas. Using information and
insights to build your narrative and demonstrate a sympathetic
understanding of the other side’s issues, arguments and stakes.
ß Being aware of your customers. Learning their rules of the
game, what’s in it for them.
ß Understanding communications patterns. Learning to avoid
talking past each other and how to focus on communicating
clearly, effectively and directly in conversations, whether you’re
in or out of your own comfort zones.

Whether you’re selling traditionally or online, once you or your sales colleagues
have learned and integrated these skills and insights, how much more effectively andprofessionally will you be able to represent and sell your company’s products andservices. Using these communications tools, your sales team will more confidently beable to network, develop rapport with prospects, distill power and emotion in every pitch.Your power to project confidence, frame a discussion, present facts and ideasintelligently and close a sale will be enormously enhanced through your greater abilityto communicate with your customer. And at the same time, you will have developed anenduring relationship with that opposite number.Finally, consider how much this new and improved sales capability will improve theequity of your brand and reinforce your promise of professionalism and responsiveness inevery customer interaction.


Burt Wallerstein, A mentor in the New York City chapter of SCORE, is also the founder
and principal of a global sourcing, marketing and consulting agency. He has also written
commentaries for the Washington Examiner and the John William Pope Center on
improving higher education.