Do consumers buy your people or your institution?
When it comes to financial products and services, do consumers buy your people or your institution? According to the book People Buy You, it’s all about your salespeople. Author Jeb Blount goes into great detail about how to have success in sales. Everyone who is in sales and marketing at your credit union or bank should read People Buy You.
The main premise of the book is that your sales efforts are not about your brochures, your presentations or your marketing materials. It’s about you. He notes that “Sales is pretty simple: solve your customer’s problems and they will buy your solution.”
Below are some of the key points Blount makes and how we can apply them.
(1) It’s not about selling yourself
With a title like People Buy You, you would think the book is all about selling you. Blount actually takes the opposite approach. He emphasizes that true selling is solving the other person’s problems.
- Application: Focus your sales training efforts on getting your sales people to be real and authentic. Don’t use tricks, gimmicks or clichés. Remember, “Smarmy sales guys are dead.” You might consider replacing your sales training efforts with engagement training