A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words…

But is it worth a client?

As the popularity of social-networking websites continues to grow, here’s a word to the wise: be very careful what you display about yourself on those sites — it could cost you business.

Recently, during one of the morning talk shows, the host interviewed a consultant who advises companies and individuals regarding the information and photos posted on their Websites. He shared a story of a salesman who was working a potential $1 million deal with a prospect.

The salesperson thought it would be a good idea to invite the prospect into his circle of friends on Facebook.com. The prospect accepted the invitation, and when he started touring the salesperson’s site, he found it filled with pictures of the salesperson with beer bottles in his hands and looking like he drank a few too many of them. I think you can guess what happened next; the prospect ended negotiations with the salesperson, citing his concerns about handing over a large sum of money to someone whose passion appeared to be alcohol consumption.

When is the last time you Googled your name? Are there stories about you or pictures of you on the web? Are they flattering or embarrassing? Furthermore, there are people out there with the same name as you. Could your prospects or customers think the person in the story is you? The subject may never come up in conversation; however, you might want to be prepared if it does.

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Selling to a Committee Brings New Challenges

Here's one of the most important questions you could ever ask one of your prospects: "Is there anyone else besides yourself who might be involved with this purchasing decision?"

Why is the question so critical? Because more and more companies are using committees to make major buying decisions. Many salespeople tell me, "I thought I was talking to the person in charge, but when I asked for the sale, I was informed there were other players in the decision-making process who would have to be consulted first."

Senior executives who used to buy on the spot are often now consulting several members of their respective organizations. Why? It's simple - they want 'buy in' from the people who will have to manage or use your products and services. In short, don't be surprised if the person you thought was the decision-maker invites you back to talk with a production manager, a purchasing officer or perhaps even an end user of your products or services. While it's not bad to be invited back for another appointment, it is time consuming. Furthermore, if you have to meet with each of the other players individually, you may find yourself asking and answering the same questions over and over again.

So what can you do? First, in your pre-call planning research, try to determine how buying decisions are made at your prospect's place of business. If you discover your prospect uses a 'committee' approach, don't be afraid to recommend that you make your sales presentation to the entire committee, instead of making three or four individual presentations.

Second, allot more time to the committee meeting. It's likely you're going to have to field more questions, but it will be worth it. After all, you might find yourself making one sales presentation instead of three or four.