When Should A Salesperson Become A Teacher?

ANSWER: "When he leaves home in the morning," says sales trainer Bill Caskey.

"Why?" you ask.

"Simple. In today's confusing, overwhelming economy, you might be the only one that comes along today to teach your prospect something. And learning is power."

What exactly, can you teach them?

--How to use your product/service better (how to make more money, save more time, conserve more energy). Isn't it amazing how most vendors disappear the minute you buy something? Think of how many referrals they'd get if they just showed up occasionally to teach you something.
--How to get more value out of the relationship they have with you. We sellers are naive. We just expect that a client of ours knows exactly how to best "use" the relationship to their advantage.
--How to understand their business better (That's right, you should know their business so well you can teach them a thing or two about it - that is, if you've done a good job in the sales process.
--How to recognize if they have pain that you can fix. (What??!! You aren't doing that right now? Shame on you. Your competitor probably is or will).
--How to understand the high cost of doing nothing. It's what we call the "phantom cost." Yes, inaction has a price. If it doesn't, then they weren't a prospect in the first place.

Don't think about lecturing them, though. That won't do. You must help them consume this knowledge the way they want to consume such knowledge.

Some of them will use the web. Some will use DVD's. Some will need you to show up physically. Some will consume through audio. Some are visual. Just because you learn a certain way doesn't mean your prospect will too.

Bill Caskey is a sales development leader and experimenter. His ideas about selling are convictions about life, money, and meaning. He has coached sales professionals and executives for over 19 years. To learn more, visit his website www.CaskeyTraining.com.