The lifeblood of sales and building relationships is setting ourselves apart from our competition. It’s about building strong, long-term relationships and a referral network in the process. Throughout my career, I have found that by doing the heavy lifting for my clients and prospects, my sales success continuously improved. I believe that performing the heavy lifting is a key principal for professional sales.
So what is heavy lifting in sales? It includes completing the most demanding parts of a work project and minimizing the effort required of your clients. You need to identify challenges and find answers. Quality communication is another vital element of heavy lifting. This translates to thoughtful, clear, concise, and timely communication.
Your heavy lifting is variable and will depend on the specific situation of each client. Considering the following: Your client places an order and asks that it be shipped to Topeka. They do not provide the shipping information in their email and it is not their typical shipping location. This is an easy lift: you check the order history for any shipments to Topeka and locate both a warehouse and factory address. You may confirm the addresses with a quick Google search, especially if you have not shipped to those locations for some time. When you confirm the email order, you request clarification on which Topeka location, the warehouse or the factory. You include the addresses for each. Ta da – you’ve made it painless for your client to respond with a single email and clarification.
While this is a very simple example, it illustrates quality communication, identifying and finding the probable answer. You have saved your client time, energy, and frustration, effectively demonstrating your commitment to managing their business.
How about another example of heavy lifting to help you see around the obstacle? In this scenario, your prospect is interested in your service, but states that they do not have the bandwidth. This is a classic objection and opportunity. It’s about helping your prospect visualize other possibilities and outcomes. Discovery questions play an important role in understanding the root cause of the bandwidth impact and identifying the areas that can be removed or significantly minimized. Here you accept the heavy lifting and move the sale forward.
You may need to perform a specialized analysis and/or develop a comprehensive implementation plan that effectively minimizes the prospects’ spent resources. To know how to do the right heavy lifting, you need to ask the right questions to recognize the possibilities and present the options.
When you take on the heavy lifting for your prospects and clients, your actions demonstrate your commitment and capabilities. You are effectively freeing up a portion of their valuable resources. This makes it easier for them to do business with you and your organization. You do what you say you will do, building credibility and trust. As you take the initiative to manage the heavy lifting, you lay the foundation for a lasting, mutually beneficial relationship. It’s powerful, so take control of your sales and career growth by managing the heavy lifting.
Petite2Queen provides virtual mentoring to young women in life, at work, and in sales. Follow us for more practical advice you can put to use to improve your life and career.
Lynn Whitbeck is the co-founder and President of Petite2Queen. She is focused on identifying and evaluating opportunities for women at work, helping them define their personal roadmap. She dedicates herself to delivering tools and insights, embracing visualization of the big picture, and identifying and implementing the minutiae of detail. Lynn aims to share lessons learned along her journey and enable positive uplift for women.