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A doctor in eight years & solar salesperson in a day?

Wait a minute there is definitely something wrong with that heading.

Two of my nephews’ are studying Medicine and, yes, it does take eight  years to produce a Doctor and its 4 years before they even get to talk to a patient. So, what are we doing allowing solar salespeople loose on the public after one day of induction?

In my first solar sales role I had a total of two hours training and, perhaps, a day or so researching on Google before I attended to my first lead.

Companies think that a day or so is enough time to train a salesperson and the poor schmuck who has landed their first selling job doesn’t know any better.

Lets briefly look at other fields that require a level of competence and see how long it takes the individual to start displaying real skill:

  • Musician – several years & ongoing lessons for life
  • Lawyer – several years
  • Artist – years or perhaps never
  • Police Officer – six month training plus supervision in the field
  • Nurse – four years plus. In most cases other occupations also require additional educational prerequisites.

Why do salespeople, and in particular solar salespeople, think that once they make a sale they now know everything there is to know about selling. I have maintained for a long time the need to lift the standards of salespeople and their product and industry understanding and the psychology behind selling. Unfortunately, we now live in a cost-focused corporate world that sees salespeople as an off the shelf dispensable commodity. Companies want the ready made, well-trained salesperson and they don’t want to invest in their development. (I accept there are exceptions but I am referring here to the rule)   My only conclusion is that Salespeople have no choice but to…..

DO IT FOR THEMSELVES.

If we are prepared to regard the business of Selling as a career that is to be respected and admired shouldn’t it follow that, our trade or if you will, our art, requires constant review and study? Doesn’t it also require regular practice?

I have always understood that SELLING a career and a skill. Equally, I have always understood it as the science behind Sales Psychology.  It is about how the prospect and the salesperson function/react when they are together in a sales situation. Think about how much thought and study you have put into Sales Psychology and how you go about practicing your ART.

Lets take a simple but valid example. I am quoting here from the book “Selling Commercial Solar to the Seven Emotional Buying Styles

 “People buy emotionally then justify logically.

Your prospect, once they have engaged with you emotionally, find it hard to say ‘no’ as they are saying ‘no’ to someone they like. Once engaged emotionally they will actually work hard to justify a purchase.”

Ask yourself whether you have consciously thought through this important aspect of Sales Psychology and are you consistently applying it in the field. Consider this, a Psychologist asks their patient a question that is calculated to prompt a revealing response. They are very focused on what they are doing. They have been trained to work through issues with a patient to achieve a desired outcome. In Fact, while their questions may seem casual, their questions are not casual at all, they know EXACTLY what they are doing. They have been trained, they study developments in their profession and they practice. They even call their business a practice.  Now that’s got to be a clue.

How and why would a professional salesperson think any differently? Sales Psychology demands that we need to apply the same rigour to a sales interview as a Psychologist applies to their work as a professional.

Are you focused on what you are doing and are you consciously working through the issues in your prospect’s mind to achieve a desired outcome. Learn more about the Psychology behind selling commercial solar and it’s application in the field.

Read the book “Selling Commercial Solar to the Seven Emotional Buying Styles

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