Why is selling still such a dirty word?
Tuesday, 05 April 2011
Over the years I have met many business owners who have been quick to tell me they hate selling. Frankly, if you hate selling – and let's face it, it IS a bit of a dirty word, especially in the UK – then you're never going to get ahead in business. All of business is about problem-solving. Selling, be it online, or in person, is simply about offering your prospective customer a potential solution to their problem. In our case, that 'problem' is finding cost-effective, well-located, London (or Slough) flexible office space that doesn't tie clients down or force them to over-reach financially. It's a great solution, and one we're good at providing.
All too often we have picked up new clients who've told us they've been through the mill in their search for suitable office space and are "tired of being sold to". Unfortunately aggressive selling is all too common in the office space industry. However, I read "tired of being sold to" as meaning "tired of not being listened to." And this is where so many over-eager salespeople come unstuck – whatever their sector or industry.
There are several fundamental rules of selling and the first is that people hate being sold to. It reeks of bullying and of desperation, not of problem-solving or partnership. Equally, once you strip the layers of the buyer/seller exchange back even further you soon grasp that buying and selling is far from a rational process – no matter how much text books and professional education courses would urge us to believe. Buying decisions are essentially emotional decisions and once made, a buyer also needs to see, feel and hear plenty of evidence to support that he or she made the right choice.
If you've never considered using serviced office space or pay-as-you-use meeting rooms for your company, then I urge you to explore. My tip would be to seek out an independent office business centre or an owner-managed business. I wonder why.....?
Philip Parris, Chairman, Harvard Managed Offices
