Stop selling and start playing matchmaker.

Success in sales without the pitch.
 
What if I told you that most salesmen who succeed at selling aren’t really selling a product at all?

Erica Feidner, was the #1 sales representative for Steinway & Sons for 8 consecutive years, selling more than $41 million dollars in pianos. She considers herself a piano matchmaker rather than a salesperson. She spends the first hour chatting and listening to the customer, what they are looking for, their playing style, what kind of music they like and gains an understanding of what they expect. She doesn’t talk about the model, quality or available options. She plays on each piano and let’s her customers do the same. If the customer is green, or purchasing for someone else, she educates them. Every customer comes away feeling confident about their purchase. The bottom line: She ensures that each customer finds her perfect piano match.
 
Great salespeople have a genuine concern for people and their problems, and listen more than they talk. They excel at looking and listening before speaking and have the ability to read people’s non-verbal prompts. They listen to what a customer does and doesn’t say and they don't “sell” until they've processed exactly what they've seen and heard. They aren’t selling, they are playing matchmaker.
 
But being in tune with your customer isn't enough. Erica knows everything there is to know about Steinway pianos, and she wholeheartedly believes in the product. Once she understands her customer's needs, she is able to categorize her customers based on interest and present them with the perfect match. Product knowledge is essential to the process. 
 
Matchmakers focus on filling the customers' needs and have a vested interest in finding the product that is the best fit. Needs, are the primary decision-making motivators. Consumers often choose to do business with people they’ve built a kind of “partnership” with, not necessarily for the products they sell, but for the way they are treated.
 
The one who possesses an abundance of product acumen and a genuine interest in people and their problems will be able to make a sale sound like music to the customer's ears.
 
Go ahead, play matchmaker, and see how differently your customers respond to you.

Morty Silber, CEO

Mad Strategies Inc.
a Wizard of Ads Partner