McNulty’s Pearls of Sales wisdom

DESPITE appearances to the contrary, not every business guru is from the United States. Michael McNulty, who hails from Kent, England (and now works in London and the adjacent county of Surrey), has been providing professional development advice to corporate clients and individuals for over a decade through his company, The Performance Business.

McNulty’s views on sales concur with Pink’s, whose latest book he gave two thumbs up to. Here are some of McNulty’s Pearls of Sales wisdom:

Be flexible! If you are in a meeting with prospective buyers, they will need the opportunity to share their perspective, hopes and desires. Build on their thoughts and co-create the solution with them rather than for them.

Be reassuring. A prospective client needs to be sure that you have their interests at heart. They need you to understand and address any fears or concerns or barriers that they have so that they can be confident that your product or service is the best option for them.

Listen and connect. You can achieve the above only by listening to your clients as carefully as you would when trying to understand someone from another country, or a small child.

What are they really saying? Are you sure that you have really heard what is important? Are you sure you haven’t made any assumptions? If you are unsure, ask questions to clarify and check back with your prospective clients what you believe they want.

Once you are aligned with your clients and their needs, you can set to work matching your products and services to give wings to the shared vision.