Shorten your sales cycle with personal credibility
Credibility and the length of your sales cycle have an inverse relationship. That is, increased credibility can help shorten your sales cycle. Whether you are new to a sales role of have been selling for years, establishing and enhancing your personal credibility should be a priority in every interaction with customers. Too often, salespeople take their credibility for granted. Lack of credibility could be a reason that customers are unwilling to make commitments to us or share information with us. Strong credibility will help open doors and will help customers feel more comfortable in cooperating with us to help them accomplish their objectives. So how does a salesperson establish credibility? You may start with your background and experience or may even have some credibility transferred from the reputation your company has. However, the strongest way to develop credibility is to earn it by meeting commitments and how you interact with customers. Are you responsive and attentive when meeting with customers? Do you document your interactions and follow up in a timely manner? When issues arise do you confront them proactively? What are you doing to establish, enhance and check your credibility with customers on a regular basis?
