Conversations That Sell: Collaborate with Buyers and Make Every Conversation Count

Excelling at selling is challenging—especially in a world where everyone has instant access to expert information and abundant options and no one needs to be, let alone likes to be, “sold to.” Yet even today, sales can be a rewarding career path, and not just financially, for professionals who excel at and truly enjoy conversing and collaborating with people who could well become their delighted, loyal buyers.

A former reluctant salesperson who’s now a champion of the profession and a sought-after sales trainer, Nancy Bleeke has developed an effective, efficient, and genuine approach to selling that starts with talking and listening to buyers. In her new book, CONVERSATIONS THAT SELL: Collaborate with Buyers and Make Every Conversation Count with a foreword by Jill Konrath (AMACOM 2013) Bleeke shows any struggling salesperson how to build the skills and the will to capture the attention of prospective buyers, work through their objections, and secure not only their business, but also their trust.

“I want people to see that they don’t need to be intimidated by sales or turn themselves into someone else to succeed,” Bleeke states. “If you apply the ideas in this book, you will not only be a more successful seller, you will also feel much better about what you do,” she assures everyone in sales, whether B2B, B2C, or the selling of proposals, platforms, or philosophies.

Going beyond yesterday’s consultative standard, CONVERSATIONS THAT SELL presents a more appealing and meaningful way of selling: interacting with buyers as collaborators in their satisfaction. While walking readers through her five-step sales success system, Bleeke offers lots of specific actions and quick tips—but no scripts. Instead of being told exactly what to say, readers will gain the insights, tools, competencies, and confidence to:

• Approach sales conversations with a What’s In It for Them? (WIIFT) mindset—and keep the focus firmly on the buyer as they follow five surefire steps to sales success: Wait, Initiate, Investigate, Facilitate, Then Consolidate.
• Recognize each buyer’s “tribal type”—Achiever, Commander, Reflector, or Expresser—and modify their selling strategies and style to suit that type’s preferences.
• Grab buyers with a purposeful hello, ask questions to get them talking, and pay attention to what they are communicating—words and intent.
• Probe and uncover what the buyer really desires or needs, without crossing the line from investigation into interrogation.
• Stop trying to “handle” objections—and stop talking. Listen, drop assumptions, and collaborate with buyers on working through their concerns and towards a solution.
• Close the conversation with value, ask the buyer for a commitment, and realize the power of WIN3: a winning outcome for themselves, their organization, and the buyer.

Excelling at selling doesn’t take wily tricks or hard sell tactics. As CONVERSATIONS THAT SELL makes clear, sales professionals can succeed and prosper, while enjoying their job as a valued, collaborative force in their buyers’ happiness.

About the Author

Nancy Bleeke is President of Sales Pro Insider, a training and consulting firm that specializes in helping salespeople improve their customer service and sales skills, and enhance their leadership ability. Clients who have benefited from her innovative approach to sales include Motorola, CVS-Caremark, MassMutual, Celestica, and Rexnord.