Technology Professionals: You Say You're Not In Sales - Too Bad You Are

Sales people are often thought of as pushy, aggressive and liars. They'll do anything to sell you something. While this is quite exaggerated and inaccurate, this perception is common. None of us like being sold to or pushed to purchase something we don't need, want or are even thinking about.

Selling like any other aspect of business is about relationship building. For those technology professionals who thought they could escape this, unfortunately you're living a dream.

Each and every one of us in all of our daily activities sells. We sell our ideas to our spouses; we attempt to get our children to eat their vegetables; we ask our boss for a raise and let them know why we deserve it. This is all an act of selling. While we may not perceive it as this way, it is.

However, as technology professionals, our main focus isn't as sales people. Our main focus is finding out what our customers need and helping them achieve their goals. We become more valuable to our customers when we are able to anticipate their requirements and are able to interact with their business.

For example, if you're a plumber and your customer tells you that they will require someone to ensure that their plumbing requirements are met, what they're really asking is if you'll do the job for them. What they also want to hear is that you'll break the project down, show them their costs and at all times work within their budget. What they don't want to hear is that they'll need 50 other things with a price tag that's outrageous for the project.

Without even knowing it, you just 'sold' your expertise to a willing customer because you were willing to find out and give your customer what they asked for.

If you're an IT professional, when you give an opinion, what you're really giving is the safety and security that when your customer uses their technology, it works and it works well for them. What you've done is you've 'sold' your customer on your high level of problem solving and technical know-how.

With our customers being able to access information quickly (through the Internet), you'd think that it has made our jobs of 'selling' our products or services easier. While the Internet has certainly enhanced our ability to display our products or services in alternative markets, we still need to display and demonstrate the benefits of using our products and services. This typically comes in the form of sales and marketing.

As technology professionals, we're often used to sell more technology products and services because we have the technical skills to make this happen. However, in order to facilitate this, we first have to understand that we're selling - all the time.

Selling isn't just for sales people. Once you recognize that you're selling whether you want to acknowledge it or not, you'll relax and continue doing what you do best: providing the best technology solutions to your customers, regardless of your job title.

Article Source: http://www.109b.com/artdash

Nicholas Yong is a Business Consultant, speaker and copywriter who helps business and technology professionals communicate better. Contact Nicholas www.nicholasyong.com

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