Selling Skills for the Marine Industry
How to improve your selling skills
Whichever sector of the industry you're in, the ability to sell,
whether it's products or services, is essential to the success of
any business. Some people of course are natural salesmen, that's
what they do; however for many others selling is something they may
have gravitated into having trained in something entirely
different. But whatever your background, if your job involves
selling, then the BMF's course 'Selling Skills for the Marine
Industry' will help you maximize your effectiveness in this crucial
area.
Chris Longmore is the Managing Director of Drive Inc, and runs a
studio specialising in product development using the latest
computerised engineering and digital imagery. He trained as a
designer, but his present role requires that he directs his skills
more often towards selling his company's innovative software rather
than creating it. "My background at college didn't really prepare
me for the business side of things, but now my position involves me
selling to anyone from a marketing director to a managing
director," explains Chris, adding that he now has to do quite a lot
of 'cold calling' and presentations. "I found the selling course
very interesting. I didn't know quite what to expect, but it
covered everything I need to know. The person running it came
across very well and I enjoyed looking at the different approaches
to selling."
Chris highlights how those different approaches were looked at
on the course. This has helped him tailor different selling
techniques to the type of customer, or more explicitly the type of
personality, he is dealing with: "It was very good because it
showed you how to deal with people in different ways," Chris
continues. "For example, if I'm going in with a cold pitch it is
useful to gauge what signals are coming back and make sure I am
approaching a particular customer in the right way." He also
points out that learning to assess individual characteristics has
helped in other circumstances. "It has proved useful in selling but
also across the board – even for example in a company situation
working out what makes people tick. It gets you into a way of
thinking about how people act or react to situations. Then you can
change your approach to try and get the best out of them."
When he attended the course he was joined by a wide variety of
sales professionals from different areas of the industry; from
people selling generators to second hand yachts. Chris found each
person wanted something slightly different from the course, but it
also gave him the opportunity to see how others worked and
approached problems. He has been able to use this experience when
he is looking to take on staff for his own team: "Going on
the course gave me feedback in what I might be looking for in a
sales person. It was useful seeing the other people there and
gauging how a particular type of person might fit in with our own
company."
Chris also pointed out another benefit which is often referred
to by people who attend courses: "You can work hard in the office
everyday, but it helps to get a change of environment by going on a
course because you go back with a fresh perspective. We'll be
looking out for more BMF courses in the future."
How to excel in selling
A man went into a bookshop and asked the
woman: “Where’s the self-help section?” She replied that if she
told him it would defeat the purpose. Perhaps the art of selling
wasn’t one of her strengths. We have probably all had similar
experiences where we were looking to buy a product or service and
it was the sales person who actually made the difference whether we
went ahead or not. A good sales team is vital to any business
and the BMF course Selling Skills for the Marine Industry is there
to help staff develop their valuable skills in this area.
The course is designed for sales people who
want to identify that hidden ‘X’ factor that determines excellence
in selling. Owen Peters, Business Development Manager for Kemp
Sails attended with three colleagues and says they went in
preparation for a Boat Show. “It was a very good course and the
tutor was very enthusiastic which was quite infectious,” said Owen,
adding, “She had some keys ideas which we could transfer very
easily to our business.”
Owen admits that none of his sales colleagues
‘were short on confidence’ before attending the course but it
helped them focus their ideas. “It helped us shape the boundaries
which we had worked within until that point,” he explains. “For
example I came from an engineering background and was put into my
sales role here because of my experience in sailing. The course was
surprisingly helpful in firming up my own ideas about what I can
and can’t do in a sales role.”
He also said he liked the way the course was
run, which was predominantly a lecture format, but delegates were
also split into groups so they could work together. He felt the
course energized those attending and afterwards he and his
colleagues were able to develop the selling concepts discussed. Of
particular interest was the section where they identified customer
types and learnt that their own personalities also had a bearing on
the selling equation. “We have found that each of us has a
particular style that works with a particular type of person,” he
says. “We are able to spot customer types fairly rapidly in the
first few minutes of conversation and then either remain with them
or redirect them as appropriate.”
He also points out that identifying each
individual’s skills in the sales team helps them work together as a
stronger unit. This is highly relevant in the increasingly
competitive business environment in which they operate,
particularly in regard to foreign imports. Kemp employs 20
sailmakers and all their sails are made at their loft here in the
UK. “We are proud to report this to as many people as possible, but
we are competing against very cheap imports from China where wages
are very low,” Owen admits. “However, with us, customers
don’t have to wait for something which comes from overseas with any
potential problems that might incur. We can offer a personal
service and when you get down to brass tacks, that is one of the
things that makes a big difference when you’re trying to sell to
someone.”
For more information on this course and others run by the BMF
contact the Training Department on 01784 223631.