The word “sales” strikes fear in the hearts of many people, and that’s not surprising when it comes to asking someone to do something outside of their comfort zone. But what is surprising to the average person is that in reality, we’re all salespeople, whether in our day-to-day lives or at work. We all hold information and influence, and when you get someone to understand that, it becomes more about sharing and educating than sales. The following are some tips from Mark Stewart, key account executive at FieldRoutes, that you can utilize to reframe how your technicians look at sales and to create a mindset shift to that of an educator.
Empower the Shift: Perhaps the following words are all too familiar to you: “I’m just a technician, I didn’t come to do sales.” Your response to this is critical. You need to create an opportunity to shift their mindset from sales to education. You can either support this line of “narrow” thinking that emphasizes just, or you can empower your technicians to learn and understand that they’re actually more than a technician—they’re educators.
Shift the Language: Begin by asking yourself a few questions: What am I saying to my technicians? What are my technicians saying to themselves? These are important because our thoughts and mindset are created from dialogue. One of the quickest ways to change a conversation is by switching up the vocabulary. The saying “it’s not what you say but how you say it” is true. Consider exchanging “selling” for “sharing” and adding in other words like “teaching,” “explaining,” and “educating.” Removing sales vocabulary and replacing it with an educational one changes the tone of the conversation across the pipeline. This includes the manager to technician conversation, the technician’s inner dialogue, and the conversation between the technician and your customer.
Provide Professional Development: If technicians are going to be effective, they have to be equipped with the necessary knowledge to offer solutions to customers. This includes knowing about your industry as a whole, your products and services, and your brand. This can be done through professional development. When technicians feel as though they are being developed, they will also feel as though they are valued. In addition, they will come away with the capacity to fill a customer’s void.
Cultivate the Helpers: To be an effective helper, you have to know the needs of the people you are looking to serve. The best educators have a “life-long learner” mentality. In this case, it is important to develop a culture of curiosity within your technicians. This curiosity should stem from a desire to listen to and connect with customers effectively. Once technicians can have authentic interactions with customers, they are in position to be a helper. They’ll then help your customers understand what they can do for them as educators and make the customers’ lives better. Outward actions begin with what is taking place on the inside, and it’s the mind that is directing everything. A mindset shift from selling to educating will drive technician behavior as well, and in turn, your sales.
Satisfied customers who believe their technician was there to solve their problems and prevent future ones are customers who will come back to you and refer you to others. Use these tips to change minds and outcomes in your field service business.
Contact the experts at FieldRoutes to schedule your demo.
