Behavioral Selling Tips

Many of us are not "natural" sales people — we toil away at the process. We can respond to an RFP and get in front of a plan committee, but aren't sure how to improve our success rate at closing the deal.
 
I recently read an article on behavioral selling that had some very useful tips and reminders. Here are a couple of the best:
 
Selling is not about you doing all the talking. The advisory business is a classic relationship-type business that is built on trust and on a feeling of confidence in you by the prospect. A key to building a relationship is asking good questions and being a first-rate active listener. Find out what their objectives, concerns and requirements are before you make your pitch — build rapport and your knowledge of the plan sponsor.
 
Don't waste time going through a lengthy proposal page-by-page. Provide the prospect with just the information that you find most clients have needed in the decision-making process. Be sure to address their expressed objectives, concerns and requirements that you discovered in Tip #1 above.
 
Confirm that the prospect is getting the information they need by asking questions like, "Is that the information you’re looking for?" or "Does that meet your plan’s objectives?" By doing so you are ensuring that the person or committee is getting the data they need to make a decision and showing that you understand their needs. You demonstrate that you are someone they can work with.
 
Following these behavioral tips can improve your sales success and make the whole process easier for us who are not "born with a sales personality."