“EdgeUtainment“ E-message
September 2007 -
Whether You Like It Or Not, We’re All In Sales… So You Might As Well Be Good At It!
Why is it that so many people dread the word “sales”?
The reality of life is we are all in sales. We may call it something different but, in the end, we are either buying or selling all the time. It may not be a product or service and money may not even be a factor, but a sale constantly takes place on a regular basis. Have you ever convinced your children to clean up their room, gotten your spouse to take you to your favorite restaurant or presented an idea to someone and they agreed to implement it? Believe it or not, that’s sales! Another way we consistently sell is our simple referrals and recommendations. When we believe in something strongly enough we “sell it”. We’ve all seen a great movie, eaten at an excellent restaurant, used a service we’ve enjoyed and, without hesitation, we immediately refer and recommend those things. Isn’t it funny how our intentions were not to sell, but often those recommendations lead to a sale taking place? Of course, many of us don’t consider that sales because we didn’t directly make any money, but the reality still remains the same; we were part of the sales process. Whether you choose to make money or not is up to you, but realizing you’re a sales person is not debatable. Now, the final reason we must understand the importance of selling is because the most important thing we have to sell is ourselves. Everything we venture into requires our ability to present our talents, skills and who we are, which means we must be effective at selling ourselves. It’s all about relationships and that’s what sales is…RELATIONSHIPS!
So now that we have that part handled, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty…how to be excellent at sales!
# 1 – Create Likeability and Trust: We only buy things from people we “like and trust” and we certainly want people to trust us. Therefore, we must treat people the way we want to be treated. Sounds simple doesn’t it? But sometimes we lose sight of what’s in our customer’s, client’s, family member’s, etc. best interest because we’re too busy thinking about ourselves. People will like you and trust you when three things are present: honesty, confidence and sincere caring. So you’ve got to be straight with people, know what you’re talking about and focus on that person’s needs.
# 2 – Talk Less And Listen More: They say the best sales people talk 20 percent of the time and listen 80 percent of the time and the struggling sales people talk 80 percent of the time and listen 20 percent of the time. As a simple rule of thumb “less is more”. In other words, you can be very effective saying very little as long as you say the right things in the right way. Just remember, you have two ears and one mouth so use them in that proportion!
# 3 – Be A Good Detective…Ask A Lot Of Questions: Since you’re probably not part of the psychic friends network and, therefore, can’t read their minds, the only way you can find out a person’s needs, wants and desires is to ask them. It’s hard to understand the other person’s perspective without knowing them. Therefore asking the right questions will help you know where they’re coming from. So act as though you’re a detective and dig down to find out as much as you can about the person you’re dealing with. Start with open-ended questions and then shift to closed-ended questions. (Come To The Big Show To Learn These Powerful Techniques)
# 4 – Logic Versus Emotion: We tend to believe people need all the facts and reasons to make a logical decision but, in the end, it comes down to emotion and how they feel. Give them only the facts they need and that’s it. Because if you keep heaping on the facts, it could just overwhelm them and ultimately scare them off. If it feels good and it makes simple sense, you’ll have a much better chance at a positive outcome.
# 5 – Persistence Beats Resistance: In life we are constantly going to hear NO! When hearing that word, most people get dejected and even give up, but successful people understand NO means NOT NOW and they continue to follow up and try again. So take another crack at it and make sure you do it with tact because you don’t want to confuse persistence with pushiness and you never want to be perceived as being a pest.
# 6 – Practice And Preparation: Going into any situation unprepared dramatically reduces your chances for success. Practice your skill, your presentation and your delivery and feel confident that you know your stuff, but be flexible and ready to make adjustments because you never know what you’ll be faced with until you’re faced with it.
# 7 – Pay Attention…There Are Lessons At Every Opportunity: While formal training (such as attending seminars and workshops and utilizing books, CD’s and DVD’s) has tremendous value and while I highly recommend and suggest you do so, the best lessons are still going to come from actual interaction. After every opportunity, make sure you reflect on what lesson you learned and how this can benefit you in the future.
# 8 – Think Outside The Box – Be Creative: In today’s competitive world, the difference between you and someone else may just come down to a little creativity. Don’t be like everyone else. Remember, you weren’t born to fit in…you were born to stand out!
As a final note, a polished “sales person” understands it’s not how many sales you close…it’s how many relationships you open!
Live with Zero Doubt!
Gregg Amerman