Nothing Begins Until You Make The Sale
It’s summer again and that means vacation time - mental and physical vacations.
To have growth in any company, you need sales consistency. The idea is only 10%, while the implementation is 90%. Nothing begins until a sale is made, and personal relationships between buyers and sellers is everything. “People buy from people.”
The better the relationship, the better the chance that a sale will be made. People buy from the people whom they trust and like.
Let’s get one thing straight. There are no born salespeople. Top performers are not just lucky, they work hard and put themselves in the right places at the right times.
Most sales people are average or below average. Look at any company. How many salespeople are at the top at at sales organization? Very few.
Believe it or not, the solution is simple: hard work with consistent day-to-day activities.
Let’s take a look and see what it takes to be top sales person.
Honesty
This is a must. You should always be honest, all you have is your reputation. As I mentioned before, “People buy from people.” We all like to be around people we trust. You have to be 100% honest all the time. Follow the Golden Rule.
Well-organized
Develop a system so you know when you called a customer or a prospect, and what was said. Index cards and a card box work extremely well. In fact, January - December indexes are an added plus. When someone says, “Call me in a couple of months,” just put the index card under the right month. You must also know your products, services and your customer’s needs. Be consistent about following up with current and potential customers.
Persistent
Play the numbers game. The more prospects you contact, the more sales you will make. Small numbers multiple rapidly. Ten calls per day is more than 200 per month and more than 2,000 per year. If someone says no or they say they are not interested, you must ask, “why not?” Try to leave before your questions are answered.
Self-Reliant
Learn to work with minimal direction. Develop your own method of reaching goals and achieving quotes. “A goal without a plan is a wish.” Go to as many sources as you can to develop prospects.
Willing to Learn
Two words come to mind here: desire and enthusiasm. Be eager to learn as much as you can about your business, products, services, customers, the market and the competition. Knowledge creates confidence. Professional sales people are not always the top “product” experts, but possess superior communication skills. Ability to ask questions The definition of selling is asking, not telling, listening, not talking. This is the most important aspect of a salesperson’s job: to find out what the customer wants and needs. The role of a great sales person is to be an investigator. Solve their problems and offer good remedies.
Great listener
Always ask what the customer wants and listen to what he has to say. You cannot talk and listen at the same time. Do not interrupt or finish someone’s sentence. You cannot listen yourself out of a sale, but many salespeople talk themselves out of a sale.
Objections are healthy
An objection shows that the customer is interested in what you are saying. Usually, no objections mean no sales. Do not ignore objections. Answer them directly and use them directly to make the sale.
Explain benefits
Most people just talk features, but you must describe benefits. Simply put, a feature is what it does, a benefit is what’s in it for the customer. For example, a feature in a new car is air conditioning. The benefit is that it keeps people cool during the hot summer.
Have a strong close
The moment of truth is when you must ask for the order. Remember, the customer is expecting you to ask him to buy. That is why you are there. The best close is one that you are most comfortable with. Many top salespeople summarize the benefits that were important to the customer.
SUMMARY
Get in front of your customer any way you can - either cold-calling or using the phone. The telephone should be used just to make appointments or to stay in touch after the sale by following up.
Direct-mail campaigns, telemarketing, cold-calling and advertising are all ways to reach customers. After you reach them, make the sales call in person whenever possible. When closing a deal face-to-face, it’s harder for the prospect to say no.
The application of common sense techniques can lead to sales success. The only real secrets are consistency, practice and the desire to be the best. Stick with what works, and correct what does not.