Why is a Salesperson like a Refrigerator?

Let me ask, have you heard the joke about the light being on inside the fridge? You know, where you were asked to open the door of the fridge and voila, the light was on. Now I know you know the light only comes on when you open the door. But the refrigerator is always on! It has to be to do its job.

Top sales professionals, like fridges, are always "on". This is especially true for those who need to prospect to find new clients.

One individual I know worked many years as an electrician for a major U.S. automobile manufacturer. At the suggestion of a good friend, he decided to pursue a sales career in the financial services industry. This was a pretty major change in vocation; he went from dealing with watts and volts to handling people’s investment and insurance needs.

Was he a success? Well, in his first full year he shot up to becoming the top rep in North America for his company. To prove he was not a one hit wonder, he repeated this feat his second year, and yes, the third year too! To this day, he remains one of the top reps with his company.

So how did an electrician, now a salesman, become so successful? If you ask this modest man, he will say "It's simple really, you do the best you can for your client, and you always have to be on."

To meet this gentleman, you would know someone with an insatiable appetite for learning. He wanted to know everything he could about financial planning and the products he represented. He was a keen student of his sales manager and a constant observer of the successful reps around him. He was a sponge.

One day, I asked him what he meant when he said being "on". He told me "To be successful I have to meet a lot of new people. I have to be able to tell them quickly what it is I do and how I can help them." He went on to say, "I look at everyone as an opportunity." "When I go to the super-market I look for the longest line and stand in it, I know I’ll have a chance to strike up a conversation with the person in front of me, and the person who comes behind me." Talk about captive audience.

I marvelled at one story he told me about when he went shopping for a bed cover and pillows. After he completed his purchase he thought, "I've done business with you, you should do business with me." He proceeded to book an appointment with the sales clerk who had sold him his pillows. He also asked if she would introduce him to her manager and the other sales clerks. He left the store that day with five appointments booked in his day timer.

Why? Because he was always "on".

Top sales people maintain a laser like focus combined with a strong desire to succeed.

Don't be as cold as a refrigerator, but do think about being "on" all the time.

Why Quality?

The Sales Process

Most business owners would like to focus all their energy on daily business operations and serving existing client demands. It's critical to your success, however, to focus on gaining new business from current and potential customers in order to grow and sustain your company.

The selling process has six key steps. Virtually every sales interaction will follow these steps, whether it lasts several minutes or several months:

1. Prospecting
2. Initial Contact
3. Sales Presentation
4. Handling Objections
5. Closing the Sale
6. Follow-Up and Service after the Sale

As you develop a sales process that is right for you and your business, here are some other pointers to keep in mind:

·         Continuously improve your sales skills, learn from others and stay open to new ideas.

·         Be sincere about your desire to help the prospect. Working together to find technical solutions and solving their problem is your primary objective. Making the sale should be your secondary objective. This attitude will come through in every encounter and will help you build long-term relationships.

·         Contribute more than just your product. Provide industry news updates, trends, solutions of their competitors, creative ideas, and business advice as part of the service you offer.

·         Be direct with your communication. Beating around the bush only frustrates people. Answer all questions. Never patronize.

·         Enclose your business card with every letter and note.

·         Thank people who refer prospects to you. If the referral results in business, send a small, business-related thank-you gift also. For any huge business success, treat these people to lunch.

·         Never lie. Don't badmouth the competition or say negative things about their clients. Don't gossip.

·         Don't overbook yourself so much that you don't have time to listen and be available to your customer for their questions and comments.

In my next post, I will elaborate on the six key steps of the Sales Process.

Top Five Traits You Gotta Have to Sell

Stellar sellers and entrepreneurs share great commonality, including personality traits. An entrepreneur will excel because he has such enthusiasm for his service, and his ebullience is embraced by prospects accustomed to the same-old, same-old hackneyed pitches. A great closer will possess an aura of competence and zeal that makes him top of the board each month.

To understand the valuable qualities in selling, we asked what characteristics allow a salesperson to transcend the trite.

1. Creativity. Having an appreciation for the non-obvious solution is a must if a sales pro is going to outpace the pack. While an average salesperson depends on business cards and leave-behinds, a true rainmaker brings a "unique vision to his work that makes him stand out”.

2. Passion. Genuine love for a product gets salespeople through the inevitable dark times, and it makes their offers all the more irresistible to their clients. Passion, like creativity, cannot be faked, so it has great weight with customers.

We rank passion as the number-one characteristic a salesperson needs. You must believe in what you sell. This belief is communicated to the prospect invisibly.

3. Integrity. Why are used-car salesmen so poorly regarded? Because the perception is that they lack integrity and that they'll say anything to get the sale. We think integrity tops the list of qualities salespeople need. "We're building a relationship, and it's imperative that the customer trusts the salesperson."

Feeling good about a purchase is a hallmark of buying from a salesperson with integrity. "Trust brings [customers] back, and that's a key factor to the success of any salesperson,". The importance of selling with integrity has been heightened by the recent poor ethical and financial performance of huge corporations. "Customers still buy the salesperson."

4. Tenacity. Shelving feelings of rejection to keep plugging away is another essential requirement for sales success. "It takes personal courage to get up every morning and say 'I am going to be the best,”. It also requires a certain steely quality to persist in the wake of one dismissal after the next. "Sales requires someone who can always see possibilities, even in difficult situations."

5. Commitment. The sales cycle for any big deal can typically take months, even years. Keeping an eye on the prize, while continuing to sell to other prospects simultaneously, takes commitment. "Selling is never easy,". "You must have a burning desire." Success is the result of a person's "willingness and intent to make things happen."

On the flip side, certain traits will surely doom any salesperson to the also-ran heap: lack of integrity, for instance. Integrity means the person will always attempt to do the right thing for the company and the customers.

We also guard against not being prepared when trying to make a sale. "You can't just pick up the phone and call a prospect because your contact manager says it's time."

And, of course, there's the ultimate vice: dishonesty. "You ruin the chance of repeat or referral business."