Who do you know that like sales people? There isn't anyone, right? The most common picture of a sales person is someone who is abrasive, pushy, uncaring, self-centered, and lying in wait to pounce on the next unsuspecting person in need of a particular product. The best example of this is the illustrious car and/or insurance sales person. Like it or not this is the stereotype that you have to overcome if you want to be good at your chosen career of sales.
The best way to know if a sales career is something you want to pursue is to understand what it is that would attract a customer to you. The most important fact of selling is that since there are usually large numbers of the same product on the market the choice for the customer is not what to purchase, but where to go to make their purchase. So, if you take the product out of the equation, what are they actually buying? The answer is you.
Yes, you are the integral part of the transaction and in order to be successful in the selling process there are certain things you need to know. There is an old adage that the customer is always right. I hate to be the one to tell you this but that's not necessarily true, but certainly the customer should always come first. Since you have now put them as your top priority, the most important practice is to LISTEN very carefully. You will be able to find out everything you need for that sale by this one rule. So your role is two-fold, ask questions and listen. You also need to have an in-depth knowledge of your product to discuss the positive features with confidence, describing how the product you are proposing would meet all their needs. By learning your product, you will also learn how to overcome the normal objections that come with the territory.
Know what those objections are and practice what you are going to say. Get family or friends to help you do some role play so that you will begin to know what works. Once you have experienced overcoming objections, find a way to add them into your conversation so you can address them in the beginning and not combat them at the end. Find that one person in your office or store who has the most successful track record and ask if they would mentor and train you. Do exactly what he or she is doing. Adapt it for your own personality, but never change the content. That will put you on the fast track toward a successful sales career.
The best way to know if a sales career is something you want to pursue is to understand what it is that would attract a customer to you. The most important fact of selling is that since there are usually large numbers of the same product on the market the choice for the customer is not what to purchase, but where to go to make their purchase. So, if you take the product out of the equation, what are they actually buying? The answer is you.
Yes, you are the integral part of the transaction and in order to be successful in the selling process there are certain things you need to know. There is an old adage that the customer is always right. I hate to be the one to tell you this but that's not necessarily true, but certainly the customer should always come first. Since you have now put them as your top priority, the most important practice is to LISTEN very carefully. You will be able to find out everything you need for that sale by this one rule. So your role is two-fold, ask questions and listen. You also need to have an in-depth knowledge of your product to discuss the positive features with confidence, describing how the product you are proposing would meet all their needs. By learning your product, you will also learn how to overcome the normal objections that come with the territory.
Know what those objections are and practice what you are going to say. Get family or friends to help you do some role play so that you will begin to know what works. Once you have experienced overcoming objections, find a way to add them into your conversation so you can address them in the beginning and not combat them at the end. Find that one person in your office or store who has the most successful track record and ask if they would mentor and train you. Do exactly what he or she is doing. Adapt it for your own personality, but never change the content. That will put you on the fast track toward a successful sales career.