Determine Your Success in Sales - Part 1

The key to success in sales is having the right attitude and being motivated to “Be there”. I don’t believe that salespeople actually want to be lazy and unsuccessful. Most salespeople get out of bed in the morning and go to work with the intention of doing things well. We’re not negative people, we’re not demotivated people and we’re not lazy people.

We’re all good people, we all have good intentions but we sometimes we just have the wrong attitude.

We believe that it is the customer’s responsibility to bring enthusiasm into the sales process. And if we don’t see their enthusiasm we believe that they are not interested in buying.

It is the salespersons responsibility to be enthusiastic about what they are doing. They need to be enthusiastic about their product, their company, their service and themselves; in short they need to be enthusiastic about SELLING! An attitude is a powerful thing in sales, and is something that can be changed and can be improved. I’m tired of salespeople complaining about everything and looking for all sorts of excuses for not selling. The politics, the economy, the weather, the customer, the price, the leads and even in some cases, blaming their spouses for not achieving their sales targets. I’m’ tired of salespeople just not being enthusiastic about what they do.

There’s not much point being in sales unless you are enthusiastic about it! Most salespeople are just not proud of who they are and what they do.

As an example, retail sales staff are in most cases disinterested, unskilled and lazy.

They very seldom approach you when you walk into the store. And when you do eventually get someone to assist you, you get the feeling that they do not actually want to do this and are only doing it because they have to.

I am sure that you have had the experience before where you walk into a store to buy something and you ask the salesperson something specific like a delivery date or availability of a colour and they say “I don’t know, I’m just the salesperson here”.

“What do you mean, just the salesperson, you are the most important person in the store!”

You are the person who delivers on your companies’ promise of a good shopping experience.

If salespeople just believe that they are the most important person in the organization, if they just feel proud of serving customers, then everyone would benefit; them, their customer, their company and their families. When salespeople don’t feel proud of who they are and what they do then they start believing that being mediocre is acceptable and end up complaining about how tough it is to be a salesperson. To get out of this situation you need to improve your attitude.

Work on getting an “E.E.E” accreditation! (ENERGY, ENTHUSIASM AND EXCITEMENT)
Start believing that you are an important person; start believing that what you do is important, because if you don’t, no one else is going to, least of all the customer.
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Ask for the Order, Your Customer is Expecting it

A lot of salespeople find all sorts of reasons for not closing. They blame the politics, the economy, the weather, the leads, the product, the customer, the price. But these are not reasons, merely excuses. Most salespeople don’t close because they simply don’t ask for the business. Are you able to walk out of a meeting with a customer and say “I did everything right, no one would have sold to this customer”

If not, then you have not done what you are paid to do and that’s get the business.

Being able to leave a customer and say you did everything right means that instead of going to your next appointment with doubts; you will be enthusiastic and confident. Remember, selling is a numbers game. You need to know what your closing ratios are. How many customers do you need to see to make one sale? One in three, one in five, one in ten, one in 15? 

If the ratio for your particular product or service is one in five (I.E. for every five customers you present to, overall, you sell to one) then after 3 or 4 presentations where you did your best and did not sell you will eventually say “Right, my next presentation is number 5! And they are going to buy, I don’t care what they come up with, I am going to sell!” Now the chances are good that with this determined attitude you will sell to your next customer because “They are number 5!” The funny thing is that your customer did not know that they were number 5!

Don’t be scared to ask for the business and don’t be shy to close!

Most salespeople spend anywhere between 30 minutes and an hour and a half to two hours with their customer in the selling situation. You prospect, get leads, make the appointment, prepare for the meeting, drive to the meeting and arrive on time, meet with your customer, spend time talking about his interests and getting him to like and trust you, do a needs analysis, present your product or service and match your solutions to his needs, you present the price.......... and then you sat back and say “So what do you think?”

There is an emotional point where the customer is expecting you to close. They are expecting you to close because you have done everything right up to this point and they see and respect you as a Professional. It is generally at this point (the point where you know you should close, they know you should close) that the salesperson freezes. Your mind says "close", your heart says "no, don't be crazy, maybe they’ll think you're trying to sell them something" and you throw away you entire presentation because you weren’t able to initiate the closing process.

You ARE a salesperson and you ARE selling something! It’s you job to close!

Remember, at this point, it should not be your intention to close the sale, but rather to initiate the closing process. Like your groundwork, and your needs analysis and your presentation, closing is a process - not a once off hit. Expect to get the sale, stop whining and looking for excuses, take responsibility and do what you are paid to do: - SELL!!

 
Should you wish to learn more about Ray Patterson, please visit www.raypatterson.co.za

29 Sales Thoughts for Every Day

1.       Start every day with "drive" and "enthusiasm". You'll feel better and so will your customer. You'll do more with less effort.

2.       When you sell, don't concentrate on price; rather concentrate on selling the benefits of your product or service. Show the customer what it will do for them after they own it. That's what they're interested in. Focus on getting the customer to experience “Good feelings” during the sales process.

3.       Remember that it is your job to build a "permanent customer" rather than a one-time sale.

4.       Use questions, frequently, in your sales presentation. Find out exactly what the customer wants before you start selling.

5.       Appeal to emotion and sentiment more than logic. People have a softer spot for emotion. Customers make the decision to buy emotionally and will defend the sale afterwards with logic.

6.       Talk in the "customer's language". Don't try to impress them with your learning or superior knowledge. It gains you nothing but resentment.

7.       Be a "good listener" as well as a good talker. NEVER INTERRUPT THE CUSTOMER!

8.       Don't argue with the customer even if you feel you are right. You may win the argument but end up losing the sale.

9.       Develop a resourcefulness to meet any new or unusual situation. Be proactive, quick thinking and daring. Originality and judgment are your measure of ability.

10.     Never take a "no" altogether seriously..... Unless you're sure it is "NO". Keep on working out alternatives. “No” is usually only “No“at that moment, but in 3 months it could be different. You never know when the situation may change and could miss out on the opportunity to sell if you don’t follow up regularly.

11.     Good sales people are enthusiastic, energetic and committed people. They enjoy interacting with other people and being of service to their customers. Are you a "good" salesperson?

12.     Use humour carefully. Don't ever let it get out of hand.

13.     Temper and temperament have no place in selling. You may feel better to get it off your chest but you will regret your action when it's over. There is no second chance to correct what you've done.

14.     "Selling is communicating". Your presentation must flow in words that are believable and you must paint a graphic picture of your company, your product and the service you offer.

15.     Be presentable, it's expected of you.

16.     Set a high standard of courtesy. Be natural, being false repels the customer.

17.     The true raw material of selling is people, not goods or services. Be curious about people, types, temperaments, psychology. Learn the differences and you'll learn to be at ease with them..... how to lead them and satisfy them.

18.     Be aware of timing. Knowing what to say and when to say it could be the difference between success and failure.

19.     While it is true that showmanship is part of salesmanship, don't become too dramatic and get carried away.

20.     Stick to the facts. Some "puffing up" is useful, but the "whole truth" is more convincing. Be prepared to back up what you say.

21.     Know in advance, the possible objections your customer may have to the goods or service you are selling and be prepared with practiced responses.

22.     One of the biggest mistakes made by salespeople is not knowing when to close the sale. Many sales are lost because the salesperson can’t or won’t close.

23.     Some people say that those who go into selling do so because they have failed at other jobs. Don't you believe it! Selling is a proud profession which calls for greater qualities and abilities than required in most other professions. Few professions are more interesting, challenging or rewarding.

24.     Never be afraid of making mistakes in selling, see it is a necessary learning experience.

25.     In selling never make snap judgments. They have a way of snapping back at you later.

26.     Don't underestimate your abilities. You can rise to almost any occasion you choose if you have the desire to do it.

27.     Improve your knowledge and skills on a regular basis. You have 5,000,000,000 brain cells, each one capable of comprehending and storing a thousand ideas. How many have you picked up and stored recently?

28.     Never prejudge. Don't underestimate the customer. They may be smarter than you.

29.     Above all remember ......NOTHING EVER HAPPENS UNTIL A SALESPERSON SELLS SOMETHING!!!

Should you wish to find out more about Ray Patterson, visit www.raypatterson.co.za.