Sales Reality!!

Sales is all about the reality of the situation and how to solve problems. Think about it selling is purely about asking and understanding the situation as it is and making a point to find the real world solution. Often times we can get caught up in a sugar coating of handling an objection or concern when what the person really needs is a caring dose of reality. Think of a situation where you were unsure of a solution and a friend or mentor gave you the answer and it was not necessarily what you wanted to hear but you knew you needed it. You were thankful for the honest advice and it could have solved your problem or even changed your life. You have to remember it is natural for human beings to want to take the easy road and avoid change. Everyone is guilty of it including myself and as salespeople remember we are doing people a disservice by sugar coating a problem or pretending that it is not very urgent. Keep in mind that in the selling situation you are the doctor and you must make the prescription. Do the right thing and sell people in the reality state.

Selling Benefits

The way most people buy is they see a product or service and they think what will that do for me? Most people do not buy features they buy benefits. If you want to be more successful in selling then find out what is important to the person and show them how you can get the end result the person is looking for. There is nothing more annoying then going through a sales pitch and the salesman is telling you about all of the features a product or service does and you are not interested in any of those. In a way that is disrepectful to the person because it shows you have no interest in them and only one interest which is to sell them something. People are extremely scared to be around salespeople because most salespeople have absolutely no concept of how to bring about their offering. The usual way that people are sold are they get an offering and then get it shoved down their throat and then put in a situation where everyone feels uncomfortable. This is not selling! Ask them great creative questions see where the want or need is and provide that for them.
Look for the reasons why you bought many of your possessions and it is because they fulfill something for you. Whether it be emotional or just a plain need you bought it because you felt it would make you happier and your life more important. The values people have say alot to what's important in what people buy so find out what people charish the most and you will know exactly what they are looking for.

A.I.D.A Principle

A ttention - are you unique enough to grab the clients attention.

I nterest- does the product spark enough interest to benefit the client.

D esire- does the client want it bad enough to do anything to have it.

A ction- have you done your job well enough and asked a closing question.

In every sales situation you must evaluate if you have done your job thoroughly and hit all of these points. These are the sales basics that many people get away from. There will always be the latest close and the "new" way to sell but remember just like anything else in life remember the basics. Get really good at the basics and know this principle inside and out and you will be successful.

You have to be closing all the time !

Goals

Before you can actually start to achieve anything, you have to have goals laid out in order to measure them. There is nothing more important to creating success than having exciting goals that you are willing to push for. The goal has to be something that has a real value to you and if you accomplished it you would be extremely excited. A reason I believe most salespeople get unmotivated is because they do not have anything to strive for and lets face it sales is an exhausting game to play. If you do not have something at the end that you are striving towards that is worthwhile, then you are following the recipe for disaster. The hardest times I have ever had in sales are when I have reached a specific goal but then failed to come up with another goal to strive for that is exciting. True sales closers push themselves for higher and higher goals to achieve and its that inner drive to do one better than the last time that keeps us going. Think about some of the records that your organization or industry has and think what would it take to be on that elite list? How would you feel? I can tell you how I felt when I hit certain milestones, I could not sleep at night. I never felt such an overwhelmingly great feeling in my life because all of that hard work paid off in a great fashion. My personal goal goes above and beyond monetary goals, my goal is to be the most influential closer that I can possibly be. To me nothing is better in the world than competing against yourself and seeing that improvement. Take a moment and think what sales goals do you want to achieve? What will it take to achieve those sales goals? What can you prove to yourself? What can you prove to others? What benefit will you gain from achieving your goal? These are deep questions that will reveal personal needs that must be met. For me, its the need to feel like I am contributing or making an impact in others lives. WHATS YOURS?

13 Characteristics of True Sales Closers

1. Energetic
2. Focused
3. Optimistic
4. Aggressive
5. Understanding
6. Relentless
7. Charismatic
8. Helpful
9. Caring
10.Persuasive
11.Leader
12.Sympathetic
13.Student

Leveraging Your Sales Ability

Do you want to get even more powerful as a sales closer than ever before? Try teaching other people to close just like yourself and you are in the first stages of creating a sales empire. Think about it, if you were to be giving enough to share all of your expierences and expertise into someone else it can really make not only the person A LOT money, but also the company money. This automatically makes your value as a closer 2 or 3 times as much because every business and industry is always looking for great salespeople. Not only that, but by teaching other people it keeps you sharp on your sales game and you know the more practice you get the better you get. Some things to note is you must really test your patience because teaching people what you have learned over time in a shortened period can be overwhelming for the student. This will make you such a powerful closer because the attributes of a real closer are a mixture of many characteristics which patience is one of them. It can be a very exciting and fulfilling experience to see a person come up in the ranks and it's all because of your teachings. Talk about influencing people's lives.

Today's Sales Economy

In this tougher economy as salespeople we truly have to step up our efforts. We need to understand people are in a panic right now and are severely afraid to spend their money on unnecessary items. So what does that mean? We have to ask the right questions, we have to build the true rapport, we have to make sure we have the clients and only the clients' best interest in mind. When people talk to salespeople we have to dig deeper and see what can truly make this client feel more comfortable when they sleep at night. Maybe it can be that new outfit that makes them feel more confident, maybe its that gadget that makes their work easier. Whatever it is, it is your job to find it and tailor your presentation and products to the customer. So many times including myself salespeople fall into the rut of thinking whats in it for me? That is the wrong question to ask when you have a prospect in front of you especially in times like this. Sales is a tough game and only the strong will survive or maybe the new generation of salespeople will be born. A generation that serves their clients so well and treats them like they are the only person in the world. The true sales warriors can see this time period as a time to fold or they can see this time period as a time to prosper and truly get people involved with some wonderful ideas and new products to change the world. Take the lead for prosperity is out there for the taking.

Kaizen Sales Method

Kaizen is a japanese philosophy that simply means the constant improvement on a day to day basis. In order to be the most successful you can be as a salesperson you must have the committment to being the best. There is just no other way to become the best than to just make the decision and do it. Sometimes it can be hard but often times I feel the constant satisfaction from knowing that I am getting better and better each day. Sales is a profession and a lifestyle which can equate with so many things. Each and everyday you can strive to be perfect but there will always be something that can be worked on to take it to the next level. Personally I have realized that by working on my craft daily it gives me the satisfaction as an individual that I am working toward a worthy goal. There may be some areas that can use some improvement and if you break it down to the mini tasks on what needs to be worked on daily a small amount of effort done consistently can surprisly grow to great accomplishments. As a mentor once told me "never get stuck in your own box". To all you salespeople out there who are in this profession to make a true difference use the kaizen sales method and watch your sales soar.

Doing What You Do Best

The times when you feel the happiest are going to be when you are doing what you do best. It gives you the confidence and the positive aura that really draws people to you. There is no doubt that if you were to dedicate your entire day to the things you do very very well you will be successful and happy. You will be in sync with your inner values and be highly satisfied at night when you look in the mirror. From a personal note when I devote all of my time to selling and helping people a different energy goes through my body. I feel excited, I feel like a professional athlete or performer feels when they are in the zone. If you focus on what you do best you will only prosper more and more because people love to do things that they are good at including myself. Give it some thought on what you do best and find ways to delegate other responsibilities to others so you can focus 110 percent of your effort on your strengths.