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.

Inspiration

I am going to talk about inspiration. Have you ever felt it? Do you know what it is? Well for years I have been a motivated individual and have had a burning desire to improve myself and to take it to the next level. In many books that I have read there have been countless times they have mentioned "inspired action". I never really knew what that was until now. Inspiration is when a part of you inside is driving you to go to the next level. This feeling feels almost uncontrollable like an unfulfilled need that will not go left unnoticed. It is a feeling that when you feel tired, inspiration takes over and gives you the energy to keep going. It's when times feel tough and it seems like there is no way and this "inspiration" finds the intelligence and mental toughness to get you through. As salespeople we have all felt it. A goal that you wanted to achieve for more than just financial being or material wants, but an inner desire to feel that success. To feel that feeling of accomplishment is irreplaceable, every man and woman that has ever felt that will go to great lengths to get this feeling. Only "inspiration" can do this, when you get this feeling inside don't ignore it, use it to your advantage. Salespeople out there remember one thing, know what your true inner goal and driving is and go get that magical feeling of accomplishment! I AM PROUD TO BE A SALESPERSON

5 CRITICAL STEPS TO CLOSING A SALE

1. ASK FOR THE SALE- take charge of the situation confidently because the prospect wants to be led into the right buying situation and they need the salesperson's help in order to achieve that.

2. LISTEN TO THE OBJECTION- before the salesperson jumps in and assumes they know the objection already, take a moment to hear the client out and see where the problem lies.

3. ISOLATE THE OBJECTION- there are several ways to go about this but the number one thing that must be done is figuring out what the objection is because if the salespersons tries to overcome the wrong objection both the client and salesperson will be frustrated and the sale is not made.

4. STATE THE OBJECTION BACK- the power in this is to see if the salesperson and the prospect are on the same page and there is a mutual understanding. If that trust is built between the prospect and salesperson then the chance of the sale is more likely.

5. ANSWER ALL PARTS OF THE OBJECTION- thoroughly go through the objection and make sure that nothing is left out as far as questions and concerns that the client has.

Asking for the sale

Asking for the sale can be absolutely intimidating if you are not accustomed to asking for the money. So many things are going on when its time to go through with the sale not only in the prospects mind but also the closers mind. Something that I have realized with this part of the sale is it is true that the inner belief of the salesman will dictate if he/she gets the sale. The inner belief of the sales person can be felt by the customer I am a firm believer in that. If the salesperson believes he is worth every penny and more when he asks for the money he will get the sale. If the person feels he/she is worth very little then when its time to ask for the money the customer will feel that energy and not buy. It all comes down to the confidence and how you present yourself. Many of my mentors in selling have hit on this topic and it is so important that it must be talked about. Some steps that have helped in improving in this area is knowing your product/service inside and out, integrity selling, and believing in your product so much that you would sell your own mother the product because you are so excited about it. A great question to ask yourself when you wake up in the morning is would I feel comfortable selling this to my mother? If the answer is no maybe you might want to look at selling something else.

The Importance of Trust

Trust in a sale is so important and obvious that I believe it often gets overlooked. For instance, when making a sale especially a larger order sale the time spent on the presentation and getting to know the prospect is crucial. Put yourself in the situation of the prospect if you are in a sales presentation and the amount of the investment is large wouldn't you feel more comfortable investing that money if you were able to get to know the sales rep and all the details that are involved. If the sales process is rushed it can kill a sale because there is not enough time to build real trust in not only the salesperson but also the product. The prospect will be left to think why is this person in such a rush to get me to buy?! Some tips on building more trust so that you can comfortably ask for the larger investment is ask more quality questions, spend more time with them demonstrating the benefits of your product or service, and use stories and testimonials of other clients.

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Being in the "moment"

There are those times when the sales process seems almost effortless. This time frame is what is called being in the "moment". When doing a presentation the only person that matters is the person that is in front of you. If you can discipline yourself to ask creative questions find the areas that are the most important to the prospect and customize the presentation towards those areas, you are well on your way to having a successful career. Many times I have been in the prospects shoes when another salesman is trying to sell me and the only thing that seems to matter to him is what he has to say. That is the wrong way to go about it because it makes the prospect not only feel like the salesman does not care. but also it diminishes the rapport and trust which is key. If you do not gain the trust of the client in a sales presentation you can forget about earning their business. Some of the things that have worked in the past is forget about your quota forget about all worries outside of work and think about one thing and that is how can I find out where the pain is in this person and alleviate it in the best and most efficient way. Remember if you are a true sales superstar you care about people and their well being !!

Never Ending Learning

The funny thing about sales is the act of personal improvement and learning never ends. It is like the game of baseball you will never get a hit everytime and you will never sell every prospect but it is a never ending pursue of perfection that keeps you going.Every presentation can be done just with a little more enthusiasm, or you could of made one more follow up call. Learning comes from the discipline of reading or listening to tapes and cds of other successful people that have paved the way before. I believe it is extremely important to look at your performance on a day to day basis and truly find where your weaknesses are as well as your strengths. A key note is to not allow your ego to get in the way of a true measure of your strengths and weaknesses. Some of the most valuable information that you will ever receive will be from someone looking from the outside in. The best person to evaluate your performance would be someone who is either more successful than you or an honest person who is not afraid to hurt your feelings. It can be hard sometimes to do this evaluation but it is worth its weight in gold.

The champions sales mentality

The key to getting the sales that you really want is having that positive attitude on a day to day basis. Think about the biggest sales days that you have ever had and I guarantee that your mentality was a relaxed and positive outlook and that energy was transferred into that clients. Its true you get what you think about if you are thinking of successful sales processes and how you can benefit your customer you will definitely put off that vibe and earn their business. The goal is to make yourself stand out from the other average salespeople who go out and just go through the motions without actually being the positive professional that people need. If you are serious about having big sales days and a big sales career every morning when you wake up think about what you want to accomplish and know that you will accomplish it