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Hard work never
killed anyone. That may be true, but in today’s hectic and
highly competitive economy, it is going to take more than hard work
to make and break your annual sales targets. Your sales
force needs to be more than lean and mean; they need to be sharp
and sensitive sales consultants. Through our Sales
Training workshops, we can design an organization sales training
program that will empower your sales team to listen more carefully,
communicate more clearly, and offer solutions to your customers
that will keep them satisfied and coming back to you for years to
come. That, plus hard work, will take you a long way.
Think you're
a terrible salesperson? Get over these classic misconceptions, and
you'll be on the road to being a sales superstar. Q:
I know it's important to sell, but I'm no good at it, and I can't
afford to hire a salesperson right now. How can I develop the "tough
skin" that I need to be a successful salesperson for my own
company?
A: Welcome
to the wonderful world of running your own business! You're in the
same situation most small-business owners find themselves in. The
great news is that you don't need armor for skin to make your business
a tremendous success--all you need is to break a few stereotypes
that have been established over the past several hundred years or
so!
There are a
number of potentially dangerous misconceptions that surround the
sales profession. There are always people who are "down in
the mouth," complaining that business is down, constantly making
excuses as to why. If you believe these cynics, you can sabotage
your own business. An attitude of self-pity can be contagious, so
get things straight in your own mind first. Let's address the most
damaging myths associated with sales and how you can overcome them.
Before long, you'll actually have fun whenever you engage in selling
activities.
Myth #1:
Only Someone Who Talks a Good Game Can Sell
In reality, fast talkers don't really do very well in the world
of sales. They have a bad reputation because their prospects can
sense the pressure, the insincerity and the lack of concern and
compassion. A good listener will outsell a fast talker any day of
the week. When you don't listen, you don't learn about the individuals,
the companies and their priorities. You won't be able to address
their needs, hence your chances of making the sale are greatly diminished.
Myth #2:
Sales Is a Numbers Game
Actually, sales is a numbers game--the harder you work, the more
money you make! Lots of sales managers are obsessed with numbers:
how many cold calls on the phone, how many in person, how many appointments,
how many sales. I've even seen tons of forms that salespeople have
to fill out and hand in at the end of the day. That's how the sales
manager monitors the salespeople. Does this sound like elementary
school homework or what? Sales work is about people, not numbers.
It's a lot more like brain surgery than bingo. It's about research,
information and relationships. No, sales is not a numbers game.
Myth #3:
To Succeed in Sales, You Must Have Thick Skin
Yes, we all have to (graciously) call on internal reservoirs of
strength to deal with inevitable setbacks. But that's not the same
thing as developing an outer persona that is offensively aggressive.
In the name
of thick skin, a lot of salespeople have adopted a persona that
is, in a word, insufferable. Their attitude seems to be, "I
succeed, you fail, see you around!" Professional sales result
in win-win situations.
Myth #4:
Sales Has Its Unavoidable Ups and Downs
Sales only becomes a roller coaster ride if you let the process
drive you instead of the other way around. It only has ups and downs
if you don't have goals. Almost every industry is vulnerable to
seasonal shifts. Like most other inconveniences, these shifts can
be avoided with proper planning.
No matter what
you hear anyone else say, there really is no "bad" season.
There is always opportunity for salespeople who are committed enough
to find it. Picture this scenario: While your competitors moan about
everyone being on vacation in July, you target people who are less
likely to be away on holiday--and you get through to them more easily,
because there are fewer gatekeepers to contend with!
Myth #5:
You Have to Be Good at Handling Rejection to Be in Sales
Out of the millions of sales professionals in the United States,
I'll warrant that every one of them has heard "no thanks"
much more often than the average individual. If they took it to
mean that they themselves were somehow inferior, we'd probably need
special psychiatric hospitals just for salespeople with bruised
egos.
Rejection is
a bad thing only if you make a conscious choice not to learn anything
from the situation. Otherwise, rejection is an opportunity for growth!
Myth #6:
Sales Is a Dead-End Career With Little Promotional Opportunity
Did you know that 85 percent of the company leaders and entrepreneurs
in America today were once salespeople? They carried sample cases,
made cold calls, dialed for dollars, did product demonstrations
and handled objections. Today, they're the majority of corporate
presidents, CEOs and the like. Sales is a dead-end job, all right--especially
when you consider that the end may be at the very top of an organization.
Tony Parinello
Organization Sales Training - Improved skills bring great rewards
Sales
Training Quote
"Persistence is to the character of man as carbon is to
steel."
Nepoleon Hill
Suggested
Reading:
High
Performance Sales Organizations: Achieving Competitive Advantage
in the Global Marketplace
by Kevin J. Corcoran
Developing
and Leading the Sales Organization
by Thad B. Green
High
Performance Sales Organizations: Creating Competitive Advantage
in the Global Marketplace [DOWNLOAD: ADOBE READER]
by Edward R. del Gaizo
The
organization and sale of small
businesses (New Jersey lawyers skills series)
by Donald G Collester
How
to Build a Dynamic Sales
Organization
by Robert N. McMurry
The
museum store: Organization and sales
techniques (Technical leaflet - American Association for State
and Local History)
by Kathleen K Newcomb
How
to Build a Dynamic Sales
Organization
by Robert N. McMurry
The
Knowledge-Based Organization: Four Steps
to Increasing Sales, Profits, and Market Share
by James A. Alexander
Simulation
and design of quota setting
procedures in sales organizations
by Hans E Andersin
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