No matter where you are in sales, there are always things that can be incorporated into your daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and even your lifetime skillset for that matter. Without this foundational basic, selling can lose its lustre and become somewhat of a drudgery. On the other hand if applied daily with consistency, in most cases you will find your selling ability will keep growing with you no matter what you sell. Try and incorporate these three thinks into everything you do: Set goals for every area of your life and work on them every day. If you want to succeed in anything in life, and that includes selling, you must have specific written goals, then work on them by setting daily schedules to achieve those goals. If not, you are working on a wish list based on little more than an under-developed and an under-planned and unfocussed dream. Eliminate distractions. If you don’t eliminate distractions, or at least minimise them, you will not be in control of any potential clients' attention. Eliminating distractions helps keeps them focused on the matter at hand – and only the matter at hand. The point to remember here is that if the product or service can help change the life of the prospect, even just a little, for the better, then you owe them and your company to keep the distractions at a minimum. Be 100% enthusiastic. If you're not entirely enthusiastic about the “magnificent,” or perhaps what you may personally consider to be the “breathtaking” benefits of your product, why should potential clients be? I purposely used adjectives here to both emotionalise the selling process as well as set the mind thinking on what the salespersons focus should be. And yes, the product you are selling should be packaged in such a way that it does take your prospects “breath away” both mentally as well as emotionally. Remember, the only time you felt your breath was being taken away is whenever something memorable or exciting came into your life. That is essence is what the art of selling should be. Be a Professional Seller Asking provocative open-ended questions during a sales presentation makes you look and sound professional. It shows your interest and curiosity in the prospect. The bonus here is you end up learning more about your prospect which in turn positions you more favourably in the prospects eyes and heightens your chance of closing the sale. Many salespeople try to hold onto mental data that should never have been put into the sub-conscious in the first place. That's why they work so hard and changing minor habits that have become major stumbling blocks. A high, goal driven, closing rate will improve your results and gain the respect of your peers and customers alike more than any other factors, including professionalism and integrity. On a scale of 1 to 10 for each, how would you rate yours? So let’s finish with a with a few words of sales wisdom from the late Dr Norman Vincent Peale: “A fair amount of caution is sensible. Only a fool would be without it. But to listen to one's fears when seeking guidance is quite another matter. Consider cautiously, but take counsel from your beliefs but not your fears - and you will average out a lot better in life.” Creating a fail-safe presentation Pre-prepared presentations can go smoothly at times, and yet at other times they can create real challenges. Then at other times those challenges can take the presentation into directions that you find awkward at best, or at the very least hard to get the prospect back on track. Here are three things that you could consider building into your presentation to avoid any future situations similar to those afore mentioned. Build credibility before attempting to sell. The one most important ingredient in any long-term sales relationship is trust. And the more a prospect or customer trusts you, the easier it is to sell a first time prospect and to keep selling (or upgrading) any existing customer. Trust is not just a sales tool – it’s a sales necessity. Learn the customer's real needs by asking questions and carefully listening to answers. The better you understand any situation involving a prospect (or existing customer for that matter) and the more you unearth what he or she needs to improve his or her work or life, the easier it will be for you to match the benefits you are offering to the prospect so that they in turn find it easy to accepts your recommendation. Position yourself as a problem-solver and teacher in the mind of the customer. The way the customer thinks about you when you're not there is the most important determinant of how the customer responds to you when you call back to see them or even follow up by telephone or other means. When others consider you to be a caring problem-solver, they will always welcomes your input. ***************************************** This Article is by Peter Collins - In a sales career spanning more than 50 years, Peter Collins has focused on helping and bringing out the best in others - whether it involves training or mentoring salespeople, managers, business consulting to SME’s. Since the 1970’s Peter has built a reputation as a Nationally and Internationally Published author, and has 65 books to his credit, but he is mainly known for one book based on the Audio Tape series of the same name, Over 50 Ways of Closing the Sale. In his personal life, Peter has been sought after as an encourager and motivator that has given of his time and talents freely despite his busy schedule. Subsequently, he has assisted churches, pastors, community and charity groups, as well as individuals through his teaching, training, development and on-going mentoring. © Copyright Peter Collins, Profit Maker Sales, Sydney, Australia, 2015, all rights reserved. Peter can be contacted through his website – profitmakersales.com Submit your articles to AMAZINES.COM-
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