During my sales training workshops I often ask the participants, "What do you like about the sales profession and what do you dislike about the sales profession?" The answers are then listed on a flip chart in the front of the room.
These are the answers I often receive:
| What I LIKE: | What I DISLIKE: |
| Freedom | Rejection |
| Working with people | Uncertainty |
| Solving problems | Pressure |
| Money | Stigma |
| Control my future | The ups and downs |
I then ask, "What is the common denominator between the two lists?" You will notice as you review the lists, there is not one policy, procedure, or product on either side. So, what is the connection between the two?
Here it comes. Are you ready? The connection is how the salesperson handles the emotional demands of the sales profession. That’s right. How you handle the emotional side of selling.
More so than any profession, sales professionals move on emotions.
Here is an example. Let’s compare the accounting profession to that of sales. I admire accountants because I don’t have an analytical bone in my body. I can’t do what an accountant does. (Do you know what I do when my bank book doesn’t balance? I change banks!) How long is the reporting period for an accountant? A month? A quarter? A year? How long is the reporting period for a salesperson? Every door knock, every handshake, every phone call. Our reporting periods come fast and furious. We are going to hear the word “no” more often than other professionals. We will have more opportunities to fail than other professionals. Therefore, we must be emotionally stronger than other professionals.
One of the many reasons I love selling is that success doesn’t depend on the color of your skin. It does, however, depend on the thickness of your skin. When you became a salesperson, you accepted the chance of hearing “no.”
Here is the key: you don’t have to like everything about selling to be outrageously successful. That’s right. You don’t have to like every aspect of selling to succeed. I find that statement to be liberating. You don’t have to like all the activities associated with selling. But you do have to perform them.
As you progress through your sales career, you have to continually evaluate yourself, your skills, your attitudes, and your growth. Do not fall into the trap of “beating yourself up.” Salespeople are famous for holding themselves to unreachable standards. Yes, you need high standards. However, you need realistic standards. Give yourself permission to be successful. You have to stop being critical of yourself when you stop being fair to yourself. Do not unfairly criticize yourself. Loosen up! Relax! Remember, angels fly because they take themselves lightly.
It will be helpful for you to familiarize yourself with the following terms used throughout the book.
Preparation and Planning: Gathering information to assist you in contacting and calling on the prospect. This includes research, social networking, personal contact, and third party information. Proper planning gives you a competitive edge.
Prospecting: Identifying the organizations and individuals that have a potential need for your products/services/ solutions.
Product: Interpreting how your products/services/ solutions benefit your prospects and communicating that value to them.
Process: Implementing a formula for focusing on the prospect's needs, issues, and concerns.
The Person: Possessing the confidence in yourself and understanding your role as a sales professional.
16 Professional Selling Principles
Here are some principles you may want to think about during your sales day.
Principle #1: Selling is a process, not an event
This is one of the essentials of successful selling. Selling is a step-by-step process involving the buyer and the seller. Selling is not one-sided. It is not a process for the salesperson only. It is a methodology of discovering what problem or concern the buyer has, then assisting in solving that problem or concern.
So, You're Newto Saies introduces the Sales P.R.O.C.E.S.S. Formula of professional selling. This is a step-by-step methodology addressing the seven steps necessary to sell with confidence and competency. Whether you are selling a tangible product or an intangible service, the Sales P.R.O.C.E.S.S. will serve you well. The reason is that this process allows the salesperson to focus on the prospect and his or her needs, issues and concerns. YouTI enjoy greater sales success when implementing this process.
The process is outlined below. You may be using a similar process. However, the seven-step process below forms the acrostic "PROCESS." Each of the steps is a link in the process that provides a methodology to move to the next step. By knowing where you are in the process, and knowing where the prospect is in the process, you have a better chance of successfully reaching a favorable conclusion.
This book illustrates a specific sales process intended for those in the relationship sales environment. In other words, it works very effectively for environments conducive to establishing relationships, building long-term partnerships, and continuing to service and sell into existing accounts. At the same time, it provides an effective model for driving new business and replacing competitive installations.
Principle #2: You make more money solving problems than you do by selling products!
The only time a commissioned salesperson earns money is when he or she assists a prospect in improving his or her situation. It may be assisting the prospect in reducing stress, making or saving money, providing peace of mind, etc.
When you solve problems for prospects, you become a hero to them. You become a great resource to that person. To be a successful problem solver, you need to be others-focused. That is, you must pay attention to the other person’s needs, issues, concerns, challenges. If you can identify those areas and then place the prospect in a position to solve them, the money will follow.
Principle #3: Prospects do things for their reasons, not your reasons!
As similar as prospects are, they also have major differences. Some people may purchase your solutions for monetary gain, others for prestige, and still others for the convenience and ease your solution offers. It is imperative you uncover the reason a person would exchange money for your product or service. In chapter six on “Open a Dialogue to Uncover Needs” you will learn to identify those reasons.
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Principle #4: When selling yourself, you must believe in your product.
Your sales success depends on how you present yourself. Do your prospects see you as a poised, professional individual? Or, do they see you as a person who is uncomfortable and lacking confidence? Zig Ziglar claims that selling is nothing more than a transference of feeling. If you can transfer how you feel about your solution to the prospect, you’ll have a customer for life.
The prospect buys you before buying your plan. You must first have that inner belief that you deserve to achieve the sale. Then you must believe that you can assist the prospect in improving his present situation. When you have that inner belief, that inner confidence, that belief you are worthy of success, your chances for success are greatly increased. This issue is addressed throughout So, You’re New to Sales.
Principle #5: To be convincing to others, you must first be convinced yourself!
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