Simple Concept

So, there is always a misconception about who sales people are.  Let me be clear, EVERYONE is in sales at one point or another during their lives.  Selling is the art of convincing someone to do something they otherwise would not.  In the purest sense, a sales person makes a compelling argument or proposal to get someone to spend money in exchange for goods or service, but this skill is applicable everyday to everyone.

Imagine a negotiation with your spouse; taking out the garbage while he is watching a sporting event, doing yard work on the weekend when your spouse would rather play golf, opening up your home to host out-of-town relatives that you’d prefer not to entertain, or even disciplining the kids.

In the work place, you might find yourself trying to convince your boss you deserve a raise or a promotion.  Or, back at home, persuading your child to do their homework now and not procrastinating.  Everyone in your life is a “customer”.

Many of the sales skills used everyday with family, friends and strangers are translatable to professional selling.  One key takeaway is not to lose sight of your objective, closing the deal and getting the client to say yes.

Distractions to closing the deal and losing perspective:

1. Ego
2. Ulterior motives
3. Jealousy and spite
4. Revenge and anger

The most effective negotiators set aside all emotion and personal feelings, and calmly, build a solid foundation for their proposal and sell the concept.  Our goal is to influence a decision by fulfilling a need with the best solution at our disposal, eliminating customer risk and concern, while putting food on your table, and earning the client’s trust for the long term.

In business, you might find yourself trying to convince a manufacturer to prioritize your orders over others, justifying to customers why they should spend more money with you instead of your competitor, closing a contract 3 months early, or looking at alternative solutions which might serve their purposes better.  There are a plethora of circumstances and reasons the client can give you to postpone a decision or pursue an alternative solution.  No doubt you’ve heard the phrase, “analysis paralysis”.  People are generally afraid of change and are far more comfortable with the status quo.  “If it works, don’t fix it” philosophy only works if you’re the incumbent.

There are many tactics and strategies at your disposal to help convince a “customer” to take action.  I’ll cover these in future blogs.

Professional sales isn’t for everyone, and God knows, the pressure to perform can be stifling and suffocating, but it’s the only thing I was any good at; where the correlation between how hard I worked, my professional network, my social awareness and my ability to read people, afforded me the lifestyle I wanted and my family deserved.

To summarize, it is critical to not lose sight of the sales objective, and do your best to ignore distractions and your emotions when running a sales campaign.  And don’t take failure personally, but instead, as an opportunity for improvement, honing your selling skill set and becoming a more effective sales person.