You are a salesperson.
“Wait,” you may be thinking, “I am not in sales; I am a CEO.”
Or you may be an entrepreneur or a manager.
In any case, you are likely thinking you are NOT a salesperson…but the fact is, you are.
No matter what your leadership position is within a company, you must sell at least one of the following on a regular basis:
- A product
- A service
- An idea
- Yourself
Have you ever wondered how great sales people make sales with seemingly little effort while you sweat bullets, stammer, and face repeated rejections?
I’m about to let you in on the two key sales secrets…READY?
One is…BE YOURSELF!
Years ago, a young man decided to work his way through college doing telephone sales. He was trained, given a script, and assigned a cubicle. The first few calls, he went by the script, verbatim…only to hear clicks on the other end of the line. None of it felt right to him, and none of it worked.
After several more frustrating attempts, he decided to simply be himself. He ditched the script and began carrying on what, for him, was a normal conversation. During the course of the conversation, he would ask the caller a few questions and eventually, he identified a genuine need. At that point, he simply offered up a product to meet that need.
And it worked…again and again and again.
He repeatedly set sales records, all because he simply decided to be himself.
We’ve all met the “sappy salesperson” who comes across as phony. This is what happens when you try to be something you are not. If you are naturally a quiet, quality-minded listener and you try to be chatty and outgoing, people will look at you like a three-dollar bill. Does this mean you can’t sell? Absolutely not. In fact, you could be a great salesperson, simply by doing what you do best – listening to the prospective customer and then finding a quality solution to their need.
The second secret is…KNOW YOUR PROSPECT.
Some people will buy a car on impulse. After one quick spin around the block and the intoxicating new car smell, they will sign on the dotted line and drive it home right away. Others are quality minded and cost-conscious. They may spend weeks or months researching, testing, and thinking before they buy a vehicle; and when they do, it will be a good one. And then there are people like me. I know what I want (power) and I know what color I want (black) and I know when I want it (now).
How a car salesperson treats these distinct personalities can make or break the deal.
If they try to sell a car “right away” and are too pushy with those who are quality and value-minded, they will walk away and not come back. If they try to explain every detail to those who are impulse buyers, they will wander off to another lot. If they try to tell me what kind of vehicle I need instead of giving me the one I already know I want, I will walk away.
A wise salesperson will notice the potential customer’s personality right away and adjust their approach accordingly.
Whether you’re trying to sell a product, service, idea, or yourself (perhaps in an HR interview), just remembering to be yourself and know your prospect will go far in closing the deal.
For those who have taken the Strengths Assessment, review your assessment results and note your main strengths. These strengths are your best sales tools.
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