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I wholeheartedly believe the salesperson is the most important, honorable and worthy position within any organization. The spectrum of people who are “in sales” is vast – so vast that almost everyone has some aspect of selling in their job. If you are one of the people who consider yourself “in sales” I’d be curious if you have ever looked up the word “sales”? I’m guessing it’s likely that you haven’t – yet, you expect people to take you seriously as a salesperson. It’s not unreasonable to ask you to spend a little time learning about your craft, is it? After all, it IS what you do for a living…
You might be the same person who gets offended when someone finds out you’re in “Sales” – you’d rather be in “Business Development” or “Account Management.” Do you act sheepishly or embarrassed when people come to the conclusion that regardless of your faux title you are actually a salesperson? The Sales Professional is someone to be valued and appreciated – and it starts from the person who holds the position.
Background on the Word “Sales”: The root word of sales comes from the Old English word sellan, which means “TO GIVE.” Now stop for a second and really think this through – this is your “A-HA” moment. “Sales” means “TO GIVE.” Sales does NOT Mean:
- Sharing half-truths
- Being “slick”
- Taking advantage because you’re more street savvy than your potential customer
- Manipulation
- “Closing” people against their will
You want to sell more? Then sell by going back to the basics of the word – giving, educating, and going the extra mile. And what’s the best way to go the extra mile? By sincerely showing appreciation for the customer/prospect. Focus on the value that the client will receive – take the end results of the sale out of the equation.
I am very lucky (not that I hit the jack pot, it’s due to hard work) that I’m currently booked 6 weeks in advanced for various phone appointments, lunch appointments and review appointments. And many people will gladly wait for their appointment. Why? Because they are confident in the value that they will receive, the relationship we will share, and the work that we will do to protect their assets, grow their wealth or grow their businesses. The value is well worth the wait.
When your number one focus is on giving FIRST, the price for your product or service becomes irrelevant. I can hear you now: “Oh, now hang on….you don’t know what I go through. My prices are way higher than the competition.” That’s baloney. That’s victim thinking. (Side note: I recommend reading “Ownership Thinking” by Dr. Dennis Deaton.) The reason people do not buy from you has nothing to do with your price. People have always bought what they wanted, not what they could afford. We are emotional beings that buy emotionally. “The price is too high” means “your perceived value is too low.”
For my true salespeople out there, you should wake up every day and ask yourself the question:
“What extra value or service that I can make available to my clients that’s not necessarily tied directly to increasing my own income?”
Print that question. Laminate it. Set it as your screen saver. Go drink a cup of coffee on your back patio. Quietly, and think about what you can do for your client. You will flat blow your competition away when you come up with something unique and valuable. There is no such thing as the non-salesperson. We all sell. It might not a product or a service, but we all sell ideas.
Go back to basics and embed in your mind that true selling is true giving. Be a seller, be a giver, and don’t be a taker – and watch your business grow!
Recommended Books on Sales:
- Like
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- Del
- Tumblr
- VKontakte
- Buffer
- Love This
- Odnoklassniki
- Meneame
- Blogger
- Amazon
- Yahoo Mail
- Gmail
- AOL
- Newsvine
- HackerNews
- Evernote
- MySpace
- Mail.ru
- Viadeo
- Line
- Comments
- Yummly
- SMS
- Viber
- Telegram
- Subscribe
- Skype
- Facebook Messenger
- Kakao
- LiveJournal
- Yammer
- Edgar
- Fintel
- Mix
- Instapaper
- Copy Link