Editor’s note: This article was first published in November 2013; its remark that Apple’s new CEO, Tim Cook, raised doubts because he could not sell reflects opinion at that time.
There are two important things you should learn in this life: one is certain concepts about money, and the other is how to sell. A businessman used to say that success belongs to those who know how to sell. Salespeople may have a very bad reputation, and having met a few characters, I can understand why. I recommend reading these two articles:
The sales profession is probably one of the most undervalued professions in the job market and by companies themselves. For me, on the other hand, the salesperson is the engine of a company, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned in this profession, it’s that out on the street the company with the best sales professionals wins, just as the best athletes win on the playing field. What’s more, by teaching a few simple sales techniques to the assistants in a shop, a company can grow its sales considerably.
How to be a good salesperson
First of all, let’s start with something as simple as understanding why you should improve your sales skills.
1. Why should you learn about sales?
In this life, everything is a continuous, constant sale. The first thing you sell is yourself, as a person, as a worker, as an image or a brand. When you go to a job interview, you’re selling yourself, and many of the techniques used in sales are exactly the same as those used in an interview.
Even if you go out on a Saturday night looking to pick someone up, you’re selling yourself, trying to place your product ahead of the competition. And the most attractive product (the best design) doesn’t always win. Sometimes the product with the best functionality (the best features) wins, but you have to know what the customer really wants to buy and know how to sell it.
The reason salespeople have such a bad reputation in some sectors is that, in many cases, they’ve been labelled liars, degenerates and whoremongers. Of course, companies are partly to blame, mainly because they think anyone can be a salesperson and end up hiring people who lack the training, aptitude and competence for this complicated world, which universities don’t teach you about either.
“It’s not that salespeople are degenerates, liars and whoremongers; it’s that companies hire any liar, degenerate and whoremonger for a job they’re not suited to, which in this case is sales.”
Robert Louis Stevenson was clear about it when he wrote, “Everybody lives by selling something.” He used to say that whatever you do in life, sales skills will help you (no exceptions).
See also: Low-budget online advertising: Google AdWords
In fact, part of Apple’s success was due to the fact that Steve Jobs knew how to sell, and part of the doubts the new CEO now raises is that Tim Cook can’t sell.
How to be a great salesperson
The first step to being a great salesperson is to sell something you believe in. It will be very difficult, though not impossible, to make a lot of money selling something you don’t really like.
The first thing you need to know is the sales cycle. Whatever you sell, whether we’re talking about combs or shares in investment funds, the steps don’t vary at all.
- The sale begins with our initial introduction.
- We get information from that person (all the information) through a conversation (not an interrogation) and identify their needs (if they have none, we create them).
- We look for a way to meet that need with our product or service.
- Objections and/or questions, which we counter and/or answer.
- Closing the sale.
I remember that Ira Kalb, president of Kalb & Associates and a marketing professor at the University of Southern California’s business school, said he had five steps for a sales cycle, and claimed that the best salespeople find prospects everywhere.
An example of what a salesperson is appears in the film Glengarry Glen Ross. Although it doesn’t give salespeople a very good reputation, it shows how, in the middle of the business storm, when everyone is complaining about sales and looking for customers the traditional way, Al Pacino closes a sale without apparently working. That’s an example of smart selling, because the best sales happen naturally, along the lines of “you need something and I can help you.”
Information about your customer
Information is power. Before you sell, make sure you know what your customer really wants to buy and whether they have the power to make a buying decision, so you don’t waste your time.
A record of your sales system
Sales are also statistics. Sometimes some strategies don’t give the results we expected, so whenever you change your approach or sales process, keep a statistical record. I know many people will think it’s silly, but keeping that record will keep us from falling into the trap of thinking we can get different results by doing the same thing.
Five questions that will help you make the most of your time
1. What do you want or need? The answer to this simple question (which is sometimes forgotten) will make all the later stages of the sales cycle easier to handle.
2. When do you want it? Some people have a real interest in buying, but they want it eight months from now, and that’s what’s called a cold prospect, also known as a total and utter waste of time.
3. Are you considering other options? Which ones? Don’t be afraid to ask this question, because it’s part of a natural sale for the customer to talk openly about your most direct competitors. That way you know who you’re up against in that sale. Your own customer will give you inside information about your competition, which is very useful for the future.
4. Who is involved in the buying decision? This question shouldn’t be asked directly, but indirectly. Remember that most novice salespeople waste a great deal of time explaining the whole sales pitch to someone who wouldn’t make the buying decision. Many of them walk into a company and tell the whole story to one of its 20 secretaries, regardless of whether she’s been there ten years or is an intern.
5. How much were you planning to spend? Clearly, with this question we want to avoid wasting time promoting the benefits of products that are outside the budget. That way we’ll promote the benefits of the products that fit the customer’s budget.
When we give presentations
We’ve published some techniques for becoming a good public speaker, something you’ll need in this kind of sale, especially if you’re giving a presentation.
- Research the company thoroughly.
- Research the company’s prospects.
- Make the presentation engaging and simple, focused on the essentials and, if possible, short, with only a few points.
- Be ready for questions.
- Keep a cool head when answering unpleasant questions or embarrassing comments about your product.
And always be ready to accept that Murphy’s law is no joke and is sometimes very much present. If that happens, try to handle it properly, and if there’s nothing you can do, it’s not the end of the world.
The 3 signals a salesperson should look for
As salespeople, we should always look for three signals that call for immediate action:
1. The customer wants to buy: Don’t waste any more time; hand them the d*** pen so they can sign.
2. Rejection: The salesperson has lost the sale or is about to lose it, and has to do something to win back the customer’s interest right away.
3. Objections: Many people recommend ignoring customers’ objections and not giving them any importance. That may work in the movies, but in real life, if you don’t answer an objection and carry on as if nothing happened, you’ll lose the sale with 99% probability. To move a sale forward, you have to clear up doubts immediately. And always keep an eye on the customer’s body language.
These are just a few of the many techniques taught in sales that every person, worker or business owner should learn in order to succeed at whatever they do.
There are countless techniques for countering objections in a positive way, and even for turning an annoyed customer into a new sale.
Remember that in a sale, something is always sold: either you sell your product or the customer sells you a reason not to buy it, but there’s always a sale (I think this line appeared in the film Boiler Room).
In short, you need to learn about sales.
Read: 7 body language techniques that will help you in business
Featured image: Henry Walter Barnett, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
