Sales just might be the most feared of all professions there are. Either you are fearful of the aggressive, overbearing and totally unprofessional sales person or you are fearful to become that sales person...or maybe your fear both!
It's interesting, I have been a professional sales consultant my entire adult life. One of the most frequent questions I get is How do you do what you do?...I could NEVER do what you do, I could NEVER be a sales person. This statement is said not with great disdain, so I don't think that I should necessarily be offended by their comment, but my response to them is always a two parter...Well, if you think that you can't be a sales person, then guess what.. you can't...and then I ask, but Why do you feel that way?
I have found that for most people, the negative feelings surrounding sales is really about the number one fear there is. No, not spiders or snakes (although snakes is my # 1 fear!!) The reason they say they could never do sales is not because they are not capable of being a professional sales consultant, it is because they are afraid of the rejection that they perceive sales brings. Most people are afraid of the word No and they are afraid of the thought of Rejection.
So, let's talk about the word No and the feeling of rejection, put it into context and move on to becoming a terrific sales consultant. Once I share with you the Seven Secrets to Selling and you truly understand what the word No really means, there will be no stopping you to being the best sales professional in your company.
Early in my sales career I had a wonderful mentor and one of the first things he did was sit down with me and talk about the words No and Rejection. He knew, like I now know, that this feeling of rejection is the maker and the breaker in ones' professional sales career. What he taught me never left me and to this day, I never feel rejected in my sales career.
So, what do we do as professional sales consultants; we sell products and services to those people who need and/or want our products and services. It is really as simple as that. We sell Solutions to people's perceived Problems. If they don't have a problem or a need, there really is little reason for our solution, right?
Why do people by Band-Aids? Not because they are so cool to have in the closet. People buy Band-Aids because they need to protect a scratch or a cut. Take the weight loss industry. People buy shakes and pills not necessarily because they taste terrific and that they are overly convenient to have around, but because by using these products, they are hoping to become thin and be able to fit into the a beautiful dress for their 10 year college reunion.
Sales people sell Solutions to people Problems. But the challenge to this equation is timing. Not always are we presenting the correct solution to the correct prospect at the correct time. That is when the word no comes out and the feelings of rejection start to build. But consider this..No doesn't mean No forever. On average..it takes Eight No's to turn into a yes. When you hear No, what your prospect really means is that No..Not at this time. It is all about the timing. They may not want your solution to their problem when you are speaking to them. They may not be able to afford your solution to their problem at the time you are speaking with them, they many not think that their problem is big enough at the time of your conversation. There could be a million reasons why your prospect said no, at the time of your conversation, but NONE of the reasons for being told No are personally because of you. They are saying No to the timing, not to you and many times not to your product or service. There is absolutely no reason why you should feel rejected by their inability to say yes at that particular time. The problem is them and the timing...Not You. Doesn't it feel great to realize that the No's that you have been receiving are Not because of you?
Where so many sales reps fail is when they hear that dreaded word No, they say OK, put their tail behind their legs and walk away, never to be heard from again to that prospective customer. I'm screaming to you; don't be that sales rep. You will lose out on so much business, and it will possibly be the biggest reason why you will not be the superstar that you have every right to be.
Now, I am not saying to stalk your prospect, to become insulting to them, or to badger them until you finally wear them down. This is why the profession of sales has such a negative connotation. However, you want to gently, subtly, but consistently remind them that you are out there and are ready to serve them whenever they are ready. This can be done through many different kinds of media today; crafting letters, e/mails, faxes, phone calls to name a few. If there is something new about your product that your prospective customer should know, send them an update and then follow up with a friendly phone call.
Other ways to be in front of prospects without giving them the feeling that you are going to pounce on them like a hungry lion is provide them with information that might be useful for them, but is associated with your product. For example, say you are selling a product that helps people with their carpal tunnel syndrome. Your prospect has told you no... (Not right now) You can keep in touch with them by sending them articles from medical trade journals about carpal tunnel syndrome, you can send studies that your company does on your product, and there are reports done by the government that might be an interesting read for your prospect to understand their condition better. You are sending them educational material to help them with their decision when the timing is right for them to finally say Yes to You . Can you see the power of what you are doing? You are becoming their friend..their expert to what their problems are. You are becoming their solution, not just your product.
I have had people call me back up to a year later telling me that they are finally ready to buy from me!! The timing is right for them and we move forward effortlessly. They didn't feel sold from me keeping in touch with them; they didn't feel pressured every time we had a conversation. I just continued to feed them pieces of information on a periodic basis so they wouldn't forget about me. I continued to give them pertinent and interesting updates on the company, on improvements to my product, and information in general that I thought might help them understand their problem a bit better.
The organization and how you set up this follow up will be left to another article. Organization is a topic unto it's self..so be on the look in future issues. I promise that I will help you with that as well.
So, now that you better understand the words No and Rejection, and you realize it isn't You that they are saying no to, it usually isn't your product, it is because of the timing and them..we can move on to the Seven Secrets to Successful Selling!!!
So, now that you better understand the words No and Rejection, and you realize it isn't You that they are saying no to, it usually isn't your product, it is because of the timing and them..we can move on to the Seven Secrets to Successful Selling!!!
Before I go on to the first Secret..I am going to fill you in on the biggest secret of all....There are no real secrets to selling!!
The Secrets that I am about to share with you are just the basic steps that successful, professional salespeople and entrepreneurs have been making their daily MOO (Methods Of Operation) for centuries. The following Secrets are the attributes of High Achievers..and everyone can embrace them. They aren't difficult to execute, you simply need to make them a daily practice. Once you do, everything and I mean everything can and will be yours.
Secret One:
Believe That You Can. You Must have the mental attitude for success. You must truly believe that you are as capable for success as the next person. You must have the confidence and the belief that you and your products or services are the very best. If you do not believe that from the very core of your sole..find something else to sell. If you do not believe that your product is the solution to people's problems, your doubt will come across to your prospective customer the instant you start to have dialogue. There are a few things to help you on this quest.
First, you need to be the master, and be the expert of your product. You must learn your product inside and out. When you do, you will have absolutely no fear in talking about your product. Learn your product and how it can benefit your prospect like you know the stats of your favorite baseball team, or the ingredients of your favorite recipe. You should be able to talk about your product/service in your sleep. This is what makes the top sales people..the top sales people. They are the experts in their field and prospects see them as such.
Many years back I had my annual review with my sales manager and the VP of Sales. My numbers were good enough to be in the top ten of the company, but what they really loved about my performance was that I was one of the top experts of my product in the company. I knew my products inside out and my customers knew that I did. They viewed me as the expert and that is why they constantly ordered from me time and time again. The key is knowing and owning your products.
You must also have confidence in your company. Your company is the organization that should be supporting you in all of your endeavors. Again, if you do not have the confidence that your company is standing behind you in all that you do, that doubt will be portrayed to your prospect. Many times, people want to see the entire package. That you, the product and the company are going to be around to service and support them for a long time. Learn who the top management is in your company. If you have the opportunity, speak with them on occasion. Learn the financials of your company. Learn as many details about your company as possible. This doesn't mean that you are going to make it part of your sales presentation, but knowing this information gives you the confidence in your company and therefore in yourself. It is all about gaining the confidence in your products, your company and in yourself.
Does this take time and a bit of effort? Of course it does. Sales, while not difficult, is a discipline and with discipline takes some learning and studying. Do this upfront and you will then have the key to unlimited earning potential.
Secret Two:
Have the right associations. How successful are the people that you associate with? Who you hang around is who you likely will become. Knowing this, why wouldn't you hang around with people who you aspire to be? Hang out with successful people. Network where their best prospects and customers go. Join the right local associations. Position yourself for success. Most importantly, have at least one mentor. I have several. You don't have to personally know your mentor although if you can find a mentor locally, all the better. You can mentor with experts through going to their seminars and following their writings and on line courses. You can mentor with people through various mastermind groups; you can even mentor with people through various chat rooms that are out on the internet. Regardless, you need to find a mentor that is going to help you through the peaks and valleys that sales can bring. Your mentor can be a great sounding board to ideas that you might want to launch. And, your mentor should be someone you aspire to be.
Secret Three:
Plan for your day. When you plan for your day..you plan for your success. I cannot stress to you how important it is for you to plan for each and every day. If you don't, you will get to your office, not really know what you are going to do for the day, make a bunch of busy work for yourself, take no real action in your business and before you know it, it's time for dinner. I see this scenario happen over and over again.
Get yourself a Palm Pilot or something similar. Most systems have a To Do list built into their software. Start there. In one category, write down all of the actions you need to take for your business that day. Write down everything that you can think of. If you need to take an action or follow up with something a week from now, make note of it and mark it for that particular day. Make sure that you write down all of the people you need to call and follow up with. You should make another category for your personal To Do List as well. In creating these To Do lists, you can then see, each day, exactly the action steps that you need to take on any given day. I print out my to do lists and take them with me throughout the day, so I know that I am accomplishing everything that I need to do on any given day.
As you finish up one task, then delete it. I love deleting my accomplished items immediately because I feel like have accomplished something, plus I like seeing that my list is getting smaller and smaller. If you are a person that doesn't know where to start with their list., pick your top 3 items that you put off doing for as long as possible and do them first. When you get those tasks out of the way, the rest of your day goes more smoothly, and you're not constantly thinking in the back of your mind about the tasks that are probably you're most important things to do, but for whatever reason, you put them off.
Also, if you have absolute deadlines, you need to make sure that those tasks are accomplished before anything else. Do not be a procrastinator! It only gets you in trouble when you are trying to juggle so many projects at one time. Just take action, complete the task and move on. You will feel so much better about yourself and your ability to get your actions steps done. And because you are constantly taking action, you are working yourself and your business into an incredibly successful enterprise.
Some days you may have a few items that you just did not have the time to get to. Don't get overwhelmed by that. Life happens and there are times when you just don't get everything you hoped to get accomplished in a given day, completed. Mark them for your To Do list tomorrow and make that task a top priority.
Finally, as you are cleaning up your desk, ready to stop work for the evening, take a look at what your To Do List is going to look like tomorrow. By doing this it prepares you for how busy your day might be and you can start to think about how you might want to organize your priorities. But more importantly, if you look at your To Do List before you retire for the evening, those thoughts will be with you and you can subconsciously think about the actions that you are going to take for tomorrow. I find this especially useful when I am writing or doing something that I need some inspiration. Many times going to bed with that thought or question on how to do something helps me subconsciously come up with solutions to the questions I might have.
Plan for Success..Go now and set up your plan schedule. It will keep you get and keep organized (another topic for another day!) and you will never again be at a loss for what to do when you begin your day.
Secret Four:
Take Responsibility of your own actions. It is right out of the Secret, and The Law Of Attraction. Everything that happens in your life is a direct result of your thoughts and actions. If you think negatively about a situation, then negative results will start to pop up in your life. You cannot blame someone else for your thoughts. You have complete and utter control over all of your thoughts. Take responsibility for those thoughts. Make your thoughts center only around the positive. Once you start to incorporate only positive thoughts in to your daily routine, you will be amazed at what you will start to attract into your life.
Don't blame others for situations that happen to you. Take responsibility for your actions and your decisions. You have no control over anyone else but yourself. You have no control if someone you work with did not complete their portion of project by deadline. You have no control if someone cuts you off at an intersection. But, you DO have control on how you handle those situations. Handle them positively. What will handling them negatively result to you? More negativity?
If you are not taking responsibility for everything that you do, you might ask yourself if there is anything that you fear by taking responsibility. Why would you not be willing to take full responsibility for every aspect of your life? Think about that question for a while if you are blaming other people for situations in your life.
Successful people take responsibility for EVERYTHING they do and EVERYTHING that happens to them. Taking responsibility gives you the power for success at any level.
Secret Five:
Take Action. Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.
Robert Louis Stevenson, 1850-1895; Essayist, Poet and Novelist.
Do you think that farmers automatically have a huge and profitable harvest? Do you think that Bill Gates just woke up one morning and was the richest man in the United States? What about Oprah Winfrey? She was not born into money, fame and power...just the opposite as a matter of fact. Why, then, should you expect to be any different?
EVERYONE has to sow seeds. Everyone has to take ACTION. Granted, some of us have a little bit more planting before we can reap the rewards of our efforts, but if you take persistent, consistent, daily ACTION, I promise you, you will reap whatever harvest that you desire.
Life and its grand rewards are all about the seeds you sow each and every day, the action that you take each and every day. But, the key is to plant your seeds and take your deliberate action..each day. If you are one to plant your seeds and take action only periodically, then don't expect your harvest to be abundant. You need to plant your seeds and cultivate your seeds consistently, persistently..each and every day if possible; if you are looking for a huge and profitable harvest at the end of season.
My challenge to you Today is for you to go out and plant your seeds, then cultivate those seeds each and every day. You will be amazed at the harvest that you will eventually reap...
May you reap exactly what you sow.
Secret Six:
Be willing to take risks. This is an incredibly crucial to your success. No risk; no reward, as the saying goes. Keep in mind, however, taking risks doesn't necessarily have to be risky. Read that statement again, taking risks doesn't necessarily have to be risky. Do your due diligence in decisions that you are making. Make sure that you are educated in what you want to do. By doing your due diligence and becoming educated in whatever you are about to embrace, this then gives you the confidence to know that you are making the correct decision for you. You have all of the information in front of you to make the most informed and educated decision that you can.
When most people get stuck and then they play the blame game (Secret number Four) and claim that they have been scammed once again, is when they haven't done their due diligence. They haven't done their research for a particular opportunity or situation. If you haven't been educated, done your research and done your due diligence, why would you expect a positive outcome? Taking some risk is the necessary for success, but when you have all of the information sitting right in front of you because of your research; the risks that you do take are not all that risky. Go, be prepared, take your educated risks and become incredibly successful.
Secret Seven:
Stick to It until you succeed. Most people ultimately fail because they quit too soon. Set your goals and commit to taking consistent and persistent action each and every day. If you do this each and every day and not quit when the going gets a bit tough..in the end I promise that you will succeed.
Post your goals both short term and long term and stay focused on your dreams until they become your reality. Do not let yourself take diversions to your goals and do not quit. When the temptation is there for you to hang up the towel, ask yourself "What if..." What if you hadn't quit, would your business be that huge success that you had planned for? What if you hadn't quit, would I have been able to retire early? What if you hadn't quit, would you still be at that JOB that you really hate? You never want to live by "What If's," so don't. Stick with it and in the end you will see an amazing rainbow that was build just for you.
So, that is it. The Seven Secrets In Selling, as I see them. Pretty simple, don't you think? So why isn't everyone incredibly rich and successful? It is positively amazing to me how very few people are willing to go out, put forth the effort required to master these secrets, and take the action to get from where they are to where they want to be. Don't be that person. Go out and master each one of these secrets. Execute the simple daily self disciplines each and every day, and the levels of success to you will be astounding.
Jennifer Gilbert is the author and editor of JBSCommuncations, an e- newsletter for serious entrepreneurs who know without any hesitation that they are on their way to earning six figures and multiple six figures a year from their home and want a directional in Wealth, Health and Wisdom....the essence of any 6-figure income.
If you would like to be on her mailing list and receive a free copy of her 11 Step MindSet Guide, please follow the link below:
[http://www.jbscommunications.com]
Jennifer also runs her own Million Dollar Company. To learn more about Jennifer and her company go to:
http://www.jenniferlgilbert.com
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