How to Sell More of Anything

I get a kick out of the question, “How can I sell more…(fill in the blank).” It seems as if the answer to this question eludes even the savviest of managers, leaders and business owners.

The bottom line is sales is a numbers game. If you want to sell more, do more. It’s really that simple.

 If you work until 5 PM, work until 8 PM. If you speak to 10 prospects, speak to 20 prospects. If you’re spending $10,000 in advertising, spend $20,000. If you’re making a hundred calls, make 200. To sell more, you need to do more. In order to increase your productivity, you simply need to increase your productivity!

 I mean look, if the best salesperson in the world speaks to three prospects vs. an average salesperson who speaks to 20 prospects, the odds are that the average salesperson will out perform the best every time. If you want more sales the easiest and fastest solution is to take more action.

 The more hands you shake the more money you make.

 Now, with that said, talking to more prospects, spending more on advertising and working 18 hours a day is not always possible. Sometimes we have a limited amount of time, prospects and money so, the question then becomes a little more difficult to answer … but not by much.

 To sell more of anything you need to train and develop into a person worthy of buying from. You need to invest in yourself. You need to put more focus and attention into YOU.

 There is a big difference between a professional salesperson and one who is just passing time until they can get on American Idol and show the world their true talent.

 A true sales professional knows their inventory, knows their product, and knows their competition’s product. They know how to ask the right questions and how to listen to the answers. They know how to build value in a way that resonates individually with each and every prospect. A true sales professional knows how to build relationships and how to successfully generate referrals. They know how to generate leads without solely relying on traffic coming in from advertising. They know social media and how to leverage the latest trends and technology.

 A true sales professional knows how to get past, “I’m just looking,” or “the price is too high.” They know how to overcome each and every objection they will ever hear. In fact, they know a minimum of 10 different ways of handling each one! They know how to qualify. They know how to manage their time without needing constant supervision. They know how to write emails that get a response. They know how to turn a “no” into a “yes!” They know the value of being reliable, showing up on time, working late and giving 100% - 100% of the time. Most importantly, they know how to be ethical and establish a life-long customer base that continues to buy from them for their entire careers. They have learned that they need to keep learning.

 In order to be a true sales professional, one must study, train and develop into one. There is no such thing as a “natural-born sales professional.” There are people who may have a “natural-born” advantage when it comes to their looks and/or personalities, but I will take highly trained sales professional over an un-trained good-looking individual with charisma any day.  (Although, I would obviously rather have a charismatic, good-looking, highly-trained sales-professional.)

The sooner people realize that in order to sell more they need to train more, and do more, the sooner people will be selling more.

- Brad Lea