The Power of Conviction in Sales:

Sales is an art that requires a combination of skills, techniques, and most importantly, conviction. Conviction is the unwavering belief in the product or service you are selling, and it plays a vital role in the success of any salesperson. Drawing from a personal experience during an intensive training program at RH Donnelley early in my career I learned knowing and loving your product is key. Day by day I picked up on why we were the better option and what exactly made our product best. Competitiveness is a key element behind the desire to do well, that i believe and I assure you going into work each day and seeing less laptops on the desks was a sign to keep your head up and stay on top. Applicants dropped daily and you didn’t have the job until you completed the course, so what made others leave while some stayed and excelled? I don’t think they were all bad sales people nor did they lack the skill to sell. To me it is was who believed the product they were selling was truly going to benefit the client. I believed this with every inch of my soul. It spilled out into my personal life because I was proud to sell a product I believed worked.

Conviction is the driving force behind successful sales. It instills confidence in both the salesperson and the potential customer. When you genuinely believe in the product or service you are selling, it becomes easier to convey its value and benefits to others. Conviction allows you to overcome objections, handle rejections, and ultimately close deals with greater ease.

Many years ago, I had the opportunity to undergo an extensive sales training program at RH Donnelley. The program lasted for over eight weeks leading off with memorizing a double digit page script and reciting that verbatim before entry in class was even allowed. It covered a wide range of sales techniques. However, what stood out the most was the emphasis on developing unwavering conviction in the product.

During the training, we were introduced to a product that was truly exceptional. It had unique features, superior quality, and a known brand. The trainers at RH Donnelley made sure we understood every aspect of the product, its benefits, and how it outperformed the competition. They instilled in us the belief that we were offering the best product on the market.

How did this Impact my conviction? As the training progressed, I noticed a significant shift in my mindset. The conviction I developed in the product became the driving force behind my sales approach. I genuinely believed that I was offering something exceptional, and this belief resonated with potential customers.

With conviction, I approached each sales interaction with enthusiasm and confidence. I was able to articulate the product's unique selling points, address customer concerns, and demonstrate how it could genuinely improve their lives. This unwavering belief in the product allowed me to build trust and establish credibility with potential customers

Conviction is not a solo act in trade show, it involves everyone and a successful sales person understands they are a team and the more conviction in the product they have the more accountability they are willing to take on personally. There is less passing the buck and mishaps or fortunes are shared as a collective group.

A few suggestions that will help excel your ability to sell with more conviction.

Try getting to know your team better. Speak to you designer often, creative people have a way of thinking while their personalities are often easy to convey to clients as positive influences. Seeing a project through the eyes of who created the image helps you learn who that artist is and where their strength exists. Bringing a project from concept to completion can begin with confidence knowing you can capture exactly what your clients strategy is imagining.

Try walking the warehouse, understanding the logistics of storage and how the product moves in and out. All this while balancing materials for new projects is a valuable insight. Having the image of how your clients product moves from one phase to another adds to your ability to discuss projects on a personal level. It creates intimacy and develops the feeling of a nurtured client. No matter what industry you are involved in, knowing how the product is handled in all its phases is a vital tool.

Stay while construction or development is being done. knowing who is putting your project to life helps build a collaborative effort. Translating this phase to your client comes with ease if you have the ability to use details. A personal presence helps you to not only incorporate the feel of a collective effort to your client but builds a confidence in conversations. Knowing every single thing about your product is what selling with conviction is all about. It becomes natural and not forced.

What helps build conviction? Knowing what the competition is doing..I know this is a very common sales tip but it is extremely important. Being able to discuss competitors with confidence helps makes conversations more intellectual. Making decisions for your client should have purpose. Understanding your clients' competition is crucial for building conviction in your sales approach. When you have a comprehensive knowledge of the competitive landscape, you can effectively highlight the unique advantages and value proposition of your product or service.

By understanding what sets your offering apart from the competition, you can confidently articulate why it is the superior choice. This knowledge not only helps you address potential objections and concerns, but it also allows you to position your product as the best solution in the market. When you can clearly demonstrate how your offering outperforms the competition, it strengthens your conviction and instills trust in your clients, ultimately leading to more successful sales outcomes. Learn your competition as well as your clients.

Conviction is an essential ingredient in the sales equation. It empowers salespeople to confidently present their products or services, overcome objections, and close deals successfully. My experience at RH Donnelley taught me that when you genuinely believe in the product you are selling, it becomes easier to convince others of its value. So, embrace conviction, and let it be the driving force behind your sales success.

Believing in the product I am selling makes me genuinely passionate about my work. It fueled my motivation to excel and provided a sense of purpose in helping customers make informed decisions. I have worked multiple sales positions as well as recruited for sales folks across multiple industries. RH Donnelley and the below mentioned are the most impressive companies I have ever worked with directly.

Now, with the above said I can now present my conviction. In the past 20 years I have evolved into a passionate advocate for my supplier of labor in NY to which has developed into my conviction today.

M&J Innovations is exactly what motivated me to write this article. I have worked side by side with ownership for decades. If the word conviction means anything it is exemplified when working with Michael and Dan. They have worked endlessly to develop a team of builders that share the same desire to do well and stand out. I am a creature of observation and Hate putting anything with my name on anything that I have not personally touched. I stood proud multiple amount of times witnessing M&J doing the right thing while going over and behind. He treats A 10x10 as if its a 100x100 and treats the 100x100 like they are the only ones on the show. Handing the baton off is with ease and confidence. The history of I&D experience for M&J Innovations is difficult to parallel or pass. Going from carpenter to floor supervisor to owner is the story. This is when experience actually becomes a tangible. Service is easy to recognize and questions are answered before even being asked. The new year brings much growth in our industry and with trade shows coming back to life it may be time to learn your product more and rely on the people around you. MY conviction comes from the ability in knowing that when I have any employee of M&J innovations handle projects, they are going to make sure they complete it with absolute best professionalism. They display years of floor experience by foreseeing obstacles while handling the process seamlessly. I look forward to bringing more clients to their list of satisfied exhibitors who’s installation becomes the least of their worries.

Let’s start the new year off expanding our internal resources and show them off to your clients. Make the team and product details the highlight of your conviction. I hope to hear from many of you this year so I can not only tell you about our labor services but hopefully show you that in New York. Need, labor call (631) 987-1922 [email protected]