Sales Advice for a Friend

Tips to a Friend?

I don’t know about you, but as the years go on I seem to lose contact with my old friends. Which is a massive shame, and perhaps something I should address however it seems to be a reoccurring theme. How lovely is it though when you bump into the people you used to know and you have those precious seconds to speak with them and to get to learn about their lives all over again.

Well, this happened to me quite recently. Walking around the local town I bumped into a friend I knew from college. We got chatting and I got to learn about his recent adventures, his highs and his lows. We got chatting about my career as a sales trainer and he told me that he had just applied for a job in sales. He had never worked in sales before and was quite nervous as to what to do and how to do it. In his own words - he was a friendly enough person, he just did not have the first clue about selling. “Rob, what advice can you give to me? Do you have any simple tips to help me not only sell myself, but to get in the field and sell to other people?”

This question got me thinking. I had never really thought about a simple guide to sales and I guess I should have. Everyone sells. If you go on an interview, you sell your skills and experience. If you want you partner to try the new restaurant on the high street, you have to sell the idea to them. If you want a pay rise, you need to sell your reasoning why you deserve one. And if you own a business - you certainly sell! So, here we have it; my top three tips to get you started in sales. Nothing too fancy and no mind boggling manipulation here. Just to the point, simple and honest advice to help you sell more!

Don’t be ‘that’ sales person….

We can all remember every bad sales experience we have ever been a part of. I am confident that, like me, you have experienced some bad examples of over the top pushy sales people, untrustworthy characters and poor behaviours. I am sure you have walked away from some shops and transactions vowing to never return. However on the flip side of the coin, I bet you can remember every kind, helpful and honest sales professional you have ever met. You know the kind! The kind that will go out of their way for you. Will keep every promise and every statement that they make. They never let you down and go the extra mile to ensure that you get what you deserve.

Selling is a unique experience in which you get to meet some incredible people in the World, and you have the power to have an influence on the things that enter people’s lives. You may only be selling a bedside cabinet, but that bedside cabinet could hold photographs of that person’s family, and be a part of the room for ten years. You could be selling a phone, but that phone will be used to call someones loved ones across the globe. You have a wonderful chance to help people to find what they are looking for - make it memorable.

?Decide today what you want to be remembered for. Be remembered for making a difference - no matter how small it may be now, but the possibilities to grow are endless.

Shake It Off

This is something I talk about in every single training session I can: get used to be rejected. Rejection is going to happen. Unfortunately, you are not going to win every single sales pitch or presentation and yes, there will be times when your competition comes in and wins the sale from under your feet. The best sales professionals and business owners will come to accept this, shake it off, and move on.

What you must never forget is that just because you heard ‘no’ today, does not mean it will be a ‘no’ tomorrow. Don’t throw your toys out of the pram, whinge moan and cry about the rejection - especially not to your prospective customer. Your role in this instance is to keep the relationship alive and show that you care and you are happy that they found a solution to their problem. That way, when they need your services again or your competition lets you down - guess who is going to be their to help them out?

A rejection is rarely personal. It could be the wrong time, the wrong offer, or the wrong price. Shake it off, and go again.

2:1

Sometimes, sales need not be over complicated. It’s easy to get caught up in fancy terminology that somehow has found it’s way into our way of life: Opening, prospecting, qualifying, test close, closing, pipeline, funnel blah blah blah. You don’t really need to know all of that - at least, not yet. The best sales professionals in the world simply; listen more, talk less. The more you listen to your potential customer, and learn about them, their life, what they are looking for and most importantly; what they need, then you are going to find your sales career very easy. It simply then becomes a case of you connecting the dots and finding the right solution to the problem. Sometimes it is wise to just be quiet and let your prospect do the talking. Not only will they love the chance to unload, but you will develop an incredible relationship and better still: you will learn exactly what they need.

There we have it - three simple little ideas you can take away with you and get more sales. If you put these in to practice, I guarantee you will see a higher rate of success. Right, I am off to go and find all of my old friends on Facebook and tell them I miss them. What are you waiting for; call your next prospect and put the above ideas into practice!