Sales Chump

My father was the quintessential salesperson. He believed completely in his product. He was confident but not arrogant. He truly cared about the well-being of his prospects and clients. And they knew it. It was a pleasure to watch him interact with his customers. Needless to say, he was very successful.

Let’s explore each of these aspects of the successful salesperson in more detail.

1. Belief in one’s product or service.

If you are going to sell something, you should believe it is the best thing out there. Understand what makes it stand out; what its benefits truly are. Be realistic. If there is something better on the market - know what it is and what makes it better. Then ask yourself – can I really sell my product?

I don’t know about you, but I would find it difficult to sell something I didn’t believe in completely. What you believe emanates from you. If you aren’t completely sold, people will know it. Then they won’t want what you have to sell.

On a separate note, your knowledge of and belief in your product will provide you with your marketing message. What you know and believe about your product or service is what you want to share with others. Small business owners have an advantage here. They believed so much in something that they were compelled to start a business around it. All that is left for them to do is share.

2. Confidence not arrogance

This is critically important. Being confident – in yourself, in your product or service, in your message – is essential. However, being overly confident or arrogant will destroy you. Arrogance leads people to ‘sell’. To talk instead of listen. After all, they believe they know best.

You simply have to think about your experiences with arrogant people to know this is true. They’re self-absorbed but not self-aware. A confident person doesn’t have anything to prove. They possess a depth of belief so they don’t feel the need to convince anyone of anything. You see, arrogance is born from insecurity – it’s overcompensating for what one doesn’t know or believe.

3. Truly care about the well-being of your prospects and clients

It is this caring that creates an environment where you are actively listening, and processing what you are hearing. You are realistic, honest, and capable of seeing things from the client’s point of view. It’s basic respect. You aren’t trying to ‘sell’ them. Rather, you are trying to help them solve a problem.

You care about their well-being when you:

-Care that they get their problem solved – whether YOU can solve it or not

-Care that they pay a fair price

-Care that they make an informed (not coerced) decision

You can see how when you believe in your product or service, are confident in yourself, as well as your message, and care about your client’s well-being, you will develop outstanding relationships. It is those relationships that will bring you quality business for years to come.

Now is the time of year when salespeople revisit their client base and make decisions about how they will prepare for the coming year.

What do you do to be ready?

Here are some thoughts -

1. Visit your current customers and find out what is going on with them
2. Create a profile of your ideal client
3. Develop a sales plan for approaching other companies/individuals who match that profile
4. Start working the plan
5. Evaluate at set intervals to make sure you are on the right track

How does that sound? There are two issues here. One is making sure you have a good relationship with your current clients. After all, you want to keep them. So don’t neglect them. The second issue is defining your target market. Knowing what your ideal client looks like can help you define that market. Usually your ideal client looks like one or more of your current clients. Another reason why visiting with them is helpful.

Give it a shot. I’ll be curious to see how it goes.