I’ve been in sales for a couple of years before transitioning into a more strategic role in marketing. I’ve sold cookies through door-to-door sales jobs, tried and sold a couple of chocolate jars at table-to-table I’ve also sold investment plans from sales through cold calls, sold education courses by cold calling, created incentives for sales, setting up and managed sales procedures including office-to-office sales and am selling my book on marketing and providing consulting in the area of business strategies.
In the course of my career, I’ve had the privilege of managing a number of sales personnel and groups. It seems that I’m in an attitude of sales because I’m in the process of concept-selling. My customers include my partners, potential investors, and, sometimes, my wife. It is crucial to be able to market your ideas because if you don know how your life is likely to be boring.
However, as a salesperson or as some call it an executive in marketing (though I don’t agree on the meaning of the term marketing executive! ), There are some necessary and essential have abilities that should at the very least provide you with a sense of security as well as an assurance to become a better salesperson or marketing professional. The skills listed are entirely yours, but it is possible to learn from other people just like me, but the ability to perform it is based on your own. Let’s start.
1. Cold Calling
Yeah…this ability can be as cold when you first heard it. But, to convince you, salespeople who aren’t able to make cold calls will never be able to make a sale. I guarantee it! If you’ve ever made a cold calling, you’ll be able to agree with what I have to say following this. “Cold call broke the ice and heightened my confidence to make my first step and subsequently my first sale!” Agree?
It could come in a variety of types. It could be a call from the “cold-list” you receive from your boss. Another alternative is to travel between offices to set appointments. The third option is to meet people at your booth at the event. Fourthly, you receive flyers and need to give them out and persuade people to purchase the product, and finally convince your family friends of what you are doing. What can you do? Start it now, and don’t delay longer.
2. Presentation Skill
This is an essential skill to be acquired by anyone working in this century. It was once difficult to master, and some claim it’s a natural talent. However, I believe that this ability is easily acquired and is attainable quickly. There are plenty of books and programs to instruct you on how to develop the ability to present better. I was an extremely shy boy. Nervous. Many have said that I was too talkative!
The popularity of presenters in the current era has made the salesman and marketing personnel jobs more competitive. But remember that it’s not enough to simply speak and talk. It is essential to have solid content and be aware of what you’re talking about. This is where you can gain an edge and be different. Take a look at the book or Google for tips on how to present.
3. Listening
When you listen at a time, it is because you are paying attention to the other person and not talking. A lot of salespeople claim to listen, yet they continue to bombard your inbox with catalogs as well as information about their products from all directions. In some cases, they will find that your product or service isn’t the right fit for their needs. It’s best to let it go and handle it in a calm manner.
I’ve seen salespeople who, when they are disqualified, stop smiling with that look I hate. The reason is that it indicates that they did not really think about your needs and weren’t paying close attention to what the customers’ needs are. Listening is crucial because it differentiates you from other salespeople. However, there’s an important caveat: by listening, you actually make the selling cycle an extra. However, when it does happen in the end, it’s a long time.
4. Flexibility
This is definitely an art. If you are a salesperson or the marketing director, you have two numbers that are very flexible for a salesperson. The first is the target; the second is the price for you and one for your customer. The goal is to help make the sale occur, so we establish the price and target. With these numbers, we can increase the amount to earn our commission. Certain salespeople are too obsessed with numbers and are blinded by other aspects. They begin by making a hard sell, then they curse sell, and then end up by pushing, not selling.
I’ve had a client who does not have the money to pay for the training course I offered. I asked them, “What if I convince my boss that you can pay by installment? “, the boss said yes. But I’ve got a request, “You need to give me 5 participants and all of them on installment with 30% deposits; at least I can show your commitment.” Fantastic?
5. Sense of Humour
This is also a skill. It’s not about making fun of yourself or making fun. This is done by linking the subject to your client. Humour can ease tension and allows you to discuss something more serious after several doses of humor. It can also be diverse according to my personal experiences.
I once gave a birthday card to a famous CEO (but an individual customer) that contained a napkin in it. He contacted me and asked why it included a napkin on the birthday card? I informed him that I’d be happy to host him to dinner to celebrate his birthday as well as for some business conversations. We had dinner, and we worked through a few issues from the business aspect. I highly recommend that you explore the humor in your sales team. It is better to prepare it. Particularly to clients that you’ve lost. 😛
6. Knowledge
It is true that knowledge develops over time. However, my experience suggests that you can speed up learning. It’s like you could scoop it up and then build mountains after many scoops. Yes, you can! But you have to give up a bit of time since you’ve got to complete a lot of studying, read more as well as meet with more people, go to social gatherings, make time to travel or attend a conference you didn’t plan on attending and meet the most people you can. Since when you accomplish all of this, you’ll quickly overcome your weaknesses and benefit from your experiences.
There are two kinds of knowledge. The first is social knowledge which is about socializing individuals, and the second is professional expertise. The first is normal when you’re working in the field. The latter is more essential when you are a marketer or salesperson because, as the years pass by, you must convince people to trust you beyond what you’re selling. It is important to earn their trust, and trust will be the basis for the selling.
7. Discipline
This distinguishes you in the sense of “just a salesman” and “D salesman”. I have a good friend who is 50 years old. Years old, he’s still working as a waiter. I asked him, “Aren’t you want to be promoted as a manager perhaps at this age? ” His reply was “I can’t come late if I am a manager and I don’t think I can live with that.” In the end, this uncle is a fan working late!
If you don’t want to become “just a salesman”, then you’re able to put discipline out of the window. Discipline can take you further and lead to a better career that is more than simply the opportunity to work. The salesman position is an essential route to higher-level management when you have a solid foundation of discipline, perseverance, and sameness. The discipline will also help you to become more organized and increase your efficiency. Wouldn’t it be nice to make more money and own the latest car?
8. Closing Technique
This ability makes a majority of salesmen anxious. If I’m training salespeople in a group, the following question is an absolute must-answer, and I’ve got a common answer for this question “How do you normally do it?”. There are a variety of closing strategies, but I suggest that you be aware of the closing that brought you the business but did not earn the business. Sometimes, it’s not about the closing; it’s in your character.
There are a few phrases you can utilize to end. For instance, “Is there anything else that I can help you with, When can I send you the first order, Who would be receiving this delivery, Can you hand me the document first, Would you like to just try for one week see if you are happy with it, Perhaps I can give you a test drive, If I can solve your money problem would you buy from me” and the list goes on. Write down your closing so that you can use it (or take it to milk!) for a long time.
