Interestingly, this is what a lot of people say to me and when questioned as to why they would say this, they seem to think that to be successful, you need to be an “up in your face” type of person.  You know the sort, the ones that are aggressive, won’t take “no” for an answer, think that they can sell ice to the eskimos, and never, ever listen to you!!!!

The truth is the most successful sales people are not like that, in fact they are the opposite, and when you look at the traits that they possess, it makes a very interesting reading:-

• They build relationships – people that are successful in a sales arena have woken up to the fact that it is imperative to build a relationship with their prospective customer.  They understand that people buy from people and that what the customer wants is to buy from somebody that they like, they trust and feel has their best interests at heart. 

• They listen – have you ever heard the phrase “you have two ears and one mouth, and use them in that order”?  Your customer wants you to listen to them, they want to feel that you are interested in them, their business and their issues and problems. They don’t want to sit and listen to you for hours telling them how good your product or service is! 

• They are able to demonstrate to the customer the benefits of their product or service – when you listen to your customer, you start to understand why they have come into the “buying arena”.  Your customer will tell you what the problem is and if you have listened to them, truly listened to them, you will then be able to tell them how you can help.

• They don’t sell – yes, you did hear that right!!!  Successful “sales people” don’t sell, they are able to offer recommendations to resolve the problem that their customer has.  The way that they present this is not by pressurising the customer, is not making them feel “sold to”, but is helping them to see how they can benefit from what they are being offered.

Putting it this way, it sounds easy doesn’t it?  You may already be doing this and “selling” without knowing that you are and if so, well done, keep up the good work!  If not, then don’t worry, you can learn how to do this, and our half day workshop Understanding the Basics of Sales on Friday 10^th June will help you.

For more information contact Julie Futcher on 01604 534004 or email julie@thesalesace.co.uk