Learning from others experiences and mistakes is always a good idea. And for a sales perso, the right way to learn is from some of the most successful sales people. Sometime, sales training and sales coaching classes could bring in successful people to give a talk to the new batch of sales people.(Might be to expensive to participate) But, if you haven’t got a chance to hear these people talk then, not to worry here are the 5 tips from the most successful sales people.
1- Focus on Clients
2- The Right Attitude
3- Set a Goal
4 – Select your Clients Carefully
5 – Follow Up
Will brief further next posting-can’t think what to brief right now
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
10 Characteristics of Successful Salespeople
What separates successful sales people from everyone else? I believe that most successful sales people, in virtually any industry, possess the following characteristics:
1. They are persistent. Selling or running a business for a living requires a tremendous amount of persistence. Obstacles loom in front of us on a regular basis. But it’s what you do when faced with these barriers that will determine your level of success. I believe it was Brian Tracy who once said that a person will face the most challenging obstacle just before they achieve their goal. The most successful people in any industry have learned to face the obstacles that get in their way. They look for new solutions. They are tenacious. They refuse to give up.
2. Successful sales people are avid goal setters. They know what they want to accomplish and they plan their approach. They make sure their goals are specific, motivational, achievable yet challenging, relevant to their personal situation, and time-framed. They visualize their target, determine how they will achieve their goal, and take action on a daily basis.
3. Great sales people ask quality questions. The best sales people ask their clients and prospects plenty of quality questions to fully determine their situation and buying needs. They know that the most effective way to present their product or service is to uncover their customer's goals, objectives, concerns and hesitations. This allows them to effectively discuss the features and benefits of their product and service that most relate to each customer.
4. Successful sales people listen. Most sales people will ask a question then give their customer the answer, or continue to talk afterwards instead of waiting for their response. Great sales people know that customers will tell them everything they need to know if given the right opportunity. They ask questions and listen carefully to the responses, often taking notes and summarizing their understanding of the customers' comments. They have learned that silence is golden.
5. Successful sales people are passionate. They love their company and they exude this pride when talking about their products and services. The more passionate you are about your career, the greater the chance you will succeed. The reason for this is simple—when you love what you do you are going to put more effort into your work. When you are passionate about the products or services you sell, your enthusiasm will shine brightly in every conversation. If you aren’t genuinely excited about selling your particular product or service, give serious consideration to making a change. You are not doing yourself, your company or your customers any favors by continuing to represent something you can’t get excited about.
6. Successful sales people are enthusiastic. They are always in a positive mood - even during difficult times - and their enthusiasm is contagious. They seldom talk poorly of the company or the business. When faced with unpleasant or negative situations, they choose to focus on the positive elements instead of allowing themselves to be dragged down.
7. Successful sales people take responsibility for their results. They do not blame internal problems, the economy, tough competitors, or anything else if they fail to meet their sales quotas. They know that their actions alone will determine their results and they do what is necessary.
8. Successful sales people work hard. Most people want to be successful but they aren’t prepared to work hard to achieve it. Sales superstars don’ t wait for business to come to them; they go after it. They usually start work earlier than their coworkers and stay later than everyone else. They make more calls, prospect more consistently, talk to more people, and give more sales presentations than their coworkers.
9. Successful sales people keep in touch with their clients. They know that constant contact helps keep clients so they use a variety of approaches to accomplish this. They send thank-you, birthday, and anniversary cards. They make phone calls and schedule regular ‘keep in touch’ breakfast and lunch meetings. They send articles of value to their customers and send an email newsletter. They are constantly on the lookout for new and creative ways to keep their name in their customers’ minds.
10. Successful sales people show value. Today’s business world is more competitive than ever before and most sales people think that price is the only motivating buying factor. Successful sales people recognize that price is a factor in every sale but it is seldom the primary reason someone chooses a particular product or supplier. They know that a well-informed buyer will usually base much of her decision on the value proposition presented by the sales person. They know how to create this value with each customer, prospect, or buyer they encounter.
We all have what it takes to become successful. Are you ready to make it happen?
© 2005 Kelley Robertson, all rights reserved.
1. They are persistent. Selling or running a business for a living requires a tremendous amount of persistence. Obstacles loom in front of us on a regular basis. But it’s what you do when faced with these barriers that will determine your level of success. I believe it was Brian Tracy who once said that a person will face the most challenging obstacle just before they achieve their goal. The most successful people in any industry have learned to face the obstacles that get in their way. They look for new solutions. They are tenacious. They refuse to give up.
2. Successful sales people are avid goal setters. They know what they want to accomplish and they plan their approach. They make sure their goals are specific, motivational, achievable yet challenging, relevant to their personal situation, and time-framed. They visualize their target, determine how they will achieve their goal, and take action on a daily basis.
3. Great sales people ask quality questions. The best sales people ask their clients and prospects plenty of quality questions to fully determine their situation and buying needs. They know that the most effective way to present their product or service is to uncover their customer's goals, objectives, concerns and hesitations. This allows them to effectively discuss the features and benefits of their product and service that most relate to each customer.
4. Successful sales people listen. Most sales people will ask a question then give their customer the answer, or continue to talk afterwards instead of waiting for their response. Great sales people know that customers will tell them everything they need to know if given the right opportunity. They ask questions and listen carefully to the responses, often taking notes and summarizing their understanding of the customers' comments. They have learned that silence is golden.
5. Successful sales people are passionate. They love their company and they exude this pride when talking about their products and services. The more passionate you are about your career, the greater the chance you will succeed. The reason for this is simple—when you love what you do you are going to put more effort into your work. When you are passionate about the products or services you sell, your enthusiasm will shine brightly in every conversation. If you aren’t genuinely excited about selling your particular product or service, give serious consideration to making a change. You are not doing yourself, your company or your customers any favors by continuing to represent something you can’t get excited about.
6. Successful sales people are enthusiastic. They are always in a positive mood - even during difficult times - and their enthusiasm is contagious. They seldom talk poorly of the company or the business. When faced with unpleasant or negative situations, they choose to focus on the positive elements instead of allowing themselves to be dragged down.
7. Successful sales people take responsibility for their results. They do not blame internal problems, the economy, tough competitors, or anything else if they fail to meet their sales quotas. They know that their actions alone will determine their results and they do what is necessary.
8. Successful sales people work hard. Most people want to be successful but they aren’t prepared to work hard to achieve it. Sales superstars don’ t wait for business to come to them; they go after it. They usually start work earlier than their coworkers and stay later than everyone else. They make more calls, prospect more consistently, talk to more people, and give more sales presentations than their coworkers.
9. Successful sales people keep in touch with their clients. They know that constant contact helps keep clients so they use a variety of approaches to accomplish this. They send thank-you, birthday, and anniversary cards. They make phone calls and schedule regular ‘keep in touch’ breakfast and lunch meetings. They send articles of value to their customers and send an email newsletter. They are constantly on the lookout for new and creative ways to keep their name in their customers’ minds.
10. Successful sales people show value. Today’s business world is more competitive than ever before and most sales people think that price is the only motivating buying factor. Successful sales people recognize that price is a factor in every sale but it is seldom the primary reason someone chooses a particular product or supplier. They know that a well-informed buyer will usually base much of her decision on the value proposition presented by the sales person. They know how to create this value with each customer, prospect, or buyer they encounter.
We all have what it takes to become successful. Are you ready to make it happen?
© 2005 Kelley Robertson, all rights reserved.
SELLING AN ART
Selling first and foremost is ART. The sales person has to acquire sufficient knowledge from where to buy and whom to sell and at what price. Gathering this information require certain skills which we call it an ‘art’ in this article. Here the assumption is that the sales person is working on behalf of small or medium trading company which is considered as a profit centre by the employers. Therefore the sales person has to be most performance oriented.
It is said that selling makes the World go around. It is somebody who sold some thing to someone else who in turn sold it to us. Let us consider the case of food products .The fertilizer company sells urea to the farmer who sells his produce to the food processing firms like Pepsi or Britannia; who after processing the agricultural produce, sell it to the wholesaler who in turn sells to the retailers and they sell the same to consumers.
Had it not been for the salesperson, the standard of living of an average person would have been much lower. Democracies would never have survived and many ideas and causes would never have succeeded. Selling is crucial to economic growth, political systems and an individuals and familys life-styles. It is so fundamental that every time we try to convince others, we sell. In such cases we sell ideas. Politicians sell ideologies. Research scientists sell researches.
Any time we advocate an idea, a cause or a product, we sell. Despite its significance its pathetic to see how little we know of selling and also the quality of salesmanship exhibited. Each one of us have had both poor and good experiences with sales people which has helped to either reinforce or demolish the stereotype image of salesperson etc.
In todays world marked by complex technologies, and multiple choicesboth product and sales and service outlets the customer is increasingly becoming dependent on the salesperson The customer is wanting an answer to the question Why you and Why not your competitors product. The customer wants to be sure that he or she is getting value for his or her money and finally
Gets reassured that whenever service is required, the sale person will be there. In other words its the salesperson who provide competitive product information to the customer, helps the latter to apply the product to his or her situation and also reassure the customer on prices and service. Its through these activities that the salesperson provides a competitive advantage to the firm or enterprise.
Many a time salespersons have a hard time explaining why the customer should pay a higher price for a product which is available at a lower price elsewhere. Most of them hate to answer this objection and always put pressure on the management to lower its product prices, which is not acceptable to the latter. Rarely do these salespeople realize that a product is bought not just on the basis of price but on the basis of other variables also. This makes the difference between an order taker and a problem solving salesperson. The latter looks at the customers objection as problems needing solutions and hence attempt at generating alternatives to resolve them. It is a problem solving and a consultative style of selling that wins the day.
STIMULUS RESPONSE THEORY OF SELLING
This method or sales under his theory is possible under certain circumstances. They can be
i) Superior quality of the products under a well known brand name needed by many house holds. For example brand Basmati rice
ii) ii) Familiarity or confidence in the sales person iii) Incentives offered by the firm selling the products etc. We have given in detail about the theory and its applications in the ensuing paragraphs.
The stimulus response theory states that if the salesperson uses the right stimulus of an appropriate strength, the prospect will respond the way the salesperson wants him toin this case buy the product. Some of the stimuli that the salesperson has a control over are:
1. Self-Physical appearance, mannerism, tone of the voice or modulating the voice and interpersonal skills exhibited by the salesperson.
2. Price concessions: A salesperson have limited discretions to give price concessions to the most promising and large prospects.
3. Announcement of price changes: Salespeople can choose their timing to announce changes in the price.
4. Preferential treatment to important customers like those who buy in large volumes, make on time payment and are willing to help the salesperson in liquidating his stocks.
This theory presumes a passive role of the prospect in the entire selling process. Like a robot, the prospect will follow the salesperson.
Unfortunately in most cases this doesnt work. In situations where it does work, it more often leaves the customer in a state of post-purchase dissonance. That because the customer is not convinced. May be at a particular moment of weakness, the customer gave in to the salesperson, or the customer who conned in buying from the salesperson.
This theory works in organizations which have a selling orientation and believe in pushing the sale at all costs.
The stimulus response theory saw firms emphasizing the physical appearance of the salesperson and his or her conversational skills. It also saw firms giving leverage to their salespeople to finalize the order at any cost. Hence, there have been examples where the salespeople made the sale for the firm but it was unprofitable. For, they lowered their prices or allowed extended period of credit to the prospect which had a negative effect on the firms bottom line.
Further, as markets become competitive, the thrust will be on relationship management. More and more salespeople will need to have both internal and external focus, if he or she has to be a change agent in the territory. Internally, its the sales person who provides relevant information to all departments and coordinates with them in order to ensure high customer satisfaction.
In the stimulus response theory, the principal contact of salesperson in buying organization is the purchase department.
Under this theory there is also a possibility of he sales person offering all sorts of concessions to pursue the customer to change the current product the consumer is using and later on gradually reducing the discounts. Here the sales person takes a chance. If the customer likes their product then he or she may continue to buy he product irrespective of withdrawal of discounts or incentives and can be loyal customer. Otherwise the customer may revert back to his old brand.
www.globalintelligence.com
It is said that selling makes the World go around. It is somebody who sold some thing to someone else who in turn sold it to us. Let us consider the case of food products .The fertilizer company sells urea to the farmer who sells his produce to the food processing firms like Pepsi or Britannia; who after processing the agricultural produce, sell it to the wholesaler who in turn sells to the retailers and they sell the same to consumers.
Had it not been for the salesperson, the standard of living of an average person would have been much lower. Democracies would never have survived and many ideas and causes would never have succeeded. Selling is crucial to economic growth, political systems and an individuals and familys life-styles. It is so fundamental that every time we try to convince others, we sell. In such cases we sell ideas. Politicians sell ideologies. Research scientists sell researches.
Any time we advocate an idea, a cause or a product, we sell. Despite its significance its pathetic to see how little we know of selling and also the quality of salesmanship exhibited. Each one of us have had both poor and good experiences with sales people which has helped to either reinforce or demolish the stereotype image of salesperson etc.
In todays world marked by complex technologies, and multiple choicesboth product and sales and service outlets the customer is increasingly becoming dependent on the salesperson The customer is wanting an answer to the question Why you and Why not your competitors product. The customer wants to be sure that he or she is getting value for his or her money and finally
Gets reassured that whenever service is required, the sale person will be there. In other words its the salesperson who provide competitive product information to the customer, helps the latter to apply the product to his or her situation and also reassure the customer on prices and service. Its through these activities that the salesperson provides a competitive advantage to the firm or enterprise.
Many a time salespersons have a hard time explaining why the customer should pay a higher price for a product which is available at a lower price elsewhere. Most of them hate to answer this objection and always put pressure on the management to lower its product prices, which is not acceptable to the latter. Rarely do these salespeople realize that a product is bought not just on the basis of price but on the basis of other variables also. This makes the difference between an order taker and a problem solving salesperson. The latter looks at the customers objection as problems needing solutions and hence attempt at generating alternatives to resolve them. It is a problem solving and a consultative style of selling that wins the day.
STIMULUS RESPONSE THEORY OF SELLING
This method or sales under his theory is possible under certain circumstances. They can be
i) Superior quality of the products under a well known brand name needed by many house holds. For example brand Basmati rice
ii) ii) Familiarity or confidence in the sales person iii) Incentives offered by the firm selling the products etc. We have given in detail about the theory and its applications in the ensuing paragraphs.
The stimulus response theory states that if the salesperson uses the right stimulus of an appropriate strength, the prospect will respond the way the salesperson wants him toin this case buy the product. Some of the stimuli that the salesperson has a control over are:
1. Self-Physical appearance, mannerism, tone of the voice or modulating the voice and interpersonal skills exhibited by the salesperson.
2. Price concessions: A salesperson have limited discretions to give price concessions to the most promising and large prospects.
3. Announcement of price changes: Salespeople can choose their timing to announce changes in the price.
4. Preferential treatment to important customers like those who buy in large volumes, make on time payment and are willing to help the salesperson in liquidating his stocks.
This theory presumes a passive role of the prospect in the entire selling process. Like a robot, the prospect will follow the salesperson.
Unfortunately in most cases this doesnt work. In situations where it does work, it more often leaves the customer in a state of post-purchase dissonance. That because the customer is not convinced. May be at a particular moment of weakness, the customer gave in to the salesperson, or the customer who conned in buying from the salesperson.
This theory works in organizations which have a selling orientation and believe in pushing the sale at all costs.
The stimulus response theory saw firms emphasizing the physical appearance of the salesperson and his or her conversational skills. It also saw firms giving leverage to their salespeople to finalize the order at any cost. Hence, there have been examples where the salespeople made the sale for the firm but it was unprofitable. For, they lowered their prices or allowed extended period of credit to the prospect which had a negative effect on the firms bottom line.
Further, as markets become competitive, the thrust will be on relationship management. More and more salespeople will need to have both internal and external focus, if he or she has to be a change agent in the territory. Internally, its the sales person who provides relevant information to all departments and coordinates with them in order to ensure high customer satisfaction.
In the stimulus response theory, the principal contact of salesperson in buying organization is the purchase department.
Under this theory there is also a possibility of he sales person offering all sorts of concessions to pursue the customer to change the current product the consumer is using and later on gradually reducing the discounts. Here the sales person takes a chance. If the customer likes their product then he or she may continue to buy he product irrespective of withdrawal of discounts or incentives and can be loyal customer. Otherwise the customer may revert back to his old brand.
www.globalintelligence.com
Thursday, December 17, 2009
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