Sales Skills are Life Skills

I love the art of selling. LOVE IT. When I first entered the field of sales, the one thing I quickly grew to appreciate was the fact that anything I did to increase my ability in selling also increased my ability in life. Sales skills are life skills.

"There's a born salesman!" I have yet to read, or hear on the evening news, of a lady who gave birth to a sales person. Or an attorney, or doctor, or for that matter an embezzler or swindler. Birth is given to boys and girls; everything after that is by choices made and skills that are learned. And sales skills are life skills.

"I am not ever going to be in sales!" Really? If you have ever been in a conversation in which you were trying to express an opinion or influence an event, then you were selling. The truth is that everyone is constantly trying to sell an idea, belief, proposition, opinion, or a goal. You use sales skills throughout the day, everyday. With your spouse, your kids, your peers, your neighbor, your parents, at the store, at the bank, at your church, when you buy a car or a house, or when you simply go out to dinner. Sales skills are life skills.

There is not an area of your life where sales skills cannot be a benefit. Teachers use sales skills. Preachers use sales skills. Police officers use sales skills. Mother Teresa used sales skills. Regardless of what you do, sales skills will improve your probability for success at motivating, instructing, encouraging, coaching, communicating with and reaching people. Sales skills are life skills.

In fact, every successful person is good at selling himself or herself.

Truly successful sales people have great listening skills. (Although my wife often questions mine!) Unfortunately, the image of a good sales person is a slick talking person who could sell ice to an Eskimo. However, just the opposite is true. The professional sales person wouldn't sell ice to an Eskimo unless that ice was wanted and needed. And that would be determined through a series of questions and keen listening to determine the need. In fact, a true professional sales person will listen over three times as much as they will talk! (Again, my wife may disagree but it is true!) Sales skills are life skills.

There is not a single person in an organization that does not have an opportunity to sell for their organization. It is for that reason that I believe everyone in an organization should receive some training in sales skills. It takes very few positive results to more than pay for the investment! Think about the tremendous upside. Not only do you dramatically increase the potential of your sales force, but your employee's confidence, attitude, and motivation greatly increases. Sales skills are life skills.

How to ask questions, listen intently, clarify a position or opinion, present a view, deal with objections, and reach a successful conclusion for all involved is the art of sales. What is there not to like and which of those skills do you not want to get better at and use throughout your daily life?

Have I mentioned that sales skills are life skills?

Shawn Lacagnina, of Smoothstone Consulting, helps people understand how to work more effectively together through consulting, training, coaching, and public speaking. His passion is sharing real world skills that not only affect the bottom line of organizations, but change people's lives. Prior to Smoothstone, Shawn was the CEO of Triad USA Marketing Group, Inc. for over eleven years.

---

You Dont Need Health Insurance!

Seems almost every situation in our lives is centered on... Read More

Bite Your Tongue

Most people don't realize how powerful a negotiating tool silence... Read More

Top Ten No Money Promotion Ways That Create New Clients and Fast Sales

Better than offline promotion such as press releases, talks, or... Read More

5 Small Steps To Ultimate Sales Success

"Selling worth doing is worth doing badly ? at first!"... Read More

Maximize Sales and Minimize Returns with Learning Styles

In the day-to-day operation of an online business we can... Read More

Closing the Sale - It Doesnt Have To Be Uncomfortable

"The Close" is sales jargon for the bit where you... Read More

The Changing Role of the Sales Consultant

"Leadership rests not only on outstanding ability. It also rests... Read More

In Sales The Biggest Rolodex Wins

How many names do you have in your business Rolodex?... Read More

The Myth of the Natural Born Sales Wonder

When I researched the field of using personality inventories to... Read More

Sell Yourself - Sell Anything!

Each of us sells every single day. We are all... Read More

The Biggest Mistake in Sales Prospecting

Recently I received a prospecting voice mail message from a... Read More

Probe Before You Sell

When selling a product to a customer, it is very... Read More

Start Your Sales Engine!

Does your business run on a sales engine or a... Read More

Using the Consultative Approach to Gaining Sales

What do we mean by a consultative approach?When you hear... Read More

Date Your Customer!

Yes, you heard me right; I said "Date your clients!"... Read More

Selling - Always Go for Top Money

If you've ever flown economy class on an international flight... Read More

Business Appointment Success or Failure

One of the quickest ways to loose a sale is... Read More

Sales Training - What Is a Disguised Implied Need?

Have you ever been in the position where you are... Read More

Generate Sales with Lead Generation Marketing Tools

One of the best projects to undertake as an online... Read More

The Key to Driving Sales is Understanding What Not How

What does it take to make a sale lately?In Sales,... Read More

How to Build a Repeat Client Base in Automobile Sales

Here is a question I recently received from a young... Read More

The Business of Closing the Sale Without Killing It

You must be able to coordinate your sales talk to... Read More

Are You Doing What It Takes To Win More Sales

What does it take to be a WINNER during these... Read More

Increase Profits from Your Existing Customers

An area many businesses fail to recognise as a way... Read More

Sales Skills for the Non Sales Professional

Have you ever wondered how in the heck you're going... Read More

The ?Shocking? Sales Strategy of Saying THANKS!

I would like you to begin thinking of mailboxes in... Read More

Have You Prepared for Success in Sales?

My wife and I watched the movie Ray a couple... Read More

Knowledge is Power in Auto Detailing Sales

The most important thing for an auto detailer to do... Read More

Sales 101

For many individuals in business the hardest part is selling.... Read More

7 Steps to Selling Artwork

Selling arwork is easy when you follow a road map.... Read More

Boost Buyer Confidence By Assuming The Sale

I saw something in town the other day that just... Read More

Youre Hired... I Think

I'm not a fan of "The Donald" and I had... Read More

7 Ways to Cut Loose from Old Sales Thinking

Sooner or later, we all backslide into old ways of... Read More