"Ask, and you shall receive", a biblical principal that offers some of the best sales advice for beginning salespeople and experienced sales professionals alike. The best sales presentation imaginable generally will not yield the desired results unless the salesperson asks for the business.
Is this advice just for persons who make their living offering products and services to others for a commission? Yes, of course, but it is actually for all of us. After all, everybody sells! Surprised? Everybody does sell, although many people may not realize it at the time or think of themselves as salespeople. We sell ourselves and our ideas everyday.
In the job interview setting, we are selling the potential employer as to why we are the best person for the job. The boy who desires to date the girl he is enamored with must sell her as to the benefits of going out with him. The man proposing marriage to his sweetheart is selling her as to the lifelong benefits of being with him only. We all sell, in one manner or another, although possibly not in the traditional sense.
Selling, distilled down to its most basic roots, is simply the matching of benefits to needs and desires. The salesperson acts as the broker who is simply bringing the product or service to the table so that the buyer can be shown the personal benefits of ownership or use. Under ideal circumstances, the salesperson's purpose is simply to help the buyer purchase what he needs or wants. It is a win-win scenario for both. There is no coercion.
What is missing in many sales presentations however, is the final close? asking for the order. I have witnessed countless sales presentations during my career where the salesperson has done a magnificent job in making her presentation. She answered all of the objections. She probed and used trial closes along the way. At the peak of the presentation, the crescendo? she says "have a nice day" or "I'll see you next time" or "call me when you are ready" or some other lame comment and then turns to walk away. She never asked for the order!
My sales motto has always been, "Ask, or the answer is always no", and it really is. We must always perform the next natural step in the progression of our wonderful sales presentation, after the objections have been answered, and that is to ask the customer to make a buying decision now. This is the reason why there are salespeople. We would not be needed otherwise.
After all, an interested potential customer can go to the internet these days and learn just about every fact imaginable concerning our products or service. He can also examine our competitors. The customer is better educated than ever before. The salesperson must be at least as well educated as her customer as to the features, advantages and benefits of her own products and services, as well as those of her competitors. Keeping these facts in mind, what then is the role of the salesperson? Salespeople exist to close the sale. That is all.
As salespeople, if we fail to ask for the order, seldom will we actually receive the business and related commissions we desire. So... "Ask, and you shall receive."
Daniel Sitter is the author of the breakthrough e-book, Learning For Profit, the revolutionary "how-to" book providing simple, step-by-step instructions to teach people exactly how to learn new skills faster than ever before. It is what the author calls a "skinny book", a new generation of e-book designed for busy people. Containing no "filler or fluff", it gets right to the point with no wasted time. It can be read easily and quickly on a computer, a PDA or printed for later reference.
Visit http://www.learningforprofit.com/ or contact the author directly. This e-book is currently available from C|net's download.com, the authors' web site and a variety of online book merchants. Mr. Sitter is also a contributing writer for several online and traditional publications.
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
1. Multiply your marketing and advertising efforts on the Internet.... Read More
Keeping up with what words are in and out isn't... Read More
If you've ever flown economy class on an international flight... Read More
Maybe everything you need to know you can learn from... Read More
The first 15 seconds of your approach are the most... Read More
A study done by the Association of Sales Executives revealed... Read More
Many of us in sales are taught to believe that... Read More
One of the most difficult things we deal with as... Read More
The dreaded question: "What exactly does your company do?" It's... Read More
Seems almost every situation in our lives is centered on... Read More
Are you going to win this deal? With just less... Read More
An area many businesses fail to recognise as a way... Read More
This issue's topic on sales prospects comes in response to... Read More
When you are in sales, you have the choice to... Read More
Through out our career and lives we regularly get an... Read More
As Financial Services Sales Professional you need to build trust... Read More
Several weeks ago I asked my Newsletter subscribers to send... Read More
You do have a "Pipeline" don't you? You know, the... Read More
Recently I received a prospecting voice mail message from a... Read More
You built a very good web site...You have a great... Read More
Facilitating the buying process can be very straightforward and fairly... Read More
In this article, I would like to talk about the... Read More
"Ask, and you shall receive", a biblical principal that offers... Read More
On average a sales person spends less than two hours... Read More
The "Three Cs" in building customer relationships are a key... Read More
Does this sound familiar? With high expectations, you sent your... Read More
What was the quickest rejection you ever got? 2 minutes... Read More
How well do you handle objections?The fact is, most people... Read More
It pays to be specific. I believe that statement is... Read More
If you have problem attracting new customers, the sales marketing... Read More
Here are three proven ways that will increase your sales:1.... Read More
There is no magic pill, trick, teqnique, system or secret... Read More
"There are three kinds of salespeople; those who make things... Read More
One of the interesting things about being a coach and... Read More
Imagine you've just thrown a rock into a pond. SPLASH!... Read More
Cross-selling - the art of selling for non-salespeopleCross-selling is the... Read More
1. Be on time. In fact, arrive a few minutes... Read More
1. They talk instead of LISTEN. Too many salespeople monopolize... Read More
I've been getting lots of email from my readers lately.... Read More
Prospecting for future customers can be fun if you approach... Read More
From a customer's perception, it's easy for a salesperson to... Read More
I'm constantly amazed how otherwise smart marketeers become deaf, dumb... Read More
Did you ever meet someone with whom you just clicked?... Read More
I just finished reading another sales copy ending with the... Read More
From surveys and experience, we've noticed many setting excellent goals... Read More
Step 1: Get Ready - Create a foundation you can... Read More
We all have something in our past we believe someone... Read More
What do you do when you have a big sales... Read More
One of the most difficult things we deal with as... Read More
Many years ago, I was the one starting a small... Read More
I'm not a fan of "The Donald" and I had... Read More
It has been said that a customer makes a decision... Read More
Have you ever tried to explain to someone what you... Read More
The purpose of any business is to bring in customers,... Read More
Would you like to multiply your web site sales? Or... Read More
For the 'big three' automobile sales consultants, the 'employee discount... Read More
1.- REMAIN VERY CLIENT FOCUSED! Not Company focused. Your clients... Read More
Making a living in sales can be very rewarding, however,... Read More
Mention the word sales or salesman and two out of... Read More
We all make mistakes when selling our product or service.... Read More
Just a few critical distinctions can supercharge your communication skills:1... Read More
Education plus Motivation is a powerful formula. But how do... Read More
Mastering the "art of selling" is simply knowing how to... Read More
It's a common question we come across everyday: why is... Read More
Looking for a way to handle rejection?Edward W. Smith, motivational... Read More
The telephone is still the best and most effective way... Read More
Sales Training |