The Makings of a Salesman

Salesmanship is the force that moves business. Without it all business would be at a stand-still. Just being able to sell does not complete the definition of salesmanship. A fraudulent person may be able to sell you a piece of swamp land, but because they were able to sell the worthless piece of property to you, does that say they demonstrated salesmanship?

The answer, of course, is no. The central fact of salesmanship is rending a service to your customer. It has to do with convincing others to buy your goods as a benefit to them at a fair price. And they must be satisfied with their purchase.

When looking for people to sell your goods, you will no doubt run into several different types of prospects, and it will be your job to take them successfully through the selling process until you close the deal. Each step must be carried out in succession. If a step is skipped, or taken out of the natural order in which the human mind works, it could result in you loosing the sale, or in this case, a potential salesman. So you see the importance of every salesperson learning these fundamental steps.

This article is to help you identify your prospects and how to teach them the principles of selling, so they will go out and successfully make sales for you and themselves.

No person is born a salesman. It is true; some of us may be born with certain talents that would be beneficial in the area of sales. And there have been some pretty good salesmen who have had no formal training. But everyone would do even better, if they learn what entails the selling process.

What are the principles of the selling process? Here it is in a nutshell. It's all about the psychology of the human mind. The selling process concerns carrying the prospect successfully from one mental state to the next, resulting in the sale.

Teach your prospects how to pique their customer's curiosity for the proposition. Create interest. Convince the customer that the claims that have been made concerning the proposition are true. Instill in the customer the desire to own what they are selling. And finally, teach your sales people how to get their customers to make a decision to buy and to take action.

The salesman should keep the first selling talk short, forceful and to the point. And they need to create and keep interest active in the mind of their customer. They should bring energy and life into their sales talk. No one wants to listen to a boring sales presentation.

Knowing why the customer will buy is very important. You find this out by getting into the mind of the prospect. Seeing things from their point of view. The customer wants to know if you can render them a real service. They may not be interested in your name, or the name of your company at first. The main thing they want to know is how what you are selling will benefit them. The trained salesman will show the customer they wish to render a real service.

Make sure your sales people know your goods. If they are blind-sided by a question concerning your goods that they cannot answer, the salesperson will have little, or no chance of getting their prospect to trust what they are saying is true.

Different Types of Prospects:

The curious person is going to want to know what qualifications are needed. They're going to ask questions. Asking questions is the best way to learn anything. His or her need to know more is the first sign that their interest is sincere. This type of person is open to the possibilities of instruction. And they already understand there is a right and wrong way to sell. Let them know that they need sales training and among other things, they will have to learn about the principles of the selling process. And this sales training will qualify them to be a success in any type of business situation.

The next person may be very enthusiastic from the get go. And may ask the question, "How long will it take for me to get started?" Now you've already moved this person through all the stages. You have closed the deal. But wait, a person of this nature still must be taught the principles of selling. A trained person makes the fewest mistakes. And will be the most successful. At this point you don't want to dampen their enthusiasm, so teach them the principles of the selling process so they can get started selling for you.

The fearful person may say, "I'm afraid of selling. I don't think I'm cut out to be a salesman." You should empathize with this person. Let them know they are not alone. Others have expressed the same fears only to go on and become some of the best salesmen. Just as in every other profession, there are things in the field of sales that need to be learned. And once your prospect gets some sales training they may feel different about their sales abilities.

Still another person may feel they need no instruction at all because they're a natural born salesman. They can out talk anybody. They feel very self-sufficient. They may feel what they don't know they can learn by doing, and in fact, this is true to a certain extent, but a salesman is not born, they are made. And as in any field, the trained person has a better chance of acquiring success.

Being able to talk a good game is not the same thing as being a trained salesman. So this person needs to be made aware that instruction is still needed. The danger of this type of person is they may go out and make the biggest mistakes. It is best to use techniques that have been analyzed and tested. Trial and error is not the way to go into salesmanship. This type person would fare much better by learning the principles of selling first.

The salesman who knows what he or she is talking about has coupled natural abilities with learned instruction. They will be the most successful sales people. The trained salesman makes the fewest mistakes. This means that time, money and energy are not wasted by going off half-cocked and loosing the sale.

Copyright © 2005 Gloria Whitehorn-All rights reserved

About the Author:

Gloria is an article writer, business owner, author of two books, salesperson and seasoned mail order pro. Visit her site for information on a great part-time, full-time-anytime business. She knows what she's talking about.

http://www.dovemang.com

*Attn: Ezine Editors/Site owners*
You have permission to reprint this article in your ezine or on your website as long as you print the complete article and leave all the links and resource box in place. You cannot modify the content in any way.

---

Curiosity and How It Effects Your Business Proposition

The first 15 seconds of your approach are the most... Read More

Marketing Vs. Sales

Marketing and sales co-exist and work in tandem beautifully if... Read More

How To Win Business By Networking

In sales we do tend to become focused upon our... Read More

The Top 7 Sales Blunders

We all make mistakes when selling our product or service.... Read More

Being Politically Correct When Selling Can Cost You Sales

In our culture it is basically un-American for a prospective... Read More

Selling - Always Go for Top Money

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

Sales Training - What Is a Disguised Implied Need?

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

Successful Sales Strategies: Winning the Close Ones

The "Three Cs" in building customer relationships are a key... Read More

How To Go Perpendicular In Your Sales Territory

First and foremost are you thinking Strategically? "Do you have... Read More

Visual Science of Selling

Statistics state that 55% of people judgments are made based... Read More

Hello! I Cant Sell!

What's that you say? You can't sell?Oh, you must be... Read More

Sales Language: Whats Wrong with But?

Language is one of the most important tools you have... Read More

Win More Sales With a 5-Step Sales Process

Facilitating the buying process can be very straightforward and fairly... Read More

Is the Sales Funnel Dead?

Think about it. If only it was as easy as... Read More

Dont Read This Issue: Why Saying No Can Make Your Sales Rate Soar!

Yes, it's true. Saying "No" is a great way of... Read More

7 Phrases You Cant Say in Sales

7 Phrases You Can't Say in Sales (Because They Will... Read More

Keep Sales Simple

For those of us working in the exciting world of... Read More

Three Essential Questions You Must Ask To Make More Sales ? Ignore Them At Your Peril

There's loads of material about making money available on the... Read More

Secrets That Lead To Failure In Sales

Let's be realistic nobody really wants to be labeled a... Read More

Why More Sales Training Comes Before More Marketing Expenditure

In most businesses, when sales are slow or low, the... Read More

Prospecting: Not A Wild Goose Chase... Its A HUNT

Prospecting for future customers can be fun if you approach... Read More

Three Fast, Short, Simple Ways to Escalate Your Sales

1. Sell an inexpensive product to sell an expensive product.... Read More

Increase Your Sales in 5 Minutes

Increase your sales-in five minutes. This article is the third... Read More

Humanize the Sales Process

Q & AQ. Sometimes when I'm presenting to clients, I... Read More

Five Tips To Increase Your Sales

1. You could end your ad copy with a discounted... Read More

Top 5 Low Cost Ways To Get More Sales Leads And Sell More Without Cold Calling

Cold calling may now be outdated. People have become defensive... Read More

Eliminating Objections to Increase Sales

You want to increase the flow of sales revenue, but... Read More

How To Master the Art of Super Salesmanship

Mastering the "art of selling" is simply knowing how to... Read More

Sales Lessons from Bob Vila

There's more to what he does than meets the eyeWith... Read More

More Sales with Less Selling

Have you ever passed by a bakery display case without... Read More

The Power of Confidence

My experience has taught me that people want to buy... Read More

Are You a Sales Professional?

Many sellers like to describe themselves as professionals, but what... Read More

7 Safety Tips Every Realtor and Door-to-Door Sales Professional Need to Practice

These are the top 7 safety tips that criminals don't... Read More