Sales 202: Closing the First Customer
In case you missed Sales 101, click here, and go through it first before you continue. I don’t want you to jump ahead if you don’t know which path you are on. The journey I am taking you on here is that of an extraordinary salesman, and to get there, you got to put in that extra. I promise you the rewards at the end of the road are exponential.
For those of you who understand that sales is the single best opportunity to progress as a human, the next step it to instill a belief within you that you can do it. You see, the first customer that you ever got to make the sale too is yourself. Are you sold on what you are offering? Do you really believe what you are selling offers a big advantage to your customers? Do you really believe that the biggest winner from the transaction is the customer? Reflect and spend time answering these questions because how much conviction you have in your offerings is directly proportional to how successful you will become.
In my global experience of doing door-to-door, telephonic, by appointment and web sales, one too many times I have come across individuals who don’t really believe in what they are selling. After the initial training and excitement, they become those robots who are merely focused on targets and are just going around repeating the pitch like a parrot. Don’t get me wrong, perseverance is a great asset, and I suggest each one of you develop it. But, just going around and repeating a dialogue will not make you the big bucks. It will only make you get by. Such folks end up closing a few accounts here and there. But from where I see, their chances to succeed are shallow because they are relying on that easy customer to say a ‘yes.’ That in my eyes, is not real sales.
If you are in the field of selling, involved directly or indirectly, or want to get in to it, you need to first ask yourself: If you have the resources, will you buy what you are offering because you truly believe it’s advantages are of value to you? There is only one answer to this if you want to become rich while selling: a big fat ‘YES.’
When I was going around selling business supplies to offices in the Silicon Valley seven years back, I truly believed that what I was offering was great. My company offered all the essential office supplies at a much cheaper cost. They were able to do so by selling directly through agents like me which in the process ensured they eliminated all the retail overheads. I always looked at it from the perspective that if it were my company, and I was any which ways going to go out there, and buy supplies, it definitely would make sense to get it 20% cheaper. In addition, I would have someone come and drop it at my door step.
My belief translated in to a lot of accounts because the first customer I ever sold to was myself. This gave me the strength to persevere and handle several objections from potential clients. When they said a ‘no’, I knew I had to show them the light because if they didn’t get what I was offering, there were going to end up paying more elsewhere for the same exact thing. I couldn’t let that happen which is why my enthusiasm when I met the first customer and the last was always the same. Moreover, my sales were consistent every day.
Summary
Realize that you need to analyze if you truly believe in the product or service you are offering. What do you believe is the biggest benefit for the customer when he decides to buy from you? How would you feel if you knew if your customer did not buy from you, he would be the biggest loser? This belief is what translates into a lot more sales, and helps in closing those close ones. As you will realize as we progress, you can have the perfect pitch and the perfect objection handling technique, but if you don’t truly 100% believe in what you are selling, chances of you becoming highly successful in this playground are dim.
Key Note: Though my articles are a free resource to many out there, if you are a company, I suggest you enroll for a complete 3-day sales training course to drive your team and revenue to the next level. To book or inquire for a complete sales training program, click here or e-mail on coach@motivationaldiaries.com.
As always,
A Proud Salesman
Get a Sales Job
This five letter word ‘S-A-L-E-S’ is more important than what most people have any idea about. It is the only profession which really matters. If you are thinking, ‘No that’s not true’, you need to really rethink! If you, your company or business were not selling a product, service, or an idea, you would be broke!
The Subconscious Mind
You have been working hard and pushing the boundaries. Your family and friends think you are going crazy. They demand you take some time out to relax and unwind. You are constantly bombarded with statements such as what you are doing to yourself is not right; you need to take care of your health first. But you are a brave soul. You know exactly what you want and have your focus on your goal; your dream.
Wouldn’t you want to sleep eight hours, and not just five? Wouldn’t you want to go out on a Saturday and have fun? Won’t you
Poem on Life
There was once a beautiful child,
Claimed to have been too wild.
Yet, because of his innocence and cuteness until he was two,
reasons to judge him were a few.
But sadly as he grew from two to thirteen,
Why Do We Get Angry?
Before you read anything else, read the following and ponder over its meaning for a minute:
“You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.” –Buddha
“Every day we have plenty of opportunities to get angry, stressed or offended. But what you’re doing when you indulge these negative emotions is giving something outside yourself power over your happiness. You can choose to not let little things upset you.” –Joel Osteen
“Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.” –Mark Twain
Everybody Gets Angry
Though nobody likes to get angry, the truth is we all do. Everyday things, people, and unexpected situations frustrate us; we lose our temper, and let our anger take us over. But, when we cool down, we almost always regret what we said and how we reacted. It’s amazing how justified we feel about our reasons to be angry in the moment. But, what follows is usually embarrassment. Do you ever wonder what triggers the anger in us? Why do we get angry over little things giving them undue attention?
Primitive Reasons Behind Anger
According to an article on lakesideconnect.com, a website dedicated to dealing with crucial problems within American youth and families, we have a thinking part to the brain (cerebral cortex), and an emotional one (limbic system) where the latter is more primitive. The information from the outside world is first passed through amygdala (storehouse for emotional memories) which is present in the limbic system. If the incoming data triggers enough of an emotional charge, the amygdala overrides the thinking cortex causing the person to react in a more primitive way which is what causes the rage.
In continuity, a study from National Geographic’s TV blog states that the reason for this rage lies in the understanding that anger was actually a useful development for the survival of the human species. According to theories, anger helped our ancestors compete for critical resources for survival, from food to mates, helping them prevail in the natural selection race.
The above information helps us understand the reasons behind why do we get get angry. That is the first step: understanding. Now, it is time to go beyond just understanding. Knowledge without its correct use is as good as not having it. The next step it to comprehend how to control and then win over your anger. To do so, continue to read here.
