Virginian Pilot Business Forum - June 27th, 2004
Selling a Product or Service is a Life's Work
by Brad McDonald
There are literally thousands of people in the Tidewater area who make their living in professional sales. They sell houses, automobiles, copiers, insurance, financial investments, computers, home remodeling services, heating and cooling equipment - and, well, the list could go on for a long time. Some of these folks would never admit that they make a living in "sales," but they do, nonetheless, have to sell themselves and their services in order to be viable in their business - this group includes, lawyers, accountants, engineers, physicians, dentists and chiropractors, to name a few. The common thread with most of these people is that they have little in the way of professional sales training. They hope or believe that product knowledge and a "knack for selling" are the only prerequisites for a successful sales career. This myth has derailed more sales careers than any other factor.
Education is as important to a salesperson as it is to any other professional. You would never choose a two-day seminar to become an accomplished accountant or doctor. Rather you would want a long-term course of study that promoted your growth and development in every facet of your chosen profession. Select your sales training program the same way.
Traditional sales training has always focused primarily on presentation skills and closing techniques. The mantra is: present, present, present, then close, overcome objections and stalls, and close again, and eventually the law of averages will enable you to make a sale. Baloney - the law of averages will just make you work harder.
A one-day seminar usually gets people excited and pumped up and it teaches some good techniques for "closing sales." But as the attendees leave the seminar, the plug usually comes out of the generator, they quickly resume their old behaviors and nothing really changes. To be effective, a sales training program must be long term, provide continuous feedback and take a person from education to training to behavior modification. it's only after changing behaviors, i.e. getting out of your comfort zone and repeatedly doing the things that will make you successful in sales (such as prospecting, developing referrals, and learning to end a sale that is going nowhere), that you will improve your sales performance.
Additionally, the training experience must deal with the sales person's attitude, and not just how to have a Positive Mental Attitude. Rather this should be a process of developing self-confidence, an ability to deal with the constant rejection of sales and a belief in oneself. If you're going to succeed in sales, you have to burn your bridges; you have to commit one hundred percent to developing yourself as a lifelong professional salesman or saleswoman.
Beyond working on Behaviors, Attitudes and Techniques, your training program should teach you an effective selling system. Do you have a selling system? Can you name the specific steps you follow from meeting a prospect to closing a sale? An effective system focuses on developing trust between prospect and salesperson, then qualifying the prospect to ensure that there is a high probability of a sale and finally allowing the prospect to close the sale himself with no chance of buyer's remorse later on.
There are many selling programs available and a host of "experts" willing to help you improve your sales. Make sure you select a program that goes beyond techniques such as closing and presentation skills. Ideal training changes belief systems by addressing "attitude, behavior and self concept" issues. Make sure your trainer has street scars and is not a "rummy in preacher's clothing." And make sure you are learning a well-tested and successful selling system that you can rely on throughout your sales career.
Good Selling!