I came into the field of direct sales at the age of 18. And, one of the most important lessons I’ve learned over these years is that sales is not just about giving a pitch. I have found that the keys to success in the field of selling are to be sincere, but most of all be genuine, in truly wanting to help people.
No matter what product or service you are selling, your potential customers have problems that need to be solved. They have goals and aspirations and they are trying to figure out how to achieve them.
The reason why many salespeople may not have great success is because they simply do not listen. They have bought into the misconception that in order to be successful they have to be smooth and fast-talking. They believe that they have to have “the gift of gab.”
I’d also like to point out that when it comes to sales, that is definitely not a gift. Many salespeople walk into a potential client and they just talk and talk and wonder why they are not closing. The reality is they talk so much that they talk themselves out of the sale.
Your goal should be to gain a clear understanding of what a merchant is trying to accomplish and learn why it’s important to them. This can never be done by selling or pitching. Your goal is to get people to like you. The way you do that is to be yourself; be genuine, sincere, and have strong eye contact. By getting them to like you, they are going to start listening to you and as time goes on, they will begin to trust you. This is a process.
I’m going to make a statement here that I want you to understand if you plan on having great success in sales–“The best salespeople are the best listeners.” Unfortunately, I have seen many salespeople pitch their product or service without developing any kind of rapport with their potential client.
If you are just out there pitching people because you need to make a sale, get used to hearing this a lot, ”Do you have a business card? Thanks for your time, we can’t make any decisions now. We have to think about it. We will call you when we are ready, etc., etc., etc.”
Regardless of where you are financially, it’s imperative that you do not go out into the field with “I need to make a sale” stamped on your forehead.
Starting today, throw away your sales pitch and make a decision to go out and help somebody. Get to know your prospects. The way you do that is by asking questions. When you ask questions, focus on what the merchant is telling you. If they know that you are sincerely listening and you genuinely want to help them, you will start to experience positive responses. Once a merchant feels they can trust you, you will be amazed at how much they share with you. When you find out what their needs are, you can come up with a solution on how to HELP them.
Being in the field of direct selling is certainly an adventure. If you adopt this philosophy of helping and not selling, you will have a very lucrative and incredible journey of success.
My questions for you now are: Who are you going to help today and HOW MANY are you going to help today?
Have an incredible, successful week!
RICH NORTON
Regional Sales Manager RMSNPC
www.RetrieverMerchantSolutions.com
