Sales Tips and Techniques

Sales is both a science and an art form. Here is advice from premier experts in this field: Mary Delaney: Successful sales people have to be a few things. First, they have to be driven and self starters. Successful sales people have success because of their own accord. They have to be positive. You get rejection all the time and they can't take it personally. It has to be more of a, oh, this is a challenge now; I am going to just keep going. They have to be someone who is a learner. Being a successful salesperson is all about learning about business, about the industry you are calling on, about your solution, and continuing to up your game. Mary Gospe: Really being honest and a good communicator following up when you say you're going to follow up is critical and that's true of any type of business relationship. Mary Delaney: Successful sales people have to have integrity. People can sniff out, whether or not you're in it for you, or you're in it to help them and whether or not you're honest person who is trying to make a difference. Gene Gsell: Anybody who is trying to sell something needs to take their enthusiasm for what it is that they are trying to sell, and they need to transfer that enthusiasm to the person that they want to buy. Dr. Eli Jones: We say put the money aside. Don't focus on the money. Focus on really working with those customers, because if you do that first and you're sincere about helping others achieve their goals, the money will come. So hold money aside. Don't be the one who's out there chasing the dollar, be the one out there doing what's right. Be someone who is of integrity, doing the right thing for the customers and all of a sudden you look around and the money is there. Mary Delaney: Successful salespeople never settle. They are trying to always improve. Dr. Eli Jones: Never give up. If you fail on a sales call, go talk to someone who has succeeded on a sales call and ask them how they were able to do it. And I think if people could embrace this idea of, hey, you know what, some of the most successful sales people have failed at something and yet they become successful, why? Because they never gave up. Mary Delaney: As far as prospecting, I think there are many tools that a smart salesperson will use. First of all, the phone, first and foremost, because it's fast and effective. And many people are using the Internet before the telephone to try and get appointments and that doesn't work for many people. For an example, I get about a 150 emails a day minimum of which 75 are solicitations. I get maybe three phone calls a day. Direct mail pieces, I might get one. Handwritten letter, I might get one every other month. An overnight package directed to me, I might get one per month. So ways to soften up prospective clients, I take phone first, try the phone first and if you can't get the appointment, what I recommend to our team is to play a 12 step process. It takes at least 12 times to reach executives nowadays. So set it up in the beginning. I'm going to phone. I'm going to say, I'm going to call back at the certain time, I'm going to phone again. Then I'm going to do an email, then I'm going to phone, then I'm going to mail them a book, and then I'm going to phone, and then I'm going to send them an overnight package, and then I'm going to phone. And if you set up a 12 step process, there isn't a feeling of failure after six steps, because you're only half-way through, and the expectation is after these 12 steps, I have about a 30% chance of getting the appointment with this individual. Janet Gregory: Smile if you're talking to people. Even on the phone, you can hear a smile. When you make a phone call, put a mirror there and smile while you're talking, a whole different energy comes across. Top 10 Characteristics of a Successful Salesperson. Driven. Knowledgeable. Enthusiastic. Persistent. Trustworthy. Does not choose money. Seeks to help others. Is not afraid to fail. Asks for advice. Has a positive attitude.