The Science Of Selling (part 2)

Why do some salespeople succeed where others fail?

Companies can give you the best products, the best supports, the best point-of-sale material, and the best training, but they can't give you the want to do the things you need to do.


To succeed as salesperson you need to want to do all the things required for success, every day. You need to want to learn, want to call people, want to work hard, want to be organised, want to sell, want to succeed. If highly effective salespeople have a secret, it is this: they want to do the things low-achieving salespeople don't want to do. Highly effective salespeople want to do them because they are committed to achieving sales and personal excellence.

That means you need to regard selling as a long-term career right up to retirement. That's right! As your vocation in life! As your vehicle for achieving your specific Major Life Goal.

Those who see selling as a short-term job, as a way to make a quick dollar or as something to do until something better comes along are likely to be low achievers and are more likely to fail. If you have to be forced to attend sales meetings or training sessions, prodded to do your prospecting, cajoled into studying and bludgeoned into organising your day, there is a very good chance that you will not be successful because you are not committed to selling as your profession.

When you commit to a purpose , then fate moves too. All sorts of help comes from quarters you would not expect. There is power in a person of committment-the power of purpose. People are attracted to it and want to help you.

The ineffective salesperson

In the sales profession I have met many 'personalities', some more successful than others. Can you recognise any of the following?

Hard Workers

They work long hours. nothing is too much trouble for them. They achieve a reasonable income through volume of effort and usually do not earn as much as others who work, not hard, but smart. They reason that working harder will make up for deficiencies in skill or knowledge. Their motto is 'there are always more people to see', but hard work alone will not guarantee success.

Creatives

They are always brimming with ideas. They spend hours designing leaflets, starting new systems and setting up sure-fire schemes that keep them busy. Their problem is that they seldom see people. They're hooked on ideas, not on helping people to own and enjoy the benefits of their product or service. Rerely can they keep their minds on one thing long enough for it to work. An if it does, they will usually 'improve' it until it ceases to work at all. That's because the first success forced them out of their comfort zone. Creatives fear repeated success because it would make them repeatedly uncomfortable.

Entrepreneurs

Many sales entrepreneurs suffer from an obsession called 'big-case-itis'. They see themselves as corporate high-fliers putting together one massive deal after another. Not for them the small business, the mums and dads, the singles, the pedestrian market. usually entrepreneurs aren't around long enough to learn that big cases are not necessarily those that produce big rewards.

Naturals

Who need study? Practice? They're naturals. They have been endowed with the sales success gene. Naturals want to go from rags to riches in one easy step. Often they start well. However, they are almost invariably sprinters. Once they have sold to the few business they know or to their family and friends, they decline rapidly. They do not have the discipline to train for the long distance race. They are poor Self-leaders.

Heavies

Can these people close? They can cajole, persuade, bully or shame any customer into buying-if only to get rid of them. They know that whatever happens, thay will get that signature on that contract.

They also know dozens of ways to close a sale and usually will try them all. They use their knowledge to defeat the customer rather than to defeat the customer's problem or to meet needs orwants. They are unlikely to survive in the sales business, as no-one likes being subjected tothat sort of treatment. Heavies will have few recommendations, high cancallation rates and few sales.

Logicians

What could be more effective? Computer print-outs, reports, tables, eveidence! Surely they would convince even a moron to buy! Anyone with an ounce of logic should clamour forthe product. The numbers prove it's the only way to go, right? wrong.

What customers want might not logical at all. In many cases wants will outweigh need in a buying decision. 'Emotion sells, logic confirms', ia another old saying worth remembering. Highly effective salespeople deal with people,not with numbers.

System experts

They are easy to recognise because they are spend most of their time in the office. They have filing systems, index cards, computers, printers and cross-referencing cards. They create a system that takes most of their time to maintain and to update. Unfortunately it does not leave them to see enough prospective clients.

Technicians

What these people don't know about their products isn't worth knowing. They can tell you about products long superseded. They need to display this knowledge, so they make a point of educating their customers to know everything too. The result is information overload, customer confusion, boredom and few sales.

'Nice guys'

They are so nice they hope customer will buy because of their niceness. It doesn't mmetter if customer really need or want the product.. How could they say no to such nice people? but they can put them off again and again. 'Nice guys' are too nice to probe for the customer's real intention. They won't ask customers for a decision; the customers might think they are not nice.

At work they let others take business opportunities away from them. They agree with everyone and 'go with the flow'. Unfortunately they confuse being business-like with not being nice, and lose many sales opportunities. Customers like to see them, but usually buy from someone else.

Whiners/pukers/morale saboteurs

'Guess what's happened now!' is a typical opening line. They love to whine, whinge and puke over everyone until they feel better. By doing that, they are also programming excuses for later failure. They are playing Dr E. Berne's game of 'wooden leg' (i.e. they can leter reply: 'What did you expect from someone with a "wooden leg"?).

Their collagues are from much happier when whiners are away. They are masters of 'stinkin thinkin'. Workmates listen to them--they can't get away--but have litle respect for anyone who lifts themselves up by dragging others down.

Comport-zoners

Phew! made it for one more pay day! As long as they can keep ahead of their creditors and earn enough to survive, comport-zoners are relatively happy. They won't do anything to increase earnings because that would mean more effort and venturing out of their comport zone. They almost fear success. They adjust, acquiesce, lower their sights. Their goal is to meet minimum requirements. As long as they can do that they are OK for one more pay.

Big spenders

You only live once, right? so spend! That's what money 's for! Classy suits, expensive watches, Italian shoes, vacations, frequent dining out-those are some of the hallmarks of big spenders. Outwardly they display all the trappings of success. Below the surface can lurk people with debts--people who frequently need advances against commissions to get by from one month to the next.

Senior statespersons

They are happy to listen to and advise other salespeople in the team. They live on past achievements and no longer see the need to put in a real effort.

Usually they are goog members of the sales team but are happy to rest on their laurels and to have new salespeople come to them for wisdom and guidance. They might have achieved excellence in work knowledge but have lost the ability to lead themselves into doing things. They could be more productive in a training role.

Barricade builders

They Love being disorganised. They procrastinate and will get around to doing everithing...one day. The piles of paperwork, unworked leads and enquiries heaped on their desks are barricade that gives them an excuse not to see people.

They feel exposed without their barricade and will seldom catch up because they have so much to do. Customers would only interfere with their plans.

Clutchers at straws

They have this person who will buy that, that person who will buy this and a dozen more who will buy something else. They're all hot and will buy soon. The trouble is, soon rarely comes. They do all the work, run around in a world of delusion and waste everyone's time.

Instead of testing the customer to determine genuine interest, clutchers at straws' will hang on to the slightest word of encouragement as if it were a promise to buy. Every time they are asked 'whatabout this prospect and that client?' they will have another reason to delay bringing in the contract.

Perpetual students

They haven't time to sell. They must study this, do that course, learn that legislation, ask so-and-so about this and that. They are hooked on amassing knowledge, not on helping people enjoy the benefits of their product or service.

Drifters

They tell you (in confidence) 'I'm only here because I have to be' can't find another job), and 'when something else comes up, I'm out there'. They drift through life and seldom find what they really want to do as soon as things get difficult and therefore require extra effort, they want to drift elsewhere.

Continous to  The sceince of selling (part 3)