4 Simple Steps to Understanding Sales

It's nothing like the movies

I distinctly remember sitting in my car, feeling a wave of shame. It was my first time doing outside sales, and I was just animatedly rejected. The salesman weary store owner who breathed fire into my eyes reminded me of this fact.

I had gotten into sales merely out of desperation, not out of love, and here I was sitting in my car, vexing about my future.

7 years later, I look back and smile. Fortunately, as fate would have it, I figured out sales and managed to do the impossible — get good at sales, really good.

Time is a great gift that feeds a more significant gift — perspective. Looking back and analyzing my career, I can see where I went astray and what worked for me.

Sales and marketing are two sides of the same coin. Understanding one strengthens the other, and my goal is to strengthen your understanding of sales by sharing what I’ve learned through scraped knees and bruised ego.

If I can learn to sell consistently, an introvert who hates small talk and shudders at the thought of an annoying used car salesman, you can too. Read on to learn what I wish I knew when I was starting out.

Work

Much like how you can’t write a book without consistently writing, and vegetables don’t magically sprout in the garden unless you consistently water; you won’t make sales unless you consistently work.

So that begs the question: what’s the work of a salesperson? It’s simply to find prospects (people who can benefit from your product) and communicate with them. So make it simple. Start by asking yourself who can realistically benefit from my product? For example, If you’re selling gym equipment, would it be better to call on grocery stores? Or gyms? Probably gyms. Once you have an idea where to start looking, you then need to determine if the opportunity is good.

But what makes a sales opportunity good? You determine a good selling opportunity from a bad opportunity by asking qualifying questions, which are essentially questions you ask to establish a criteria that you measure the opportunity against. For example, does your prospect need this product? (That you’re selling) Do they have a budget for this product? Do they use a similar product that you have an advantage over? Etc. There are many more qualifying questions but remember the point is to find situations where your product/service will benefit your prospect.

Once you have an idea who the best prospects are, the next step is to figure out how to get in touch with them and then take action. There are plenty of ways. LinkedIn, in-person visits, phone calls, friends, and networking events are all methods I have successfully used. No matter what route you take, never forget what moves the needle in the sales process is physically dialing the numbers, sending the emails, and shaking hands. Action is your friend; embrace it.

Keep in mind, this process I described above needs to be repeated daily, and believe me, yes, this will feel tedious at times. But know this process will also make sure you have people to sell to and keep your “pipeline” full. Sales is a numbers game, so it is imperative to actively give yourself the numbers to find success.

In summary: Do the work; it’s a necessary evil. Your prospects aren’t waking up thinking about you. Change that.

Relate

Most people think to be a great salesperson; you need to be the stereotype you see in movies. Dressed in a suit and tie, always have something charming to say and embracing your inner Alec Baldwin. They think that being sophisticated, fast-talking, and possessing a James Bond-level of smoothness lands you the deal.

I’m daring you to change your assumptions. From my experience as someone who has made a living through making sales, I confidently say the world tends to relate better to Mr. Simpson. A regular character we all have can relate to.

As a salesperson, your job is to communicate your message to prospects, and the best way to communicate with your prospects is to have them relate to you. This means speaking in a language your prospect responds to. It means showcasing your authentic personality to show them you’re a real person and not another sales drone. It means talking about local issues (when appropriate) and having a sense of humor. This means coming across as an expert and a friend.

New salespeople tend to come off as a talking brochure and annoy the piss out of prospects. By merely pausing and focusing on being a real person, this controllable actively will immediately make yourself more memorable in the eyes of your prospects.

In summary: Relate with your prospect by coming off as a real human instead of another annoying sales guy.

Solve

Selling is simply solving a problem for someone else. If you can keep this idea that simple, you’ll go far. Since you spent time figuring out what businesses/people that will see a benefit in your product and spent time relating with your prospect, so they understand you, there is only one thing left to do. Solve their problems.

Solving problems in sales means physically saying, “I believe _____ can help you solve _______.” It also means educating your prospects about the issues they didn’t realize they had. Here’s what I mean.

I used to sell watercoolers to businesses, and in particular, the water cooler I sold was self-cleaning. You may not realize this, but water coolers tend to get dirty internally over time, and the fact that mine was self-cleaning was my selling point. Who doesn’t want cleaner water?

I would often have meetings with companies that had a water cooler and were satisfied; Hell, they weren’t even looking for a new one. But all I would do is point out that water coolers tend to get dirty over time, and I backed it up with proof. If my prospect had a good water cooler, I’d let them know that and move on, but if I saw an opportunity where I could give them cleaner water, you better believe I brought that fact up. I was actively shedding light on problems my prospect didn’t realize they had and then offered them a solution. That’s it. That’s the game.

I think selling is getting people to consider another perspective on a topic and then linking that view to a benefit. It’s essentially saying, “Hey, have you considered this? By doing this, you can get that and solve this problem.”

What’s most important is to be honest. If your product doesn’t make someone’s life better, don’t sell them that; have integrity. In sales, being open and offering reasonable solutions for a fair price is how you win business and referrals. Never give up your integrity for a quick buck; It will very likely bite you in the ass.

In Summary: Solve problems; it’s that simple.

Ask

Ask, and you shall receive.

Selling successfully is all about mustering the courage to ask, and as a sales professional, you’re always asking.

You ask the qualifying questions to determine if a prospect is a good fit for you. You ask who the decision-maker is so you can meet with them. You then ask that same decision-maker for an appointment. You ask the decision-maker what problems she is experiencing to see how your product fits in. You ask the decision-maker what life would be like if her problems were fixed. You ask your prospect to sign up. You ask your prospect how they feel about the offer. You ask your customer for a referral. You call your customer again and ask how things are. As you can probably tell, you’re doing a Hell of a lot of asking in sales.

As a side note, it would be a disservice not to mention the need to listen, so here it is… listen! Ask questions and listen to the response so you can ask better questions. Never forget that combining asking and listening is how you gain the proper ammunition to land sales. Don’t just nod your head and fake listen, be present and understand your prospect. This will separate you as most people are poor at listening… just ask your mother.

In summary, It’s better to ask and fail than fail to ask. Remember this little lesson when you feel apprehensive.

Want me to write for you? Let’s chat anthony@anthonyrobertagency.com