"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine . . . A salesman is got to dream, boy." —Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman
A lot of people have lost the dream and pronounced the death of the salesman. They say all buying will soon be done electronically and there will be no need for a salesmen.
Operating behind on-line web sites, catalogs and brochures are the talented photographers, artists, illustrators, and copywriters who sell a vivid picture of the product or service—whether with words or illustration. The better people demonstrate their talent and capitalize on their strengths, the more they sell.
While computers can search by name and come up with a profile. A sales professional knows his customer by name and knows the person behind the name.
There is probably a better way to do almost anything. Successful people assume that there is room for improvement and set about making improvements. In the zeal to improve, let's not overlook the fact that electronics can improve our standard of living but they can't touch lives. By their nature, people need people to make them feel important.
Helen Keller observed, “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” Electronics may stimulate and excite but they don't touch the heart. Only a person can do that.
Selling boils down to finding a need and filling it. People will always have needs and somewhere in the buying equation is people finding solutions to those needs whether it be face-to-face or portal-to-portal. Before you say, "a sale is just a "click" away," remember the computer doesn't automatically put the sizzle in the sell.
I am not a computer, I'm a person computing how to build better rapport with other people. If computers could build relationships, how come so many people with computers feel so unimportant and irrelevant?
Buyers are looking for sales professionals who can help them solve problems. They are not looking for a product or service; they are seeking solutions to problems. Uncovering the problem and positioning yourself as a solution to that problem is what sets the professional apart from the computer and the competition.
Take time and ask questions of the prospect or buyer so you get a better understanding of the problem(s) he or she has. By paying attention to what he or she asks, you can often tailor your product or service to solve their specific problem.
To a degree everyone sells. Parents sell their children on doing their chores; teachers sell students on doing their assignments; coaches sell their athletes on practicing and improving their skills; ministers sell their congregates on helping others; managers sell employees on being effective. The better the rapport, the easier the sell.
Successful people in all walks of life learn that the ability to "build relationships" is little more than salesmanship under another name. Using people-to-people salesmanship, many professionals develop a warm and rewarding relationship with their customers, clients, children, team, congregates, employees.
The principles of salesmanship (relationship building) can be taught and learned. But a head full of knowledge doesn't make a person a professional salesman. Just like a professional in any field, you don't become a pro until you have spent a practical amount of time gaining practical "field" experience. It is in the face-to-face encounters with buyers that a person develops and hones their relationship building skills. Other things being equal, the sale usually goes to the salesman with the best rapport.
Selling is not an easy job. Nothing about success is easy. As Henry Ware Beecher voiced it, "Victories that are cheap are cheap." In four words, achievement has a price. So, dream big! Dream of helping others and discover how quickly your dreams become reality. Far from death, the relationship-building salesman lives and lives well. He or she, is still out there in the blue riding on a smile, a shoeshine and a well-earned rapport with their customer.
Selling is a great profession. If you succeed there are many perks; If you fail, you can always go into management.
Three Point Success Summation
SUCCESS THOUGHT: Computers can help facilitate rapport building but a computer cannot, of its own, build a relationship. Relationship-building is a people-to-people activity. The better you are at relationship building, the more successful salesman you become. If you want to succeed, you need to build relationship, personally and with the help of a computer.
SUCCESS QUOTE: "Along with the opportunity and privilege to make a sale goes the responsibility to make the sale." —Wayne Nalls
SUCCESS ACTION: Top successful people constantly work on their relationship building skills. Start improving a key relationship today.
A lot of people have lost the dream and pronounced the death of the salesman. They say all buying will soon be done electronically and there will be no need for a salesmen.
Operating behind on-line web sites, catalogs and brochures are the talented photographers, artists, illustrators, and copywriters who sell a vivid picture of the product or service—whether with words or illustration. The better people demonstrate their talent and capitalize on their strengths, the more they sell.
While computers can search by name and come up with a profile. A sales professional knows his customer by name and knows the person behind the name.
There is probably a better way to do almost anything. Successful people assume that there is room for improvement and set about making improvements. In the zeal to improve, let's not overlook the fact that electronics can improve our standard of living but they can't touch lives. By their nature, people need people to make them feel important.
Helen Keller observed, “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” Electronics may stimulate and excite but they don't touch the heart. Only a person can do that.
Selling boils down to finding a need and filling it. People will always have needs and somewhere in the buying equation is people finding solutions to those needs whether it be face-to-face or portal-to-portal. Before you say, "a sale is just a "click" away," remember the computer doesn't automatically put the sizzle in the sell.
I am not a computer, I'm a person computing how to build better rapport with other people. If computers could build relationships, how come so many people with computers feel so unimportant and irrelevant?
Buyers are looking for sales professionals who can help them solve problems. They are not looking for a product or service; they are seeking solutions to problems. Uncovering the problem and positioning yourself as a solution to that problem is what sets the professional apart from the computer and the competition.
Take time and ask questions of the prospect or buyer so you get a better understanding of the problem(s) he or she has. By paying attention to what he or she asks, you can often tailor your product or service to solve their specific problem.
To a degree everyone sells. Parents sell their children on doing their chores; teachers sell students on doing their assignments; coaches sell their athletes on practicing and improving their skills; ministers sell their congregates on helping others; managers sell employees on being effective. The better the rapport, the easier the sell.
Successful people in all walks of life learn that the ability to "build relationships" is little more than salesmanship under another name. Using people-to-people salesmanship, many professionals develop a warm and rewarding relationship with their customers, clients, children, team, congregates, employees.
The principles of salesmanship (relationship building) can be taught and learned. But a head full of knowledge doesn't make a person a professional salesman. Just like a professional in any field, you don't become a pro until you have spent a practical amount of time gaining practical "field" experience. It is in the face-to-face encounters with buyers that a person develops and hones their relationship building skills. Other things being equal, the sale usually goes to the salesman with the best rapport.
Selling is not an easy job. Nothing about success is easy. As Henry Ware Beecher voiced it, "Victories that are cheap are cheap." In four words, achievement has a price. So, dream big! Dream of helping others and discover how quickly your dreams become reality. Far from death, the relationship-building salesman lives and lives well. He or she, is still out there in the blue riding on a smile, a shoeshine and a well-earned rapport with their customer.
Selling is a great profession. If you succeed there are many perks; If you fail, you can always go into management.
Three Point Success Summation
SUCCESS THOUGHT: Computers can help facilitate rapport building but a computer cannot, of its own, build a relationship. Relationship-building is a people-to-people activity. The better you are at relationship building, the more successful salesman you become. If you want to succeed, you need to build relationship, personally and with the help of a computer.
SUCCESS QUOTE: "Along with the opportunity and privilege to make a sale goes the responsibility to make the sale." —Wayne Nalls
SUCCESS ACTION: Top successful people constantly work on their relationship building skills. Start improving a key relationship today.
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