How to be an Effective Salesperson

“Everybody lives by selling something.” --- Robert Louis Stevenson

To be an effective salesperson, here is what you need in abundance:

Balanced and up-to-date information: Good Salespersons must be well-informed and knowledgeable about their Product and their Customers. You must know your Product in and out and be conversant with all the new trends that affect the Product. You must be able to size-up your Customer to see if he or she is motivated enough to buy, to see if they can afford to buy, to see if they need to buy and finally to find out if they want to buy. If they want to buy and they can’t afford the money, you can work out a favorable credit arrangement to see if that will help them make up their minds. If they are not motivated enough to buy, you can skillfully work on their emotions or you reinforce the reasons why they need to buy from you. If you do not have sufficient knowledge about your product and its market you will experience some handicap trying to persuade anyone to buy from you.  

Empathy: You must be able to show real and genuine empathy to your Customers. Make friends with them. Show concern and care even for their private affairs where and when it is prudent to do so. Always mentally swap places with the Customer to see whether if you were in their shoes how your reaction will be. Take their reluctance to heart and see how you can gradually help them to arrive at favorable decisions. Show genuine concern and willingness to be of help even if you do not make a sale at that material time. 

What Are You Selling?

“Everybody lives by selling something.” --- Robert Louis Stevenson

No matter what you do, no matter who you are, you can’t make progress if you are unable to sell yourself.

An Applicant who can’t sell himself to an Employer may never get a job.

A Lawyer who can’t sell his client’s case to the Judge will be doing the client a disservice.

A Borrower who can’t sell himself to a Lender can never get a loan.

A Footballer who can’t sell his skills to a Club can never get a team.

A Politician who can’t sell himself to Voters can never get elected.

Selling yourself well will require that you master the principles of presentation, persuasion and overcoming obstacles in the market place. The competition is stiff and gets stiffer by the day. You need to master the skills that will enable you to survive in the market place. Napoleon Hill concludes this argument this way: “No matter who you are or how much you know, you will not succeed unless you are a salesman. You must sell your services. You must sell your knowledge. You must sell yourself. You must sell your personality.”