The sales profession moves faster than ever today. In the blink of an eye, new competitors
emerge, products similar to yours are released, and before you know it, it's a race to the
bottom. Today, when people speak of "marketing," they are usually talking about
advertising mediums and not the message contained within those mediums. For example,
when a business owner says to himself "I need to market my business," what he usually
means is, "I need to run some ads." He then looks for an advertising medium that he
thinks is valuable to his industry like: radio, TV, internet, yellow pages, newspapers,
magazines, etc. and runs the ads. To most people, that's what marketing means. The sad
thing is, "they are not aware that it is no longer working".
No matter what industry you're in, what worked well a few years ago isn't good enough
today. This is no time for trial and error or order taking; this is a time to sell. Here are some
basic steps you can take to improve your sales performance, reduce your cost of selling,
and ensure your survival.
1. Clarify your mission.
Begin by understanding your business niche. What do you do best? Who needs
what you do? How do you best approach these prospects? How much are they
willing to pay? If these questions are not answered easily, campaign at the top for
clarity and vision.
2. Break the mission into specific goals.
Write down the activity goals (calls per day, proposals per month, referrals per call,
etc.) that you can control. Set results goals (sales per month, amount per sale,
profit per sale, etc.) to measure your progress, and track them closely. Increase
your activity and measure the results. Goals focus your attention and energize your
action
3. Sell to customer needs.
Always assume your prospects will buy only what they need. How can you convince
them of that need? Emphasize the features of your product or service that reduce
costs and solve problems for the customer, but avoid PLATITUDES. A platitude is
defined as "words or phrases that are dull, obvious, or predictable that lack power
to create interest because they are overused an unoriginal that are nevertheless
still commonly used as though they were unique or distinctive."
Sometimes you can reposition your wares. For example, you sold wool uniforms for
their look and feel; now stress wool's durability and lasting value. Be creative in
your sales and marketing.
4. Create and maintain favorable attention.
Effective marketing, referrals, strong sales skills, and strategic questions are the
keys to creating favorable attention. Diligent follow-through and above-and-beyond
customer service are the keys to maintaining it.
5. Sell on purpose.
Know both what to do and why you're doing it at every step along the way. Who are
you targeting and why? What are you going to tell them and why? What are you
going to ask them and why? What is your proposal going to look like and why?
When are you going to ask for the order? If you don't feel sure of yourself at every
step of the selling process, get some training or guidance.
6. Ask, listen, and act.
Better than any others, these three words summarize success in sales. Your
questions must be creative, planned, relevant, and direct. Your listening skills must
be highly developed. You must respond and take action that proves that you
listened to the customer and want the sale.
7. Take the responsibility but not the credit.
Realize that you are the team leader. The company looks to you for direction and
supports your effort. To build a strong support team willing to go the extra mile
when you need it, give your team the credit for everything that goes right, and take
the blame when it goes wrong.
8. Work on the basics.
Even the best of the best have room for improvement. Make a decision to improve
your weaknesses, and set goals to force yourself to do the things you don't like to
do. Be more creative in your prospecting, fact finding, and presentation skills.
Imagine the perfect salesperson and compare yourself to the ideal.
9. Develop your attitude.
Your attitude is controllable. Conquer your fears. Change the beliefs that limit your
success. Your thought habits control your commitment, enthusiasm, persistence,
resilience, happiness, and confidence. Be aware of them, decide which ones are
unproductive, and then make a commitment to change. With time and effort, you
can become the person you want to be.
10.Maximize your time.
Focus on your goals. Test every activity for its importance and urgency. Create an
ideal schedule, and test your actual time use against it daily. Remember, just one
hour a day used more productively adds up to more than six extra weeks of
productive time a year.

Order Service