Some Thoughts on Sales

A career in sales is like no other.

Amidst all of the successes is a lot of failure.

This is the first lesson we learn once we hit the phones.

If at first you think you can handle the constant rejection, pressure,

and complexities that are part of the job, you’ll soon see what kind of toll

that can have day after day.

How do we handle this, besides developing a thick skin?

It’s important to see failure not as the end of the road, but as

opportunities.

Failure is not a bad word, and we shouldn’t fear it.

You don’t land the client, you don’t get called back, how can we frame these situations in a way that will

positively affect how we next attack our work?

How do we prevent these missed connections from hurting our drive?

Seasoned salespeople are able to objectively look at a failure and

embrace it.

They find ways to learn from it, coming up with different tactics.

A failure, framed like a learning opportunity, can actually help to

make us more agile, able to handle more situations as they continue to

arise.

The world of sales is changing faster and faster.

Where once a salesperson often served as the primary source of

information for clients, there is now a wealth of information available to

people online.

Clients are also sometimes well-versed, better prepared for making

buying decisions.

Because of this, great salespeople have adapted to become an even

richer source of information.

If you can become a truly valuable resource for your clients, they’ll

need to come back.

Your expertise is extremely important these days.

Become a thought leader in your field.

Make sure you are the most knowledgeable person about your

products.

Find ways to gain a deeper understanding about your clients

and trends in their industry.

When they talk with you, make sure they get something out of it every

time.

Your specialized understanding will differentiate you from other

salespeople.

At their best, salespeople are trusted resources that can solve

problems for customers.

You will close more business this way, plain and simple.

Social media is supposed to be helping, but it can be a murky area.

How much time is appropriate to spend on services like LinkedIn, and when is it appropriate to reach out to new prospects? There are two ways that salespeople must start

using LinkedIn.

First, study what people are doing there.

Read bios, check out relevant links being shared by your

customers and their contacts.

Not always, but sometimes you’ll find some insight that will help you as you prepare for your

work, such as challenges your customers are facing in their

industry.

Secondly, make sure your profile is customer-focused.

Assume every client will check out your page more than once.

Make sure your profile serves as a marketing tool that will help to sell you as a thought leader who

will solve their problems for them.

Some Thoughts on Sales.Hope you enjoyed the presentation!