BASICS OF SALES

Having a good personality is nice to have if you are a salesperson but you better have a lot more than that if you are to be successful.

I was calling on a hospital purchasing agent and just before she was about to give me the order she shifts the subject to her son-in-law. “He is very personable and bright. I know he would make a terrific salesman. Can you recommend him to your company?” I asked a few questions and gave her a a chance to continue. “What's there to tell. He's bright, articulate and has a great personality. “I see salespeople all day, they smile, make some small talk, what's so hard, and his personality is made for sales”.

What more was there to say, she wrapped it up as succinctly as possible. She had it all down pat. I smiled took the order and said I would mention it, and I did. I relayed the conversation to the sales manager and gave him her number.

Now personality is important, but what happens if the next salesperson has a better personality, do they get the sale? People give much more importance to a salespersons' personality than it merits. Personality is important but not as important to the salesperson as people think it is. A con man probably has as good a personality as it is possible to have. Does that make him eligible to be salesperson?

Some people are of the opinion that the selling process is nothing more than a random compilation of haphazard words and phrases thrown together in the hopes of a sale being made. Being a sales person takes time, training and practice. Knowing the basics of sales and implementing them is the key to selling, not having a great personality to fall back on.

I have seen both women and men with less than sparkling personalities who were successful salespeople. I have seen serious and subdued salespeople that were successful. Successful sales people who people would consider less than personable.

Personality is great if you have a personality that doesn't border on annoying or overbearing. Having a great personality is terrific, but I rate it behind a salespersons' basic knowledge of sales, objection handling, product knowledge, people skills, and another half paragraph of adjectives.

A good personality is a great thing for anyone to have, but it is rather far down the list of attributes one needs to have to be a salesperson. It's not the end all but in it's proper place it helps.

Thank You
Joe D'Ambra
www.basicsofsales.com
Sales Blogs offering sales tips

I hope reading my blogs has benefited you. Please click the free preview on the above site and let me show you how I can help you further by purchasing My "DVD". At present I have over 1500 followers on ezine.com, and numerous others on goarticles.com, saleshq.com and closerblog.com. Common sense is always the best way to make a decision.

Once you get the order there is no next thing to do, there is only one thing to do and that is to leave as quickly and unceremoniously as possible. There is nothing more to gain and a lot more to lose if you linger.

The longest distance in any office is from the point where you get an order to the door. You have achieved what you wanted to so leave before a multitude of mishaps can occur. If you have been selling for any period of time this will serve as a reminder. If you are just beginning in sales, this should serve as good advice..

If you sell long enough you will experience the myriad of things that can happen from the time you secure an order until the time you walk out the door. The order may be ready, but between the time the order was cut and delivered to the person handing the order to the salesperson problems can occur. Anything can happen, a phone call can interrupt the process, something unforeseen in the office proceedings can bring a halt to it, someone not connected with the process can ask a question completely unrelated to anything of significance but it can affect the process negatively. These are just some of the things that can occur to stop an order from getting into a salespersons' hands.

Once you get the order don't run out of the office like it's on fire, but leave as quickly as possible. I am not giving way to histrionics here but I can't emphasize this too strongly. The order is what completes your reason for being there and the fact that you have secured it means, you have answered all the questions and objections and satisfied all the customer needs. So what else is there to do but leave, linger and you only cause yourself problems.

No sale is complete until it is closed, and after the close take the order, Be Thankful and Be Gone.

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Joe D'Ambra
www.basicsofsales.com
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The friendly talkative prospect can be the nicest person you know. Easy to get along with, and agreeable to a fault. He or She is so sociable that it is almost impossible to get the sale going in the direction you want it. They talk endlessly about everything but the sale. So how do we get them on track without injuring this nice set of circumstances and making them feel uncomfortable?

Let these nice people talk until you find a good opening. They are relaxed so you be relaxed do not be overly aggressive, but take advantage of any pause they allow you and lead them into the sale. Be firm but subtle. Each time they stray bring them back, say something to the effect of “I agree” or “As I was saying” and lead them back into the sale. (Refer to my blog July 1st Things That Can Happen On A Sale: Interruptions)

Try to tie the prospects own words with the sales story. “You said something there which ties in with exactly what I know will be of benefit to you”. Then make the correlation. (Remember it's always about benefits for the prospect) Make sure what you say then holds their interest and attention.

With this prospect you have to be attentive, assertive and clever. Take the opening when you get it and swing them into the sale and keep doing this until you have them on board and following you in the sales process.

Sixth in a series of selling strategies by customer type, “The Talkative Friendly Type”

Thank You
Joe D'Ambra
www.basicsofsales.com
Sales Blogs offering sales tips

I hope reading my blog benefited you. Please click the free preview on the site above and let me show you how I can benefit you further by purchasing My "DVD". To date I have over 2000 followers on ezine.com, and numerous others on goarticles.com, saleshq.com, and closerblog.com. In my career I have sold hundreds of millions of dollars and trained innumerable salespeople. If you dislike the job you are at or think it is leading to a dead end, let me show you how to sell so you can approach a company equipped with the basics of sales. Read the comments left by the thosands who read my blogs and articles. Common sense is always the best thing to use to make a decision.
Common sense is always the best way to make a choice.

The opinionated and egotistical person is better than everyone else. His attitude “ no one can sell me, when I'm ready, I buy. He knows what he wants and needs and he knows what you are going to say and do even before you present it to him. He is superior in his judgment and opinions. He dislikes any advice or suggestions from you.

In his opinion he is better than you the salesperson. He speaks to salespeople in a condescending manner and gives you half his attention.

Here's How To Sell Him:

1-Flatter him, defer to him as if he really is as smart as he thinks he is. Play to his ego.

2-Try addressing him as Sir. Do it subtly. Be serious with him. Always look straight at him, eye to eye. This is important it shows him you take him serious but are not afraid of him. Although he is in command, he has found someone who appreciates him.

3-Get his opinions and outlook on things. Let him make suggestions like he is leading you.

4-Give him credit for his suggestions and let him sell himself.

5-Keep your suggestions in line with his and his preconceived ideas.

Let Him sell Him ----- Only thing is you get the money. He can have the credit.

(Fifth in a series of Selling by customer type)

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Joe D'Ambra
www.basicsofsales.com
Sales Blogs offering sales tips

Knowing how to sell can benefit you by providing you with a better livelihood and earnings potential in any economic environment. Click the free preview on the above site and let me show you how.

To be successful in any type of sales endeavor you must constantly know where to go to get your business, how to maintain it, and most importantly how to increase it if it falls short due to unforeseen circumstances. There will be instances when you must get new business to make your money. How do you increase your sales dollars aside from your company increasing prices,or introducing new items.(Refer to blog dated July 8th)

Put these approaches into action:
1-Increase the number of calls to existing customers(Refer to blog dated June 24th)
If you make a sale on every fifth call then adding two additional calls a day for a total of ten new calls a week should theoretically give you two new sales a week
2- Frequency of calls to existing customers puts you in front of them more which leads to additional business by your presence alone.
3- Increase your base. New customers gain you more business.

Sell more per call.
Let your time before the customer be more productive. Practice your skills, hone them and increase the number of units sold.

Sell those items which are of greater value to to the customer.
More value means higher priced items. The customer gets better quality, you get a higher priced sale.

Sell the whole enchilada.
Sell all your products that are of use to the customer not just what they asked for or came in for. Selling a printing cartridge, also sell the paper,pencils etc. that goes along with that purchase.

Close better,Close better.
Practice your closing skills. No sale is complete until you close it. The close is what everything in the sale leads up to. Closing, hands down is the most important part of the sale and will be handled in future blogs.

Closing is what brings in the money to let the company exist and you to subsist.

Thank You
Joe D'Ambra
www.basicsofsales.com
Sales Blogs offering sales tips

I hope that reading my blog has benefited you. Please click the free preview on the site above and let me show you how I can benefit you further.

A variety of skills are needed to achieve the goals we want in sales. How we use and coordinate these skills is the strategy we adapt to be successful. We must take the right actions dictated by a set of circumstances to make affective use of our strategy. Although we can't predict why certain things happen during a call we can be prepared for what actually happens if we had a planned strategy for most possibilities beforehand.

You can never be sure of what will happen during a sales call but you should try to control the events as best you can. The course of the sales call depends on many factors, the attitude of the customer, the disposition of the salesperson, and the set of variables involved. It is hard to predict what will happen on a call but going into to it armed with a strategy can help you handle most of what comes up.

A sales strategy is a plan to achieve the objective of a successful close. To develop a strategy you must understand each selling skill you posses, and when to use it and the result you get. As salespeople you should know how these various skills blend together. How one thing leads to another in the sale. How does the general benefit statement lead to probing and agreement and support statements. How do all of these lead to the close?

Think through the possible situations you may encounter on a call. (Refer to July 1st blog) You probe for customer needs and answer those needs. What do you do next? Where do you lead the customer?
What is your strategy?

Besides using your sales strategy to respond to immediate customer responses you can also use your strategy to plan ahead in the call. If you have called on this customer in the past you should have an idea from their previous answers and reactions what to expect from them on your next call. You can use that information to try to anticipate what doubts a customer may have and what benefits they are interested in. If you know what to expect you can anticipate the most effective strategy to use. This will increase your choices to respond to customers in the right way and make sure the call doesn't end prematurely.

You can handle any sales situation if you have these skills at your command and know how and when to use them. Remember circumstances dictate which skills are used. Once you have thought of all the possible sales situations that you may encounter, and are comfortable with your skills, you can now put to use the strategies you have adapted to face your customer. (Refer to July 8th blog).

Thank You
Joe D'Ambra
www.basicsofsales.com
Sales Blogs offering sales tips

I hope that reading this site above and let me show you how I can benefit you further.

If you think you will become a top salesperson you are well on your way to becoming one. Imagining something and going to that place like it's already a reality is about as positive as you can get.
How do you get there? Set your goals and work them. Believe in them and live your sales life like they have already been accomplished.

1- Study your customers and the industry.
When you study people and know how to read them and communicate with them, you are at an advantage. (Refer to my blogs 6/22, 6/26, 7/3, 7/10, 7/14).

2- Have a plan, a goal.
Make your business plan, know where the major portion of your business is and have a plan to get whatever else is needed to put you over the top. (Refer to my blogs 6/17, 6/24).

3- Qualify your customers.
Needs of customers are the key. Find them out and you will succeed.

4- Always have your presentations prepared in advance.
This is always important and, also when you attend meetings and conferences make sure you are prepared for those also.

5- Treat everyone you encounter as if they were a potential customer.
Networking, friends, you never know where your next customer will come from.

6- Try to get a mentor.
Observe the salespeople you come in contact with both in your own company and in the field. Pick someone and model yourself after their good points. Even if you are not close to that person just talking to them and observing them will serve the purpose.

7- Schedule priorities.
Make sure the important things get done first then handle everything else in order of importance. Make sure everything is covered.

8- Study competition.
Know how to present your competitors' product and how they would sell against you. Prepare a sales presentation on your competitors' product or service.

9- Always promote your company.
Sell all the time to everyone, everywhere. This does not mean to be over bearing. Do it naturally as if it is a part of your makeup.

Be committed to your company and business. Become an entrepreneur within your company, like it's your company, your business. Like your success is tied to the company's success. Know that failure is inevitable if you are to become what you want to be.(Refer to my blog 7/12). Be optimistic about your company and yourself.

Thank you
Joe D'Ambra
www.basicsofsales.com
Sales Blogs offering sales tips

I hope that reading my blog benefited you. Please click the free preview on the site above and let me show you how I can benefit you further when you purchase my dvd. In my career I have sold hundreds of millions of dollars and trained innumerable salespeople. I can do the same for you. Common sense is always the best thing to use to make a decision.

This is a person who doesn't believe a thing that a salesperson says. Aside from the obvious he is also difficult because he doesn't say much or disclose much. It may not even be a salesperson thing. It may be a life thing. A combination of experiences and disappointments which has brought him to this state. Whatever the case, he is what he is and it's you who must handle these traits to be successful.

Strategy
Start off by getting him to agree on minor points. Anything from the weather to minor points about your product or service. We then move from minor points and expand the areas of agreement. This takes a bit more time. It must be done so as not to put him on the defensive. He must not be aware of what you are doing. If done correctly this is very hard to detect by the customer.

Definitely, do not exaggerate. Make your points more understated, believe it or not this will build his confidence in the interview. Understated points often give you more of a respectful aura from this individual.

Lastly overwhelm him with evidence, proof of satisfaction from users, people in industry that he is familiar with or if possible people he knows.

Most people who are skeptical have a right to be whether they are correct in that skepticism or not. It's their nature. What is important is that you recognize it and deal with it properly. Be patient, let him agree with you first on minor points. Don't exaggerate, and offer proof.

(Third in a series of selling strategies based on customer type)

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Joe D'Ambra
www.basicsofsales.com
Sales Blogs offering sales tips

I hope that reading my blog benefited you. Please click on the free preview on the above site and let me show you how I can benefit you further.

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Failure in sales. Don't even think of it . Never mention it. Introducing a negative in sales. That is a no no. That's what the book says. Hell that's what everyone says. Does it happen, of course. If no one failed selling then everyone would have a hundred pianos, a thousands vacuums, etc.etc. You get the idea. So why not face it understand it and conquer it.

Think about almost any well known personality, historical figure, inventor, researcher, author. Read about them. They'll tell you about rejection and the thought of failure. If you are a baseball player and you are successful you have failed seventy percent of the time. Read Lincolns' biography and observe his record of failure. Think of how many times Edison failed before the lights went on.

In life and sales you must learn how to handle rejection and failure that is what it's all about. The best salespeople experience failure regularly. It's all about the end of the day. Your percentage, how you dealt with it.

Many times during my career I made not only mistakes but blunders, and on more than one occasion I was called on those mistakes by managers or notables in the company. My reply, yes I made a mistake I admitted it and I didn't get upset with the constructive criticism they leveled on me it was my short coming. I knew one thing that I would always win more than I lost by a wide margin and add to the company's' bottom line with the best of the top salespeople. I knew in the final analysis that the knowledge and experience I possessed would benefit me. My selling acumen was built on a solid foundation. I knew the essentials of selling, the basics of how a sale was made. No matter what happened, no matter how many miscues I made I knew eventually I would bounce back because of my training and conditioning. Have faith in your abilities, training, and experience. Don't dwell on your failures, rejections and shortcomings.

Failure is in all of us. It's the way we handle it, the way we deal with it that's important. Look failure in the face and walk through it. Anyone that holds you accountable isn't nurturing you they are hurting you, stifling your growth. As long as you are trying to work through your mistakes and failures you are in the game. People who are in the know recognize this because they too have failed and felt rejection.

Not admitting to failure and rejection is as ridiculous as not admitting to fear. It's a part of life, of selling, of what we do. Facing it, learning from it, not fearing it, knowing we can profit from it is the key to success.

Talking about failure and rejection in sales is nothing that should be swept under the rug. Introducing a negative, ridiculous. Being aware of something helps you recognize it and plan for it and its' consequences. Sales people are adaptable. They face tough situations all the time and are not afraid to experience failure.

Thank You
Joe D'Ambra
www.basicsofsales.com
Sales Blogs offering sales tips

I hope that reading my blog benefited you. Please click the free preview on the site above and let me show you how I can benefit you further.

This persons' motto is never decide today what can be put off until tomorrow. If seeing two of something is good then seeing five is better. They will always let you know later. “I'll be back”. “Will this be available tomorrow, next week, next month”? Etc. Etc.

With this type of individual you must show how delaying would be detrimental. How loosing this item now will affect them in the future. The feeling of deprivation when the item is gone. Show how advantageous the cost savings would be because good items increase as sales go up. Continuing the process means further expenditures of time, and convenience not to mention the cost of gas.

Delaying the purchase and loosing the item may mean you have to pay more in the future while sometimes settling for less. Try to relate to the customer that now at the present time is the best time to make a decision because the facts are fresh in their minds. Try appealing to their ego. Mention that “some people put off their decisions because they don't have the power of conviction that you do. You know what you want and take action”. Judiciously place an order blank in front of them and see if that works.

Try a close, this is meant to jog the person and get them to open up and react, possibly give you more information to work with or avenues to pursue to try different approaches.

This person is tough, as long as they are in front of you try everything you can think of, something may take hold.

(Second in a series of selling strategies based on customer type.)

Thank You
Joe D'Ambra
www.basicsofsales.com
Sales Blogs offering sales tips

I hope that reading my blog benefited you. Please click the free preview on the above site and let me show you how I can benefit you further.

The more you know about an account in advance the better prepared you will be and the more confident .

Some things to find out:
1-What does the company do?
2-The number of employees.
3-Is it a local or national concern.
4-Is the company growing?
5-How is their credit.
6-What do you have in your line that can help them.
7-Who is the right person to contact?
8-Are they hiring, laying off, running a late shift?
9-Are they readying new construction?
10-Look at their pamphlets, brochures, advertising in the media.

In some of these areas you may have to get the facts directly from the person or find out special requirements that can only be answered by the customer. Other than that if you learn enough in advance about the customer they will listen to you more readily and hold you in a higher regard.

You can also get this information by asking someone or get it from other sources like:
1-Salesman who called on the account previously.
2-Present customers in the same business.
3-Other salespeople and companies in related non competitive fields.

These are just some areas to touch upon. Think of as many more as you can and how to get the information. As I mentioned in previous blogs preparation is tantamount.

Thank You
Joe D'Ambra
www.basicsofsales.com
Sales Blogs offering sales tips
I hope you benefited from reading my blog. Please click the free preview on the site above and let me show you how I can benefit you further When you purchase My "DVD".
At present I have over 1500 followers on ezine.com, and numerous others on goarticles.com, saleshq.com, and closerblog.com

While working with this company I was assigned to accompany salespeople to learn the ropes and see how they operated. This particular day I was assigned to a salesman named Jack. Jack had a distinct southern drawl, was very laid back and always wore a three piece suit.

Now Jack had a customer that was quite animated and demanding and let's throw in loud and blustery. He liked to intimidate everyone, salespeople most of all. On this day I was to accompany Jack to this customers' office. The machine that was to prepare his payroll was not going to be delivered on time even though Jack tried his best. Jack filled me in on the background and we left for his office.
We arrived and were asked to wait by the receptionist. She made it clear that the office manager was fuming about the no delivery. After a period of time we were called in.
The office manager looked at Jack and asked “where's the machine”? Jack explained that it was still being debugged, that we had had a problem with the electrical system in the building and everyone was having problems. The office manager started yelling and became quite animated, he then went on to screaming and threatening Jack saying he'll have him fired and sue the company. He continued yelling and told Jack he wanted the machine in right away no excuses would be accepted. If the machine was not in by weeks' end he would have to keep the whole department in late, write the checks by hand, and pay everyone in the department overtime. At that time while he was yelling Jack had reached into his vest pocket and took out a book of matches and began to move them around slowly in his hand while looking back and forth at the office manger and the matches. The manger said “ so what's it gonna be Jack”?. Jack paused a moment and said “ I guess you will have to keep the department late and pay your people overtime and write your payroll by hand. He said this while looking as calmly as if he were waiting for a bus. I had gripped my hands so tight in the chair I was in that they turned beet red.
The two men looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity and then the manager said “Jack I'm in a bind, I need your help I'm really up against it”.”I'm having a lot of problems with personnel and I don't need this too”.

Jack told him that he had done everything he possibly could as did several other people in the office who had helped him. He said he was here in person to tell him this and show his empathy and concern, and that he would do everything in his power to right the situation. The manager nodded his head and asked Jack to keep him constantly informed. The customer finally got his machine, it was late, and he had to pay everyone overtime, but Jack more than maid it up to him later on.

Sometimes you have to go into the lions' den without a whip or chair and just let people vent. Pay strict attention, show them you are concerned, sincere, and and want to set things right, and although you are not intimidated you are feeling their pain. You must remain calm and steadfast. This is not an easy thing to do and, until you are in this situation you will not know how you will react.

I always remembered this and the first time it happened to me I remembered how Jack handled it.
Sometimes remaining calm, keeping your composure while showing concern is better than just spewing words.

Thank You
Joe D'Ambra
www.basicsofsales.com
Sales Blogs offering sales tips

I hope reading this benefited you. Please click the free preview on the site above and let me show you how I can benefit you further by purchasing my "DVD"

To be able to sell someone we must first recognize the various types of prospects by their appearance, words, actions and personality. By observing these traits we can then build a strategy to sell them.

Let's start with the type of person who appears to be high strung, nervous and irritable. This person never seems to look at you or pay attention to what you are saying. He is constantly fidgeting, looking around, has a grimace on his face if not a down right frown. He is easily annoyed at any attempt to uncover his needs or desires. He resents giving any type of meaningful information. He himself doesn't know how to act towards you, how to answer or what to answer. Ever come across someone like this? I have many times.

This individual must be handled with extreme tact. He is capable of making a decision against you or what you are presenting for no apparent reason other than his nervousness. To handle a person with this type of a personality we must let him do most of the talking while we remain calm. Show him we are listening intently. Keep eye contact as best you can while he fidgets and always keep your aura of calm apparent. Do not disagree with him openly or you may spook him. Use suggestions to influence him. Act like you are partners looking for an answer.

A relaxed and deferential manner should soothe him. Talk quietly and deliberately like one partner to another. Never appear to be what he interprets as aggressive. Let him feel he is in control and all decisions are being made by him including the decision to buy which you carefully lead him to.

This is the first in a series of strategies to sell customers by their personality type.

Thank You
Joe D'Ambra
www.basicsofsales.com
Sales Blogs offering sales tips

It is to your benefit to be as businesslike as possible with everyone in your customers' office regardless of their station. Sell everyone from the receptionist on up. You never know whose influence may contribute to the deciding factor concerning you and your product.

Here are some common things to watch for, and tactics to use in various situations.

Stay On Message:
Your job is to sell the customer not the other way around. If they try to switch the conversation lead them back tactfully and repeatedly if necessary. It is imperative that you firmly but tactfully keep the sales interview on message to get the order. The interview must be controlled by you.

Don't Put everything out all at once:
Some strong points that you have kept in reserve may be the final push you need to get the customer to commit. As the web and flow of the interview continues something you kept in reserve may be the determining factor to keep the interview positive or close the sale

There Are Several People Opposed To Your Product:
If two or more people are opposed to your product then each one must be sold separately. You then use the one you converted to sell the other. When two people oppose you it's difficult because one lends support to the other. Convert one of them to your way of thinking, then it's a combination of two against one in your favor. Divide and conquer.

Interruptions:
The phone rings, someone interrupts you and your customer, and your customer returns preoccupied and with his mind elsewhere. The first thing you must do is lead the customer back to the discussion by resuming the same manner and tone you had before the interruption. Repeat the last point by saying “As we were saying....”.Gets you right back on track. If the customer was leaning towards your point of view before the interruption quickly summarize the main reasons for buying and ask for commitment.

These are just a few things to remember, expect and master while you are in the customer' office. Anyone can interrupt you, anyone can oppose you, and people you never thought of can enter into the decision making. These are ways to turn negatives into positives.

Thank You
Joe D'Ambra
www.basicsofsales.com
Sales Blogs offering sales tips