1. Get Passionate! Secret number one is probably the most important. You need to have a passion for whatever it is you will be selling. If you have passion for your product or service, you will learn everything you can about it. You will be a virtual fount of knowledge about the product or service you sell, will be able to answer any question or concern quickly and easily off the top of your head, and will be able to vouch for the product or service personally—because you will know all the benefits it can offer the purchaser and you will have used it, and will be virtually in love with that product or service. You will continually seek more knowledge and experience with it and will be excited to share that knowledge with others. You will become an invaluable resource to the buyer or potential buyer. You will become an expert—and everyone loves to buy from an expert. If you want a successful career in sales, sell only those
products and services you are passionate about—and totally believe in!
2. Pre-qualify Buyers. Most people in sales hate making cold calls—primarily because the chances of landing a sale are often slim to none and it's just uncomfortable for everyone. So don't make cold calls. Don't try to market to everyone. Regardless of what product or service you are selling, you can identify the primary purchaser of that product or service—often by specific demographic information that is readily available to you if you do your research. Contact only those potential purchasers who pre-qualify according to those guidelines. While it won't ensure a sale every single time, your sales success will increase exponentially. Don't just contact random people. Don't try to sell all things to all people. It doesn't work. Not everyone can be your customer. So focus on marketing yourself to those customers who already need or want what you're selling.
3. Focus On Relationships First. Sometimes you don't make the sale—right now, that is. But if you focus on developing real relationships with potential buyers, based on a sincere interest in helping them, those potential buyers will remember you when they develop a need or desire to purchase. Relationships aren't superficial, and they don't feel pressured. They don't simply focus on what you're trying to sell. In fact, they don't focus on you, your product, or your service at all—they focus on the potential buyer—and what that person needs and desires, what that person is going through at this particular time in his/her life, and how you can help—even if it doesn't involve making a sale. A relationship is calling a client just to say ''Happy Birthday'' or sending a sympathy card when a loved one passes away. A relationship is a personal call after the sale to see how things are going—and mentioning something the buyer shared with you the last time you spoke. A relationship creates loyalty and generates word-of-mouth referrals. A relationship is dealing with a person, not a company, or a website, or an impersonal voice mail. Build relationships first, and the sales will follow.
4. Follow Up. It's impossible to measure how many potential sales are lost, simply because the sales person fails to follow up with the potential purchaser. Purchasers and clients often gather information and then misplace it. They forget. They lose business cards and phone numbers. They get busy with other areas of their life and push things aside. Following up with potential purchasers (especially if they indicate a strong interest or ask you to contact them later) can result in many sales that might otherwise have been missed. Similarly, after the potential purchaser becomes a real paying customer, follow up after the sale. Call personally (there's that relationship building again) to see if they are satisfied with their purchase or if you can be of further assistance. Answer any questions they have after the sale. Keep them in mind—and continue to follow up—especially with building the relationship—long after the cash register has finished ringing, and the next time any customer needs another similar product or service, he or she will contact you first, resulting in an easy sale. Provide service after the sale. Don't forget about your customers just because their check has cleared the bank. Find out what your existing customers like, don't like, need, and want—and then sell them another product or service that meets their desires. Satisfied customers result in new customers as they spread the word to their friends and associates. And following up is the key to having satisfied customers.
Sales isn't necessarily an ''easy'' career—but most of the frustration related to any career in sales can be totally reversed if these four foolproof secrets are implemented and followed consistently. Follow these four secrets in 1-2-3-4 order and watch your sales soar!
