The Science and Art of Selling by Alen Majer

The average salesperson is overly eager to begin actual selling, and in this ambition he or she is encouraged by the average sales manager.  In selling, as in many other activities of life, it often is true that less haste makes more speed. It does not pay to rush the preparation steps, for the result is bound to be a lot of stumbling afterward.

The importance of the preliminary preparation of the salesperson in knowledge of his products or services has already been emphasized in the preceding posts on this blog. Now we are to realize that knowledge of his territory and of his prospective customers is equally necessary.

Many salespeople consider prospecting in a very narrow way. They are on the lookout for the names of people who might buy, but do not realize the broader aspect of prospecting. They do not seek comprehensive knowledge of conditions in general throughout their industries or territories, but only “hot tips” that are likely to lead to orders.

I frequently meet salespeople who regard systematic prospecting as the sales manager’s job. These people think the company should comb the field with marketing messages and keep the salesperson supplied with prospects to follow up and sell.

Let us realize the wider salesperson meaning of prospecting, and appreciate that prospecting is the salesperson’s job -  practically all of the responsibility rests on him for doing it well. We get the right idea if we understand that the salesperson should comprehend for whom he is working primarily — himself.

Don’t start your selling cross-eyed. The business in which you are engaging is your business. Attend to it yourself if you would have it taken care of in the way that will be best for you. The company risks very little on you, compared with what you have to lose. Therefore make your investment of yourself wisely, with forethought and care to insure the highest degree of effectiveness in your sales efforts.

Do not think of what you do as temporary or a makeshift. Search for the materials with which to build your business permanently. Act from the start of your connection with a company as if you expected to spend all your life in that relation, developing from year to year. You may have other plans in view, but conduct yourself as you would do if the company was really your own.

Aimless, hit-or-miss prospecting is never very systematic effective. The salesperson must determine exactly what he or she wants to know. If you are just looking for the names of buyers, you will find your prospecting like bacon, with a streak of fat and a streak of lean. But if you systematically seek fundamental knowledge of your industry or territory, and are motivated by a definite purpose all the time, you will accumulate a fund of facts that will enable you to do most of your prospecting inside your own mind.

You won’t need tips. You will know the conditions in your field which influence buying, and at the right time will be guided by your knowledge to the very places where business is to be had.

Don’t let your internet presence have an effect on your sales.  Make sure you have the right website hosting service.

“Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Let me do and I understand.” - Confucius (551 – 479 BC)

Research clearly illustrates that most people learn best by doing; by being in an environment that is conducive to what they are learning and by being able to actually put into practice whatever topic of interest is under discussion.

Sales seminars are dynamic tools that can educate; inspire; and enhance one’s knowledge of selling. Sales training, as in distance-learning courses and online training programs, may teach the basics of selling; about what selling is and about how to do it; but a sales seminar is an education that will lead to a greater understanding and appreciation for the science and the art of selling. This level of education is what leads to transformation within a team; it can revolutionize the way daily operations are carried out in a company. This kind of enhancement, in any business, will surely lead to more efficient strategies and more enthusiastic team members who are far more capable and confident in their own abilities thus contributing to greater successes and a broader bottom line. There is no substitute for the real thing.

Long-distance learning courses and online training seminars may seem to be the way of the future; especially in this day and age of modern technology. Yet they are no match for a sales seminar which is held in a classroom environment, where learners are challenged in person, in a charged and dynamic setting, surrounded by like-minded professionals who all share the same enthusiasm and who are gathered with the same purpose.

A seminar has a finite agenda. It has an achievable target with a rewarding outcome that is set for the end of that same day. The success of this course is reliant upon the active participation of each attendee and is an opportunity to network and make new connections from near and far.

Training individually when actually working as part of a larger team almost seems futile. It would be impossible to expect a team to move forward and become successful when only select members of the group are intent on advancing their technique or improving their skill. A team is only as strong as their weakest link. Rather, focus on the headway that could be made; the breakthroughs in change and advancement, when entire sales teams, from the support staff to the reps and managers, are able to train together, just for one day, and walk away on an even footing with a mutual understanding and respect for their new and improved team. This could never be achieved separately, as individuals with differing goals and different learning capacities, while making use of isolated distance-learning courses.

Great changes can come from training as a group with the same goal in mind; as a unified body moving in sync as it grows from strength to strength. Here is where the role of each team player is realized and recognized; where the importance of understanding each person’s function is the key to success in harmony; and where taking cognizance of each person’s responsibilities while being accountable to the team will ensure that higher standards of service are maintained. Greater expectations – greater change.

A session of group training must be seen as an investment in a firm’s greatest asset – the sales team. They are the fundamental core of the business. They play an important functional role in the business and investing in their expertise and improvement is a logical decision that should be easily made.

Research shows that the greatest learning successes come from “on-the-job” experience. Most people learn best by doing, as opposed to reading, listening and making notes. There is a classroom environment that is set up to enrich with a “hands-on” approach; guided by our sales experts who are specialists in their field. This situation replicates the working environment so closely where participants are additionally guided by experts while gaining real hands-on experience and presents the opportunity for sales teams to learn together; all the while networking and making new contacts who share a passion for selling.

In times of recession, it is expected that people would protect their assets and be less willing, perhaps, to make any unnecessary spending decisions. However, even in such recessive times, the benefit far outweighs the cost of attending a sales seminar – which is an investment in its own right.

True to course, it is the survival of the fittest that will determine who stays afloat during the down times. There is a natural tendency for those who are stronger and better equipped to be able to endure and triumph over a recessive period. Those who have adequately invested in their education and their dedication to being successful in their calling will surely survive and will prevail in spite of financial down times. Such seminars, where professionals encourage one another and learn from each other, actually equip people to think out of the box and enable them to get creative when the rest of the world doesn’t really want to part with its hard-earned cash.

A basic sales course may teach the fundamentals of selling, in terms of what selling is about and how best to do it. But a sales seminar is a practical procedure where everyone gets involved and contributes to a process of evolution and transformation. It is not about “teaching”. It is about evolving with a greater understanding; enriched with a more determined course of action; and set to take on the toughest markets in such severely challenging times.

This is the right time to go back to the fundamentals of training, where great thinkers can gather and thrive on participating and engaging in productive deliberation. There is no substitute for the real thing.

——————–

For fees, availability, references and more details, contact The Science and Art of Selling toll free at (866)-876-4761. Our Business Hours are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST Monday through Friday.

You can fill the online form here and we will contact you back in 24 hours.

Tomorrow, April 2nd, I am holding a webinar and there are only few more spots available. Title is: Find Buyers Who Are Ready to Buy…Now!

Learn to Identify the Trigger Events
That Motivate Prospects to Buy

“I have lot of business in my pipeline, but very few deals are closing.” Adding prospects to a sales pipeline is easy … but if they aren’t ready to buy, you’ll waste precious time that could be better spent pursuing accounts that are ready to sign. Although the economy is in strife, people are still buying. The key is to identify which prospects are ready to buy now.

In this webinar, you will learn how to:

• Use trigger events to select the right prospects to pursue
• Identify prospect needs before you ever contact them
• Recognize the difference between internal and external trigger events
• Leverage trigger events to increase your sales effectiveness

As an added bonus, you’ll receive my e-Book, “Trigger Events,” a $13.95 value.

Suggested Attendees: All sales people, sales managers, and small business owners

Read more here.

My new webinar is scheduled for April 2nd: Find Buyers Who Are Ready to Buy…Now!

Learn to Identify the Trigger Events
That Motivate Prospects to Buy

“I have lot of business in my pipeline, but very few deals are closing.” Adding prospects to a sales pipeline is easy … but if they aren’t ready to buy, you’ll waste precious time that could be better spent pursuing accounts that are ready to sign. Although the economy is in strife, people are still buying. The key is to identify which prospects are ready to buy now.

In this webinar, you will learn how to:

• Use trigger events to select the right prospects to pursue
• Identify prospect needs before you ever contact them
• Recognize the difference between internal and external trigger events
• Leverage trigger events to increase your sales effectiveness

As an added bonus, you’ll receive my e-Book, “Trigger Events,” a $13.95 value.

Suggested Attendees: All sales people, sales managers, and small business owners

Read more here.