Theres a new 'apprentice type' reality TV show starting soon where all salespeople will be competing for £100,000 over 2 mths.

Seeing as i rate myself as probably THE best sales person in the country im thinking about entering.

Anyway if you're up for it register here.



http://www.closethedeal.co.uk/

honesty is the best policy....unless you are a salesman.

recently failed a technical pre-sales job interview...I told them I haven't got it in me to sell people what they don't need.

Incognito wrote:
Selling in this country needs a major PR job. Not all sales people are sharks you know, some of us are sophisticated operators who provide a much needed service....*rubs chest*.

So why do you feel you had to be dishonest in this job, exactly what were you selling?

Hi Le Moor, how you doing???...



Good luck with the sales programme though, not for me. I couldnt sell a glassof water in a desert....

Miss Nellia wrote:
Im ok Miss Nellia, good to see you back and hope you're ok.

Havent put in details yet im still debating on the idea.

Hey Le Moor - what's up.

so .... what makes you a great salesperson? I am in sales too but I dont think I am a greatsalesperson....actually I see myself as more of a consultant than a salesperson.....but I suppose it is all the same diff in my line of business. I would like to improve my closing though!

Anyway, I am curious as to what you thinkmakes you successful.

Happiness wrote:
Hi Happiness,

Unfortuanetly the word salescarries a stigma over here and people, as Incog stated, associate it with deviousness etc. However like yourself my role is consultative or advisory based and we're regulated by a financial authority, so those that are devious run the risk of doing time in a prison cell. However bottom line is, im there to provide a service together with shifting product, and without sales ability it isntpossible to do so effectively.

Ive always been in sales since leaving college, so itsbecome instinctive now. A few years back i was selling Radio advertising and it was there i really learnt how to sell. Ive always sold a concept, or intangible products andthis particular role was at a high level iemedium to large size comapnies, so had to be slick with no 'barrow boy' style tatics in a room of directors plus their entourage's.

Obviously there are many points to what makes a good salesperson, but if i were to summarise the most crucial i would say concentrate on your questioning techniques. Questioning correctly achieves two things, a, you gain control over a conversation without dominating it and b, more importantly you can find out all the demands and needs of your customer. Your listening skills equallyhave to be as fined tuned and that comes with experience. Customers sometimes give false objections and dont say what they mean for all sorts of reasons. Your listening and questioning techniques will uncover all, to get to what they really want; as well making them feel like your catering to their individual needs. Once you have found their demands and needs you simply extract the benefits of your product to suit. Again there is technique in doing this as it comes down to effective communication, to wordphrases so they areportrayed as benefits, together with using real examples of their circumstances. The other thing questioning does is that it gets the customer to voice the important things they need instead of you telling them what they need. It is pychologically more empowering.

Do your research well. Information and knowledge are power and key.

Lastly know your product/service inside out and keep abreast with any changes to your product/sercive or industry.

What is it about closing thats bugging you?

Le Moor,

Don't go all D.I.P.A.D.A on us now or we'll have to S.P.I.N it around for A.I.D.A!

I think provided you are presenting to Mr M.A.N i.e a person that clearly has the money, authority and need for the service and product the close comes a lot easier.

I was told many years ago by an Old Yorkshire Man:

"If you want to sell what Bill Smith buys, you must see Bill Smith through Bill Smiths eyes".

I have always found that like Happiness I am an average Sales Person, unless I really believe in the Product or service then it's not selling but a mission to convertniceone.gif.

Sales Men and Womenget a bad reputation in this country but often the customers or clients are not blameless themselves.

How did you guess .

Quote:

Customers sometimes give false objections and dont say what they mean for all sorts of reasons

There was a time once, when I had sold a DP colour to a chap in India on the phone, yet he would not fax me over the order!

I kept on trying to close him down and he came out with objection and objection as to why he would not give the order although he wanted the Advertisment.

Finally, speaking very directly I demanded to know why he was procrastinating.

His anwer: That his secretary had gone home and he did not know how to use the fax machine, I had to talk him through how to usea fax machine in order to get the order.

A Classic case of a hidden objection. And that's customers all round.

Radio Advertising sounds (get it) very competitive. Are you still in Media.

@ Dada - abeg o! I no tok say I be average o!!

@ Le Moor - Closing doesn't really bug me that much because I have decided not to focus on that although I know how to close effectlvely. I just decided a long time ago to take my business in a different direction but I do recognise that I would be making subtantially more money if I focused more on the close.

The reason I say that I amnot a great salesperson isbecause I get too caught up in my clients. What's it they say...I could sell a rattle to a rattle snake....but I wont. But that actually has been my success....I would say about 95% of my closed sales are referral based. That's why I am a fantastic consultant! Unlike the UK, real estate agents here in the US have HUGE fiduciary responsibilities to their clients which means that sometimes you just can't make the close.

So for all those reason and more , I havepositioned myself as a consultant in an industry of salespeople. It is difficult at times but I do believe in the long-run the pay-off will be well-worth it. Anyway, that's why I am not a great closer.

btw @ dada - I love that saying you quoted: "If you want to sell what Bill Smith buys, you must see Bill Smith through Bill Smiths eyes". I will use that with my team!