Selling 101

Basic Sales 101

By  Scott Hammond
“Nothing happens until something is sold.”—Unknown

Sales as the backbone of the free market enterprise system.  It is the core of commerce.
It can be the quintessential win win-win scenario.  Everybody wins; you, your family, the customer, your company, your community, the nation, and the world at large. … If it is done correctly.

What is a sale?  What is it we do?  What is it we sell?  And what is a sales job?
The definition of sales is the transference of a feeling.  Persuasion requires empathy with others and listening to their needs, wants, and desires. Enthusiasm and empathy are key in selling.
Belief in yourself, your product, your customer and the selling process is vital to being a successful salesperson.
The fundamentals of selling include appearance.
First impressions really do count!
1. Clothing is important. You must wear decent/clean clothing.
2. How you look is also important in sales. Your hair, makeup, scent, and cleanliness all make a difference.
3. Your speech is also vital. Is it pleasant, kind, logical, and gracious?
4. Mannerisms and expressions. Demeanor is crucial. Greeting people correctly is vital.
5. Attitude. Your nature: Are you helpful, listening, empathetic, and truly caring?
6. Ask and listen. You must be able to ask great questions.  Then really listen to the answers.

The selling sequence goes something like this:
it is sequential… it has an opening, body, and close.
The opening has to do with asking questions and general conversation.
Ask a good question: probe for dissatisfactions and for problems for you to present solutions to.
Qualifying, a prospect has to do with looking for buying signals, and probing for buying objections.
The next step in the sequence would be solving the objections.
Can you solve an objection with your product features, advantages, and benefits?
The close of the sale is vital. You must always ask for the order and get approval to go forward.

Old vs. New School

The old school method of selling as much to do with being selfish, money based, steered by the salesperson, and isn’t always effective. It is blatantly one-sided and disingenuous.
It is telling versus selling.  It is usually salesperson driven and doesn’t always have the customer’s best interests in mind. The consultant of sales model is new school, and we will talk about that now.

Relationship driven sales has more to do with the customer needs, wants, and motivation.
A sales consultant is able to customize for specific customer needs.
1. It all starts with the customer needs analysis. These are questions designed to really get into the nuts and bolts of a client’s needs and desires.  Done in an informal style, the CNA is discovery based in discerns needs, trends, wants, desires and offers solutions and opportunities to it both customer and sales person.
It helps you create tailored solutions for customer’s needs.

2. Creating solutions from your customer questionnaire. The survey looks for weaknesses and offers strengths.
It can help you highlight your core competencies. You can propose concrete plans, ideas, and solutions.
You can propose out-of-the-box, customized, tailored solutions, ideas, and compelling offers to your client.

3. Compelling offers. Compelling offers are not always dollar-based.
After you gather your data you can now process, and create a customized proposal.
You’re now ready to propose your ideas to your client and ask for their agreement.
Compelling offers are unique, individualized, and tailored to the client. They’re like having a personal shopper at Nordstrom’s.

4. Closing the sale.
If the above is done correctly, closing the sale becomes natural, no pressure exercise.
It’s easy to ask for the sale because of it flows from an assumed culmination of the aforementioned process.
The sale is assumed.  Therefore the closing is low-key, and a natural end to the exercise.

The benefits of the consultant of sales style.
The style offers everyone a partnership approach.
Customer’s tell you their needs, and you present solutions in a relaxed, nonthreatening style that builds relationship quickly. The style focuses energy and resources and carries with it reasonable expectations of success.

In conclusion, the Old versus New schools of sales have fundamental differences and benefits and the new consultant style should certainly be part of one’s sales lexicon. Remember, “Nothing happens till there is a sale.”

We are all in sales in way….Therefore, be the best salesperson you can be.

Sales Dad….Introduction

Everyone said, “You need to write a book”.

The thought that “the book just wrote itself” is a lot of malarkey.

I’m finding there’s a whole lot of prep time, content development, procrastination, and research that goes into writing a book.

I know I have never procrastinated more in my life…

I think the best thing I can do is just to go ahead and get started.

What I found in developing the material for this book is that my life as a father and an advertising salesman truly intersect.

All the teaching I’ve had on marketing, leadership, mediation, goal development, and more, will have an impact on my parenting.

That is to say that you could replace the words “parenting” or “effective fathering” over much of what we do in sales and management training and it would work in terms of them being being parallel worlds.

The tools are all the same: effective communication, relationship building, compelling goal-setting and attainment, compassionate leadership, time management, organization, and effective execution.

Business, selling, and management truly do parallel effective parenting.

The measurements and outcomes are different but the tools are very similar:

An effective leader, whether at home or work, truly does leave a legacy and a heritage.

This leader creates a positive culture which permeates that home, business, or venue.

It’s doing this with intentionality, and knowing what you want going in, that makes the difference between being a lousy leader or parent, versus an effective one.

We have a long way to go, and it’s my hope that this book will give you the tools to move the needle, to make the change, and to make a difference in your world, whether at home or at work.

At the end of the day it’s up to you as to what you’ll take action on.

My father used to say”It takes money to buy whiskey…”

I never knew what that meant until a few years ago. It has to do with being a person of action who takes the initiative and is willing to  pay the price for what he really wants.

My hope is that you will be that person who perseveres, who is courageous, and who won’t stop until the dream is fulfilled.

Here’s to the dream of leaving a positive legacy…

Scott Hammond

McKinleyville California

Easter Sunday

March 23, 2008