Achievement of selling excellence is most often earned rather than learned. Outstanding professionals continuously seek to hone their skills from mistakes made and lessons learned in pursuit of success. Professional sales people in search of extraordinary selling competence are no exception.
There has been an ongoing philosophical argument among sales professionals whether extraordinary sales people are born or made. Most think born, because few people can maintain consistent sales generation performance within the same span of time needed to achieve financial and motivational stability.
Since most sales peoples compensation is based on actual sales orders obtained, not good intentions or positive attitudes, the selling professions relatively high rate of job turnover is most often validated fraught with intense frustration and an insurmountable learning curve that crosses many industries, products and services.
Selling skill is best achieved via real world practice not sales training theory, supported by guidance from others who have taken the same career path previously and are generous enough to share their learning experiences. This article attempts to guide you past the potholes on the road to selling success. Like most professions, the most common mistakes made can be boiled down to a short list of avoidable choices many of us naturally make in our pursuit to make a living.
10 Selling Mistakes You DONT Have to Make!
1) Exhibiting Little Self Confidence: There is no direct place to send you to get more self confidence. The more you have in selling the better. Most importantly, the more you exhibit to your existing or potential customer the better your product or service is perceived by them, the greater your probability of continued selling success.
2) Stretching the Truth: No one likes getting lied to, especially someone who is about to spend their hard earned money based on factual liberties told to them from the sales representative. Maintain your reputation first and foremost; it supersedes you in every sales call. Honesty should be the first adjective you want most of your customers to describe you with.
3) NOT Saying I Dont Know, When you Dont Know: This is a classic selling mistake! Discipline yourself to admit to your customer that you dont know about something anything! It is most credible to say, I dont know, but I will find out for you, than to try to sound like you know what youre talking about. As you continue to practice this principle, your knowledge base and your clients perception of your expertise will continue to increase.
4) NOT Looking the Part Selling involves approaching strangers, people who have never met you before. People naturally base purchase decisions on first impressions. Look the part you are playing, or better yet, exceed the common image expectation in your industry. Always dress and groom one level above your targeted audience. It portrays success and gives you an opening edge over your competition. The least you can do is look like you know what you are doing!