“It’s not my job to sell!”
How many times have you heard that line?
Truth is, EVERYONE IS IN SALES.
Every employee needs to understand the importance of knowing how to sell your company. And, truth be told, ANYBODY can be a great salesperson.
“Sales are contingent upon the attitude of the salesman – not the attitude of the prospect.”
– W. Clement Stone
Salespeople Are Everybody’s Friend
Many people have a fear of speaking in public.
As a result, we have a great admiration for those who are good at speaking, storytelling and being in front of people and putting themselves out there. We tend to think that great salespeople simply have the gift of gab.
I’ve been in sales since I had my first job when I was 16 years old, and I’ve been training and developing salespeople for quite a while. Through the years, I’ve encountered many different personality types.
What’s surprising? Some of the best salespeople I’ve known have actually been somewhat introverted.
When I’m training or coaching anyone – and when I can see them catching on and I watch the light bulb go off for them – it’s like magic! And I can make that happen for you, too.
4 Basic Characteristics of a Great Salesperson
In my experience, these are the 4 qualities of great Salespeople:
- THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR: They are GREAT listeners and don’t talk more than their client.
- Also, they ask GREAT questions and know how to get others talking- about the topics they want them to talk about, like themselves, their lives, their needs, wants, what makes them happy – and even what they don’t like.
- There’s an understanding on how to build a relationship and trust with others.
- They know that their offers will be rejected more than sold – they don’t take it personally. They are not afraid of hearing the word NO.
And, because the salespeople were really listening (and you know how important the skill of listening is from my previous podcasts), they know exactly how to offer to their clients – based on exactly what they heard them tell them.
“Most people think ‘selling’ is the same as ‘talking’. But the most effective salespeople know that listening is the most important part of their job.”
– Roy Bartell
Based on my experience, a person who has these 4 qualities has the potential to be a great salesperson. It’s really as simple as:
- LISTEN
- ASK GREAT QUESTIONS
- BECOME FRIENDS/BUILD RELATIONSHIPS
- BE WILLING TO HEAR ‘NO’
So if you want to become a salesperson, don’t be intimidated by it. It’s a skill you can learn just like any other. And best of all, I can teach you how to be a great salesperson.
Every Employee in Your Company Should Be A Salesperson.
And I Mean EVERY Employee!
My firm philosophy is that every person in your organization is in the sales department – EVERYONE.
Here’s another important tip:
- If you are a business owner or leader in business, the more people you have in SALES, the better it is for you and your company.
Whether you:
- Answer the phone
- Greet the delivery people
- Work in the AP department
- Or run the operations of the company
Everyone is in the sales department!
An employee is not just a representation of the company, good or bad. All employees have an interest in the success of what the company does – and they need to be trained in being able to talk about it.
From a marketing and sales perspective, you have no idea how much of a following you will get from the most unexpected places and people.
You’re probably wondering how.
Since you asked…
- When the UPS delivery person has a great relationship with your office manager and they or their family member is looking for something that your company offers, you have a sale thanks to your office manager. (It can easily go the other way, too.)
- As the person in your company who sets up new vendors is communicating with an insurance company, the insurance processing agent is buying your product.
- When your back office admin is setting up phone service for a new phone at the local Verizon store and the rep there says that he and his wife are in the market for what you offer- how awesome is it when your admin can excitedly talk about what you do and maintains the momentum toward the sale?
If you and your entire company have the attitude that everybody is your customer, it changes EVERYTHING.
Begin by teaching your employees the basics.
If you have made great quality hires in your people for what they do in your organization, if they love where they work, they will be proud to know they are a representation of you everywhere they go and with everyone they meet.
Everyone can do it – especially the quiet ones!
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