Category: Blog

Often, I spend time thinking about my successes and failures in sales. As any sales pro with self-awareness will share, I found there are many deals I won due to what I did or didn’t do. I don’t have data to determine what percentage of my deals were the direct result of my sales ability & skill, but just like the deals I lost, I am responsible for most of my “wins”. In other words, it was not just dumb luck, rather using processes and skills that I know work.

If you are not already utilizing text messaging as a means of communicating with your potential customers…shame on you!
I am an “old-school” guy. I fought the iPhone revolution until I finally succumbed ...

Not all customer inquiries are created equal, but the common quality they all share is that they all have a value. Because there is value to each type of call, you must treat them as an opportunity…a valuable one!

I have rarely met a successful sales pro that doesn’t have an ego. An ego can be positive, as it is all about the desire to be the absolute best. However, ego is often a massive stumbling block for sales people. Ego fuels the inability to listen, act or take direction because of pride. I have personally witnessed many sales people climb the mountain of success, only to reach the top and never reach the same heights again. I attribute this spike and decline most commonly to ego. An unchecked ego can and often is catastrophic.

I have worked with home improvement companies for close to 15 years. The number of contractors that forget the importance a first impression has on their ability to win more jobs, never ceases to amaze me. Whether it is the way they answer the phone, the email address they use, or the choice of attire, often contractors drastically reduce their chances of success. Although you may feel professional, if you do not look professional, your customers may be judging you unfavorably. In business, often judgements of the book are made by the cover.

There is no doubt that integrity matters, especially in business and sales. Truly successful sales people have high integrity and are trustworthy, honest and dependable. In 2019, we live in a highly transparent world. The days of sales people that will say or do anything to get the deal are ancient history. Those representing your company that fail to operate with high levels of integrity are simply bad for business.

Since the first month we opened our office, we implemented a community outreach program focused on giving of our time and/or monies to organizations and people less fortunate than ourselves. Of course, there is the altruistic aspect of this action, but I also push our staff to be as involved as possible for another important reason; to get in the habit of GIVING.

Likely, you are familiar with the age old saying in sales, “the prospect buys you not your product”. I believe in this statement 100%. If you are not already a believer, I suggest you continue reading and quickly adopt this FACT. It is important to understand the psychology behind this statement as opposed to just accepting it as fact. The basic principle is that people do business with people they can relate to. It is no different from how we choose our friends, significant other, or anyone we spend time with, the laws of attraction apply. With this understanding, we can now better understand the importance being yourself has in the world of sales. Prospects do not need extra reasons to say no or walk away from a deal, so it is imperative that we are real and genuine.

To become a successful sales pro, you must learn and work on your ability to ask the right questions and at the right time. This skill allows you to control the direction and flow of the selling process. Generally, a conversation between two or more people consists of a series of questions and answers, with the one asking the questions in control of the conversation.

There is no better place to begin the journey to success in selling than the skill of listening. You cannot become a top sales pro without the ability to listen.