Here's a quote about sales that I have followed in my own career.
"I attribute my sales success to this – I never took or gave an excuse."
In sales, as in many other careers, as skilled and knowledgeable as we are about our services or products, we are always going to be the ones to drive the sale, or sell the idea, or convince someone that our company or our product is the best one for them. Everything that you consist of as a person – as a salesperson – the values you have- the determination and strengths that you have – are all going to come together to make up the final result of you.
In sales, everything that you are made up of – every trait that you have will be utilized at some time during the sales process – which is why you cannot be "lacking" in any one of them. You could be the smartest guy on your subject, but if you have a negative streak in you as long as the Mississippi River, you are going to turn people off before they even get to hear what you have to say.
If you are in sales, you need to be running like a high performance engine – with each part working in harmony with the other.
If just one part is out of whack, it will effect the others in the blink of an eye.
Getting back to high performance sales, the best way to work your way to the top is to take every failure as a lesson learned, knowing that you will try 10 times harder the next time. Giving up is never an option.
High performance selling requires the discipline to look at each opportunity and say "What could I have done differently?" Never take for granted that what worked in one instance will work in another. Keep yourself versed in different scenarios and solutions to offer, so that you will never be left without answers for a client or prospect. By continuously adjusting and relaunching parts of my sales process, I was able to turn any "failures" into future successes.
Sales are not going to come easy. You have to be committed to put in the time and hard work, all of which will make the rewards even sweeter.
YOU NEED TO STAND OUT – YOU NEED TO MAKE THEM THINK OF YOU FIRST, OVER THE REST OF YOUR COMPETITORS. You and all of your competitors are fighting for business. Think of all of them pitching to clients. Know what they are doing and what they are saying – and then find your area of value and hit them with it head on.
Always be creative and innovative when problem solving the needs of your clients and prospects – digging deeper to provide a solution that matches their needs perfectly.
Have focus and discipline. After each opportunity that comes your way, take a step back and look at it with scrutiny and ask yourself if there was anything that could have been done differently or more effectively. There's always room for improvement. Keep your feelers out at all times for ways to improve on what you are doing and how to better connect with clients.
Some of the most important sales promotion and sales marketing are the ones that take place between customers and prospects, and/or between friends and colleagues, in the way of advice on who to buy from, and who they didn't enjoy working with. One of the fastest way to be among the top sellers is by having your current customers "sell" for you, by telling others about your value.
Be vigilant in your quest to know more tomorrow than you did today. Nothing happens overnight. Rather, it's an unending process of continuing to grow and learn and push ourselves harder toward our goals, and our dreams. No excuses. Just keep going forward.
Have your own set of "mission statements" or personal values that will keep you on track on your path to greatness. Incorporate them deep into your core, as they are going to serve as a constant reminder of who you are, where you are going, and what you need to do to get there.
Every person you come in contact with knows hundred of other people. Never take for granted the power of what one conversation could lead to.
High performance or high value selling all really comes down to you – you have to want it bad enough – to your core- tapping into this resource of resilience and determination to keep you going no matter what the economic times, or sales slumps that come along.
I am always happy to discuss those strategies that have worked for me in more detail.
Marco Giunta
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