Turn down the pressure

New salespeople often ask me "How do I avoid coming off as a high pressure sales person?" This is a real concern because nothing turns off prospects more than pressuring them. Here is some advice from Frank Bettger's "How I raised myself from failure to success in sales." This book, written over 70 years ago is a sales classic and just as practical today as it was in the 1930's. Bettger said as long as he remained focused on the helping the customer and doing what was in their best interest, the customer would not feel pressured. If we get wrapped up in making the sale instead of helping the customer we start putting the pressure on ourselves. We can not avoid communicating that pressure to the prospects. It may sound paradoxical, but the best way to get what you want is to focus on helping other people get what they want.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Don't let your experience get in the way

A few days ago I was asked to help a rep prepare for a call. The rep asked me to prepare some research and I pulled the numbers she wanted. In reviewing the prospect's information I uncovered some additional research which I felt could be potentially useful on the call. When I presented my work to the rep she took the numbers she wanted and immediately discarded the rest of the material. She told me that "She knew the customer and he wouldn't be interested," when I suggested that we should let the customer decide, she added "I've been doing this for ten years, I know what customer's want!" I believe this is a very dangerous thing to say. One of the most important tools a sales person can possess is an open mind. Once we believe we know what a customer wants, we stop listening to them. Use your experience as a tool, don't let it become a barrier. No two sales calls ever go the same way, we need to keep an open mind and stay flexible. On every call we are a "rookie" to that client. Keep your mind open if you want to close sales.

Keep Smiling Keep Selling

Thanks Jim Busch