What Does It Take To Be A Successful Salesman?

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Copyright © 2006-2008 Casey Moher


In the course of my average workweek, I meet people who tell me that they have no sales experience, and very literally, many will tell me that they could not sell if their lives depended on it. s Do you fit into this mold? Do you seriously believe that you can sell me on the idea that you cannot sell things?


The Mindset

The mindset that limits the potential of so many people is based in a pre-conceived notion of what it takes to do certain things.

Most of us have had the experience of going to a car lot and talking to a person who seemed smooth, outgoing and fast-talking. Most of you know exactly the type of person I am talking about. Most of us see people like that and think to ourselves, "he has got to be a car salesman."

I am not exempt; I see them too and identify them as car salesmen.

That is definitely not who I am; and it is not a personality that I would portray to my own customers.

The truth of the matter is that one is not required to have the "car salesman personality" in order to be successful in sales.


We Are All Salespeople At Heart

If you doubt the ability of "all individuals" to have the capacity to sell to others, then you should pay closer attention to your own children or the children of others.

Young children are always stretching their wings, trying to learn how to influence others to their point of view. All children seem to have mastered their own approach to influence others, but on occasion will change up their preferred method of attack when they don't feel that they are as successful as they were previously.

When you were younger, you also behaved in a similar manner.

As children, we did not limit our potential with thoughts that we could not succeed. Instead, we pressed on. If we could not achieve our goals in one manner, we would back up and tackle the issue from another angle.


Even As Adults, We Are All Salespeople At Heart

When you apply for a job, your goal is to sell yourself above all others. You want to be the person hired for the job, not the person left without a job. So, you show employers the "you" that they need to see to believe that you are the right person for the job.

When you were dating, you did the same. You showed your prospective lover the person that they wanted to see. You sold yourself above all other potential mates.

Even among friends, you will suggest a specific activity and make a sell for your friends to join you in your activity. "Let's go fishing." "Let's go to the lake over the Fourth of July and camp out --- your family and mine."

We have goals that we would like to meet, and we try to influence others to our way of thinking. Even as adults, we still work on improving our power of influence over others.

You might not be the smooth, outgoing, slick, and fast-talking car salesman, but you are still a salesperson at heart.


What It Takes To Influence Others

1. Friendliness – People must be able to talk to you and feel comfortable in doing so.

2. Establish Trust – People do not buy from people whom they do not trust. Don't give others any reason why they should distrust your words.

3. Solve Problems – If you show more interest in helping the prospect solve their problems, then the prospect will be more interested in what you say. If on the other hand you convey the feeling that you are more interested in your commissions, then you will find the door slammed quickly in your face. You don't tell your friends, "Hey, let's get together on the Fourth of July. And bring your boat. I don't own one." "Oh, the boat is in the shop. Well, forget I said anything."

4. Educate Your Prospect – Tell your prospect how they will benefit from the use of your product or service. All prospects are concerned with how something may or may not affect their own life. "Hey, if you want to bring your boat, I will pay for the gas in your boat and your truck." "Oh, the boat is in the shop. Well come on out with us anyway. I have reserved a great spot down near the water."

5. Ask For The Sale – "So, are we on for the Fourth of July?" You need to ask your prospect for a commitment. If you don't, the next guy will.


What Does It Take To Be A Successful Salesperson?

I can sum this up in five words... "Stop being afraid to try."

We are all sales people; we all influence others in our daily lives. If you can influence one person to do what you want to do, then you have what it takes to be a successful salesperson.

It doesn't matter. It could be your spouse, your son, your best friend, or your boss. If you can influence others, then you have what it takes to be successful.

I would be more inclined to buy from someone who is not slick and fast-talking like a car salesman, and I am sure that you might feel the same way.

Educate me, and then show me how you can solve my problems... If you can do that for me, I might be very interested in buying what you are selling.


About the Author:
Casey Moher owns http://www.cashretrievalsystems.net
If you could talk to people in your hometown, and you could show them that if they were to schedule an appointment with my assessors, and that I could put dollars into their pocket in nearly every instance, do you think people might be interested? And, if I told you that I pay referral fees to people who set up appointments for my people, would you be willing to set aside your own fears to make some extra money? If you answered yes to both of these questions, let's get started today: http://www.cashretrievalsystems.net