Are You Ready to Improve Your Sales Results?

Learning to sell well is no easy task, and the profession requires grit, admission of errors, and the courage to continue despite the backtalk one may hear in the office. Sales success requires learning from every incident that materializes poorly. The willingness to proceed, no matter what we encounter, teaches us more valuable lessons.

By reviewing our poor experiences, we may realize the need to change habits, take classes, and study better ways to move forward. One of the better training methods is to observe and learn from our top competitors. If a client reveals that they admire a competitor, inquire about what stands out. If the answer is interesting, determine how to adapt the idea to your style to maintain authenticity. Original thinking, presentation, and delivery are essential for encouraging a faithful clientele.

Mentally review the lessons that stand out in your memory over time. Eliminate the worst and elaborate on the better experiences to improve. Once a recollection comes to mind, consider the emotions surrounding the memory and why that might be.

Accept ‘No’ with a Smile

It goes against common sense to say, ‘accept no with a smile.’ You may wonder why anyone would happily accept the answer of ‘no’! Two answers confirm the reason for taking ‘no’ with a smile:

• Is it likely that you never changed your mind in your lifetime? Should the person and company catch your interest, it doesn’t hurt to call back in six months to say, ‘I was thinking about you and want to know how you are doing.’ The phrase is likely to turn communications around for the better. Deep down, most people want to know that you care about them above making the sale.
• Should the ‘no’ be forever with no change of mind ahead, feel the relief of not wasting your time needlessly.

Upon hearing the negative reply from a prospect, bluntly ask, ‘Is your answer of ‘no’ temporary until your budget is in place, or is it forever and not to bother you again?’ The question surprises prospects; they often laugh and then suggest a better time to contact them again. Usually, the recommended steps lead to a sale! Verify a workable date and time, and when it arrives, remind them they asked you to call.

Game Play with Yourself

Keep a scorecard on your behalf to determine what works well and what may need replacing.

• Each day, track ‘Yes’ vs. ‘No’ to see if the positive response percentage increases over time.
• Once comfortable, approach career possibilities and companies beyond your current expertise to see what happens. If you receive a ‘yes,’ knowledge will increase rapidly, enabling you to advance more quickly.
• Track the valuable lessons learned daily and approach the next with a ‘lesson learned’ attitude.

Feel your confidence and energy increase as you move forward.

Flexibility Leads to Successful Negotiation

Flexibility comes from an enjoyable and relaxing conversation that encourages extra insights. Long ago, I envisioned men attempting to strong-arm one another at the point of negotiation. I was unaware that I was already negotiating in my unique style.

Gaining the other person’s perspective first leads to precise questions that will advance the conversation positively. Upon engaging in heart-to-heart and mind-to-mind discussions, and by asking, ‘why?’, the question unearths hidden truths and gold nuggets of information that lead to making the sale.

Sales Lessons Recap:

1. Finally, the most important lesson I learned to embrace is that I’m not the root cause of things going wrong, and neither are you!
2. It all boils down to whether a match is in the making, and if not, walk away with a smile.
3. Opportunities are endless, and it’s our task to find the right ones to advance our journey and bring satisfaction to a job well done.