by David Lim
As conflicting a statement as it may seem, many would be wise to subscribe to this advice.
If you are a sales person, you are in a pretty tough profession. It has been said less than 1% of the population has what it takes to be successful in sales.
Those of us in sales are the modern day gladiators who face daily challenges, survive and often thrive. We like helping people, and we enjoy the competitive nature and recognition that comes with being successful at what we do.
So, in a profession that takes no prisoners, how do the men and women at the top do it? What special skills and talents do they have?
Many of the top sales professionals have been fortunate to have had a mentor somewhere along the way who shared nuggets of golden advice. Many years ago, a Regional Sales Manager of a big multinational company made a statement of her top salesman that offended him. It also changed his life.
She said, "Richard, you're a good sales person, but you could be a great sales person."
As he considered himself to be a great salesman, his ego was bruised. He went away mad that she would say such a thing. He considered himself a dedicated student of selling, had been on many sales courses and judged his results to be exceptional.
Her statement stayed with him for the rest of that day and into the night. The next morning, having put his thoughts in order, he dropped by her office and asked her what she meant with her comment the day before. He was no longer mad but felt that he had to defend his honour.
She asked him to sit, and began by telling him how pleased she was that he was on her team, and explained that she believed her role was to get the best out of people. She knew that he considered himself to be a really good salesman and told him that she called him a "good salesman" to rile him up a little.
"You should have seen your face when I said it." She was smiling as she continued, "Don't worry, I consider you much better than a good salesman and I was just having a little fun. But there is one thing that you can do to be even better."
He still remembers it as if it were yesterday, at 9 am on a Tuesday morning, she said two words that stunned him, "Stop selling."
He was dumbfounded. She went on to explain, "Your job is not to sell anything. Your job is to help your customer make an informed purchasing decision."
Well, she had to repeat the statement two times before the light bulb began to come on for him. Of course she was absolutely right. He needed to move from being a gladiator ready to do battle, to becoming a trusted advisor. His responsibility was to help the potential purchaser understand the pros and cons of their decision. It is their money, it is their decision. Had he done everything he could to help them make an informed one?
If you are the trusted advisor instead of the feared gliadator, your customers will run to you instead of fleeing from you whenever they have to make a purchasing decision. They know that you are there to help them make the correct decision, instead of only being interested on how to make the sale. So, stop being the gliadator and start being the advisor. Your customers will thank you for it and reward you with many well-deserved sales.
David Lim is the webmaster of http://QuittingYourJob.com, a business resource for the entrepreneur looking to start, or grow an online home-based business.
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