Many experts say that when it comes to sales, we should NO longer be focusing on the sales process, but more on the customer buying process.
When you’re faced with a new prospect, it’s important to take the time to get to know them. Ask them questions and get them to share what their needs are, so that when you do begin the sales process, you can sell authentically, knowing that you are able to truly serve them.
If you’re conversing with a prospect it might seem like a good idea to try to close the sale as quickly as possibly. By doing this, your prospect may not even realize they have a need for what you’re selling…. YET!
I know that there are sales that happen quickly, but for the most part sales take time. There’s never a reason to rush the process! Learn more about your customers and you’ll end up making more consistent sales.
Sales is a process of getting to know people, and in my opinion there is no better way to do that, then by trying many different jobs. Each type of job will likely require a different kind of skill set which will help prepare you for the dynamic art of selling without feeling sleazy.
This is exactly how I got good at what I now do for a living, teaching others how to sell.
I’ve had all sorts of jobs that run the gamut from being a financial analyst to a cocktail waitress, and each and every one these jobs has taught me something that has helped make me be great at sales.
Initially, after college, I thought everything would be rainbows and roses. I was going to create my own prepared foods company, and we were going to be successful, when in reality, it was probably one of the most difficult times in my life.
We pave a beautiful road to success in our head, but the real path is never glamorous.
I knew I had the desire to be an entrepreneur, but I had to take my journey before I got there. I had to learn how to work with loads of different people. I did that be working in these roles previously:
- I was a cocktail waitress.
- I worked in the mortgage business.
- I worked in a department store, Nordstroms.
- I did some real estate transactions.
- I was a fitness instructor and multiple gyms.
And, finally, after I learned how to communicate with people, and tell people’s stories, I was able to create my first business (FITzee Foods) and build now a second successful business.
If we want to be able to help more people, we need to put ourselves out there. We can’t be afraid to talk to people. We can’t be afraid of hearing NO.
Instead we must navigate those NO’s and other rejections, so that we can earn our YES’s.
Don’t Worry About the Glamorous Path
Have you ever had the thought, “Entrepreneurialism is glamorous”?
I know many entrepreneurs have, but once you dig in and start doing the work, things don’t feel so glamorous. There are late nights, early mornings, eating at your desk, little sleep… But, all of it is for the greater good of your life and business.
A guest on Success Unfiltered, Kunal Desai, a very successful professional day trader, had originally started trading because in his head it looked like the glamorous path. The instant path to money, however the reality he experienced was quite different.
Kunal hit rock bottom twice!
The first time he struggled was when he was still attending college. He was spending more time trading, then going to class and almost didn’t graduate with a degree.
His parents immigrated to the US from India and believed that the traditional path of getting a college degree, getting a good job as a doctor or engineer and then working his butt off so that he could retire at 65 was the best way to live.
Kunal didn’t see it this way, so when he started trading he believed that he was going to excel and then be able to show his parents the amazing things that he could do without a degree.
It didn’t work out that way. During his senior year of college, Kunal had two huge hiccups which led him to losing all of his money.
Kunal had to go to his parents and ask that they allow him one more semester to complete his degree. They went along with it, but Kunal ended up with a Communications Degree which pretty much means nothing in the real world.
When it came time for Kunal to start searching for a job, no one would hire him. He had nothing to show on his resume. Eventually, he was given a job as a door to door salesman.
Kunal was able to turn this job into a six figure job.
Kunal knew that the job would be awful, but decided to make the most of it. He literally reinvented how people were doing door to door sales.
This job ended up being a huge learning lesson for Kunal. It taught him the crucial skill that you need in all business, which is how to talk to people. How to get those people to listen. How to make friends and build rapport and finally make a sale.
In the end, I’m sure we can all agree that the real way to build a business is by building the rapport and relationships with your customers and prospects.
Try Everything
One thing that Kunal shared with me was that he wished he’d taken the time to try all sorts of different jobs.
Which is exactly what I did, and it taught me so much. I truly believe that by having to work with different kinds of people in each of the different settings that I worked in, I was better equipped to handle sales when it came to my own businesses.
Kunal shares that he wishes he could go back and try being a bartender, so that he could learn how to talk to different types of people.
He was so focused on doing this ONE THING, of day trading, that any time he had the opportunity to do that work, he jumped on it.
It isn’t necessarily a bad thing, he has now found success, but maybe he would have experienced that success sooner if he’d dealt with a larger variety of people.
Selling is about relationship building and learning about your prospects and customers. Be willing to do what you can to learn those skills.
If you’re not interested in going back and being a bartender, or selling door to door, I have a FREE five-step sales system that may interest you and helping you master your sales pitch and learn those sales skills that are SO necessary when dealing with all sorts of different people.
In Conclusion
I invite each of you to step outside your comfort zone and really hone in on those sales skills in whatever way you possibly can.
Maybe it’s picking up the phone and calling ten people you normally wouldn’t reach out to and seeing what happens.
Just know that the best way to learn and grow is by taking action, so take one small thing and put it into practice today!
I’d love for you to share what you’ve done to master your sales pitch and sales skills in the comments, below!
