Sales Tips   

No matter what the local economy may bring, what situations are facing the world, what the national or world economic status happens to be, it is the consistent application of good sound business principles that will determine an individual’s or a business’s success or failure. Over the past several months I have read in trade journals, newspaper, online chat rooms and heard in simple conversations, people singing the blues about how tough business is and that it is impossible to have a sales and profit increase in these times of turmoil. On the other hand I can give dozens of success stories of companies and individuals whom have never had better times in producing sales and profit increases.

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Last week we talked about the differences between men and women when it comes to buying. When it comes to selling I have also discovered some differences as well. I have recently found that women possess a far greater vocabulary when it comes to speaking in emotional terms compared to technical terms. This may not be completely true; it may simply be my own deficiency.

As I state in my first book - I'm A Salesman, Not A Ph.D - Selling is a pr...Read More

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I would guess that you don’t need me to tell you that men and women are different. However, they are! Women and men buy for different reasons, shop differently and thus need to be treated differently during a sales presentation. Just for example, I know that the only time a man will go shopping for a new suit is when they have a special event happening within 48 hours or they blew the seat out of the suit pants that they already have. On the other hand a women may go shopping for clothing at any time. I know these are generalizations, but for the most part they are true.

When a...Read More

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Recently I had the opportunity to meet a young part-time salesperson. This person is working in a retail store through high school to make some extra money and to help her decide what career path she should take. Through our conversation this person asked me an interesting question. The question was:

“Where do I think the opportunity is to make money or what occupation do I think is going to offer the best opportunity for her to live a fruitful life?

...Read More

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As many of you know I started my sales career in retail, selling shoes. I didn’t realize it then but I was lucky when I was relatively new to sales. I had a great sales manager. My sales manager was one who would constantly challenge me to reach higher levels of production and achievement. I remember when I had been with this company for a number of years the sales manager asked me a question that has stuck with me. The question was:

                Do you have five years of experience with this

...Read More

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As we are remembering this Memorial Day I suggest that we give thanks of for all the blessings that we each have on Holiday I thought the following quote would be appropriate. I am not sure where the quote originated but it is as true today as the first day I read it.

The customer is the reason we are in business.

The customer is not dependent on us, we are dependent upon them.

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Last week I started to discuss the telephone as an effective sales tool. I stated that: the success of any telephone sales process starts in getting the customer to request that the salesperson call them. Once a customer has requested a telephone call the customer is much more receptive to the telephone call and you, as a salesperson, are more comfortable in making the call.

The question becomes how do you get the customer to request a telephone call? The success or failure of any database, telephone-marketing program begins with how th...Read More

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Too often salespeople ignore one of the most valuable sales tools that they have at their disposable. The sales tool is the telephone. When used properly the telephone can generate incredible sales volume. Through proper use of the telephone a salesperson can generate both sales and added traffic for the company.

Granted there are two problems with using the telephone. One problem is the customers don’t want to be called and the other problem is that salespeople rarely want to call customers. Customers don’t want to be pestered by even more telephone calls than they are already receivin...Read More

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Your customer can be one of the finest marketing tools that you and your company could possibly possess. There is no advertising or marketing that can be or is more effective than good old word of mouth advertising. When a customer recommends you and/or your store to a friend of theirs the selling process becomes much easier.

Yet, most salespeople let this golden opportunity slip through their fingers with no attempt to get the customer to promote your business. Within every industry there are golden opportunities to encourage the customer to promote your business. In the jewelry business I know tha...Read More

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Too often the concept of training and the actual process of learning gets confused. In sales a salesperson has to receive training in order to learn. Meaning that just because a person has been through training doesn’t necessarily mean that the information has been learned. As I mentioned in a previous “Sales Insight”, a newspaper in Tampa stated that 94% of the people working in retail are not qualified for the position. However, I do not believe that 94% of the people haven’t been trained to be successful in retail sales.

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Too often owners, sales managers and salespeople manage or base decisions on opinions rather than facts. This is the difference between objectivity and subjectivity. The only way that you can react to facts, rather than potentially fiction, is to track and react to the statistics. Statistics produce the facts that are needed today to make vital decisions in all areas of business. Yet, I find that the majority of companies do not track the correct statistics or enough statistics.

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As a salesperson you are on the front line. You are the one that can make or break a business. The reason is that you are the first and in many cases the only person that the customer has any contact with from your company. You are the first and last impression that the customer has. I have talked many times about the real goal of a sales presentation that is to: develop personal trade, repeat business and referral business. The goal of a salesperson isn’t simply to make a sale; it goes deeper than that. Therefore the following is a definition of the job of a salesperson:

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