By Guest Contributor Russ Davis | Award-winning Sandler trainer
What makes some people successful at sales while others struggle? How can I get my results to the level that I need them to be? This is the profession and career that I have chosen and I want to become the best I can – what do I need to do to get there?
These are questions that I often get from salespeople and business owners. Since I have been training sales professionals for 15 years, people think I have the magic answer. Guess what: There is no magic answer.
Sales is a difficult field. It is full of rejection. It requires hard work and a strong desire for success. However, I have found that there are five fundamental processes that are required for success.
You must have a system – a process for identifying, qualifying and developing selling opportunities. Pursuing anyone who expresses a casual interest in your product or service is a poor investment of your time and energy. Even pursuing only those who have a real interest but not the wherewithal to buy it, or the ability to make a decision to buy it, is a poor investment of resources. In order to obtain the greatest return on that investment, you must be able to systematically qualify opportunities quickly using appropriate measurable criteria.
You must have skill – to implement your system. And the most valuable skill is the ability to communicate: to get your point across – succinctly and meaningfully – using language appropriate to the situation; to ask meaningful questions that keep the conversation focused on topics essential to qualify the opportunity; and to listen… really listen to not only understand the content of what the other person is saying, but the intent of their words, as well.
You must have belief – in yourself, in your company and in your product or service. Because you can do no more than what you believe you can do, you must believe in your ability to tackle the job at hand and succeed to whatever level your skill and tenacity will take you. You must believe in your company’s intention to treat its customers fairly and fulfill its obligations to them. And you must believe in the ability of your product or service to deliver to the customer the results promised.
You must have the desire to improve – even if you are at the top of your game. There’s a saying in the aviation world: “A good pilot is always learning.” The same concept is true in the sales world. A good salesperson is always learning to be more efficient and effective; identifying, qualifying and developing opportunities; representing his or her company; and serving customers.
You must have a 100 percent commitment – to doing the very best job you can, and to providing the best possible service to your customers, your colleagues and others who depend on you. Your personal value is not measured by the size of your paycheck, but rather by the quality of service you provide to others. When you are committed to providing the best service you can, all the people you touch benefit.
Sales is one of the most rewarding professions available to many of us. There is no limit to how successful we can be, how far we can go or how much money we can make. Incorporating the above five processes doesn’t guarantee anything, but it will give you the edge that you need to help you reach your goals.
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Award-winning Sandler trainer Russ Davis opened a Sandler Training office in the Greenville-Spartanburg area in 2007. He has years of management and business development experience, most recently spending seven years associated with Sandler Training in Pittsburgh. He has a B.S. from the University of Delaware and an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh.
