Over the years Ive read a hundred sales books with all kinds of different approaches and ideas. Some were very good and others left questions about their authors understanding of selling.
When ever I found myself in a slump or things just didnt seem to work the answer always seem to be in the basics. A great chef, master carpenter or champion athlete always seems to have a mastery of the basics. So lets take a look at what this idea of selling really amounts to.
First: Sales is two people, a customer and salesperson, communicating with each other. The customer is communicating their needs, wants and results required. The sales person is trying to understand these so the issue can be solved by their product or service. Just think of this as two people getting together to help each other improve their situations.
Second: Customers purchase products and services for the results they provide. This can be a real challenge for sales people that have been indoctrinated that sales are all about their product. This means saving time and money, preventing problems, solving problems or creating opportunities; thats what the customer is looking for. Your product...