“It’s not about having the right opportunities. It’s about handling the opportunities right.” – Mark Hunter
Do you know you are a product? You could figuratively be likened to a product positioned at a big shopping mall that has a price tag on it. You are a product that requires innovation and marketing, just like the regular product that is sold in the marketplace.
You are selling two products
Pause a while as you read this portion. As a sales professional, what do you have in your hands? Do you truly know your products? Do you know your strengths as an individual? What is your Unique Selling Point? Do you just go to the marketplace without taking personal stock of who you are and what you are selling?
You need to provide answers to these questions. That’s the beginning point of success in your salesmanship. You start from the known to the unknown. You cannot sell successfully if you have not discovered that you are selling two products anytime you are in the field of sales.
In personal selling, you sell yourself first
An Igbo parlance says, ‘’Afu iru ofe, emete kwoo garri,’’ which is translated as, ‘‘When you see that the soup is delicious, you will likely ask for more garri!’’ Garri is the local name for fried cassava flour and the pudding made from it. It is natural that delicious dishes attract more patronage. This scenario applies to the salesperson too. Once the sales professional is able to sell himself to his customer or prospect, a successful sales journey will commence. Sell yourself and your products professionally and see how productive your sales activities will be.
I always tell my audience at each forum I speak as a sales training consultant that whenever they are selling, they are selling two important products. You are selling yourself and the product you have in your hands and the first one to sell is you. When you bear this in mind, then you are on the road to becoming a successful salesman.
When you sell the first product, you, then the prospects become interested to get to the second aspect, which are the products or services you are selling. You may not sell a product in your hands if your personality is not appealing to the prospect. It is easier to sell the product when you have won a piece of the prospect’s mind. The prospect translates to a customer when he likes and trusts you. Win the heart of the prospect and close the deal.
In personal selling, selling yourself is one of the challenging aspects of the sales process. It is also the first sequence in your opening. The way you smile or speak to your prospect goes a long way in the process. The way you dress distinguishes you. The way you show confidence and affability, when you greet your prospect, speaks volumes. The first impression you make at your sales presentation adds or subtracts to your total outcome.
Don’t go with your worries: people buy people!
Do you carry over the worries of the previous night to your prospect’s or customer’s place, or do you brighten the atmosphere whenever you are in the field of sales? Sales process is the transfer of feelings and emotions. It must be logical too. This is where you give people the reason to buy. You must make the prospects or customers feel the same way you feel about the product. You must connect with them in a way that is convincing. You cannot transfer this feeling if you have not sold yourself first to the prospect or customer. It is when you have succeeded in selling yourself to the prospects that they will be interested in looking at the product you are selling.
A lot of salespeople get it wrong at the beginning of the sales process. They are often preoccupied with the thought of how to sell the product that they forget to attract the prospect’s attention. I call this category of salesmen “sales mentality” salesmen. Sales mentality is when you are driven only by your quest to make sales, without doing enough groundwork that will help the selling. Your main goal here is just to make sales and go your way!
Real selling goes beyond this method. Relationship selling is imperative. People buy people. You must connect with the buyer before making an effort to sell. You must also show your prospect the value in what you are selling. People buy benefit all the time.
Beautiful feelings are transferable. When the prospect is happy with you, chances are that he will transfer the feeling to your products and services. When you make your prospect or customer happy, the chances of turning down your offering will likely be slim. You should take notice of this in your sales activities.
George O. Emetuche, CES, MNIMN, is a Brian Tracy endorsed serial bestselling author, accredited sales and marketing consultant, and business coach. Reach us today for cutting edge training of your Sales Team. We are an accredited sales training and consulting company. Buy books by George O. Emetuche. Visit,www.thesellingchampionconsulting.com, www.nigeriasalesconference.com, or call,07060559429.
