Throughout history, sales and selling has adopted the mentality that if a company has the best salespeople that have the ability to out-wit a customer, they can sell anything. This has built a specific persona around salespeople that often are portrayed as pushy and manipulative in various movies and media. Although traditional sales may have a negative connotation, this is far from the reality of the vast opportunity available outside of this context. Trickery and wit can only get salespeople so far. Especially with the internet today, customers are able to fact check the person that is selling to them which makes it very difficult for the salesperson to play games of deception. This shift from “buyer beware” to “seller beware” due to the digital world has resulted in a whole new philosophy regarding sales. Salespeople are now much more centered around the needs and pain points of the customer and are resources for them to find what works best for them.
I have had multiple experiences that have shown this new selling mindset. From the perspective of buying, I was deciding whether or not to invest in Invisalign aligners for my teeth. I got a free consultation with an orthodontist, and they explained all the details about the process and end goal. Since this decision involved a large investment as the buyer, I had to be wise about taking all of the pros and cons into consideration. The employees at the orthodontist office helped me reason through the decision and made recommendations throughout the process that helped me decide to go through with the purchase. Their selling technique was not the traditionally thought of pushy, slick, or manipulative kind, but it was problem solving, attention to detail, and knowledge focused. Throughout my consultation, they asked me good questions that helped me understand the potential benefits, as well as concerns, of going through with it. From a selling perspective, my experience as a tour guide for Grove City College has allowed me to hone my skills of personal selling. I enjoy approaching each tour as an opportunity to share all that I love about the school I attend as well as be a good listener to the prospective students and families that should choose a school that is a best fit for them. As a Christian school, we value community and excellence which I strive to portray as I enter into the role of a salesperson in that context.
Throughout my own experiences both on the buying and selling sides, I have come to realize that selling is so much more than trying to make money as society tends to tell us. The secret to effective selling is being sensitive to the needs of your potential customers in a way that makes them feel valued, heard, and understood. From this establishment of a genuine relationship, they are much more likely to trust you and become willing to follow through on buying in the end.
testacr22
Caroline, you make so many great points in your post! To start, I agree with you that there is so much more to selling than a dollar amount or how much you can make on a sale. People are more interested in making you believe that you are getting what is best for you. Also they are selling you on an idea more so than anything else. I also loved how you brought in your personal experience as a tour guide and how you pitch the college to potential future students.