Even though I’m a firm believer that only dead fish go with the flow, I’ll hop on the latest blogging bandwagon and ring in the final post of the semester with a few of my own reflections. Needless to say this class has been fun – and we learned a lot of cool stuff.
Probably the biggest thing that I’ve learned is how much you can influence your sale by who you are and how you carry yourself. The five things listed below are
- Genuine Interaction is the basis of a great sale. Salesmen already have a tough job overcoming their negative stereotype – don’t make your job harder and live up to it. It’s not a bad thing to
- Don’t Use Your Glasses – projecting your own view and experiences on the prospect can kill any sale. Look at the client from a bias-free point of view and make sure you listen enough to them to really understand what they are saying.
- May the Buoyant Force Be with You – sales = rejection. But that doesn’t mean you have to reject your love for what you’re doing or selling. Don’t take a no
personally. Learn from it and then get rid of that dead weight. - Don’t Be Afraid of Relationships – selling is based off of trust… and you can’t have trust without genuinely caring about your prospect and the selling opportunity they present. That’s not getting too personal at work – that’s just setting yourself up for a job well done.
- Play Tetris – You know that red outline that shows where the tetris piece will fall before it gets there? That’s you. Clients like a roadmap – so attune yourself to them and provide the necessary clarity.
Bottom line is, a good sale starts and ends with you. So check yourself.
BoweryJE22
I really like the idea that we’ve learned that we shouldn’t project ourselves on our prospects. I’ve done this in the past and it has caused me to lose passion for my sale because I think so and so won’t spend this much money for this product. The truth is, just because I wouldn’t doesn’t mean they wouldn’t. When I start believing someone won’t buy because of price, I have a tendency to lose focus and that can derail the sale.
Nice post! There is a lot of relevance to the class in there and I completely agree with all of the points made.
Great post! First of all I love the pictures and creativity behind it. Secondly, I agree with everything you have highlighted as key points of the semester. My two favorite points are the ones about buoyancy and relationships. Before the class I never realized how important both of these concepts are in making a sale.
Can I just comment to appreciate point three? Reason #1: You posted this on May the 4th. Reason #2: You are currently taking Physics (buoyant force). Reason #3: You are currently taking Sales. That was one heck of a synthesis, my friend!
Also, on a more Salesish note, I like the whole “you can influence your sale by who you are and how you carry yourself” thing. I am coming more and more to believe that it is the salesman’s ability to create chemistry with the prospect that makes or breaks the sale. This is kinda what freaks me out about selling. My social and emotional intelligence score hovers around zero. I have certainly learned a lot from you this semester, however, because your personality bleeds beautifully right through your pitches to win the judges hearts! #gettingushy
Also #2, I like it when you wear your glasses to sell/pitch something (see point two)! Don’t ditch ’em! Oh wait, that’s not what you meant…