Let me begin this article with a quick word association exercise. Be prepared to freeze your mind on the image, picture or thought that comes in to your mind when you hear the word: "salesperson". What comes to mind?

Picture this, Herb Tarlic (of WKRP T.V. fame) in his cheesiest outfit, selling you a used automobile! Not a pretty picture. Why is it that a lot of people have this visual when they hear the word salesperson?

I have had the pleasure over the last 12 years of training thousands of salespeople from Fortune 100 companies around the world. Great people from Coke, A.T.& T., Xerox, Campbell’s, Bayer, Sapient, Bausch & Lomb, Scotiabank, etc. When I ask them the image that comes into their mind when they hear "salesperson", they too have images of someone who pushes their goods on the unsuspecting buyer. The title often comes with negative connotations, even for those who have it on their business cards.

Selling is a profession. It can be an extremely high paying profession. It requires a lot of skill and a lot of hard work to be a sales professional. Sports analogies really help with explaining sales, so bear with me if I use a few of them in this article. We are all amateurs at something. I am an amateur guitar player, water skier and mountain biker. People tolerate my amateur status because their expectation of me in these areas is low and if they don’t like what they see or hear, that is OK. In sales, there are also a lot of amateurs. They call you during dinner and try to get you to buy subscriptions or phone services. You see them at the mall when you go shopping. The difference is that you do not appreciate amateurs who try to sell you something. They are intrusive, they do not listen, they try to manipulate, etc. They give sales professionals a bad name.

Sales has the potential to be a value-add activity. Professionals create value in every sales interaction. How? They help you to buy. They do not sell you anything. They help you sort through your needs, they provide options to help you, they assist you in the trade-off decisions and, ultimately, they reassure you of the decisions that you make. They are your consultant in the buying process and the advocate of your decision once you make it. Everyone likes to buy and great sales professionals help facilitate the process. Those poor folks who are trying to sell something, they make it tough for themselves and uncomfortable for those around them.

So what does it take to be a "professional salesperson"? If you wanted to be a great golfer, you would set up lessons with the golf pro. They would meet you at the driving range and start with your grip. Then stance. Then swing. You must have these fundamentals if you are to be successful in golf. And it is critical to revisit these fundamentals on a continual basis. Sales is no different. Let’s start with your questioning skills. Then listening. Then handling concerns. You must develop, then hone these three fundamentals if you are to be successful in sales.

So, what are you to conclude from this article?
1. Sales is a profession, please don’t judge the professionals by the amateurs (and have some patience for the amateurs).
2. People love to buy, let’s help them to do it if we are in a sales professional role.
3. Fundamentals to selling are critical. Listen, question and be open to concerns presented to you.

Thank you for listening. I promise if I were helping you to buy something, I would have spoken less and asked a lot of questions.

How well do you begin your face-to-face interactions?
Whether it is a sales call, a coaching conversation or a client meeting, you have about two minutes to set the right tone, establish clear purpose and create a positive environment. "Drifting in" can cause anxiety, confusion and waste valuable time.

Here is a model that can help you open with strength:

This model is flexible. If your client is highly relationship-driven, take time in the Greeting stage. If you sense they are more information-driven, quickly get down to business. The opening should also work with your style. It should feel natural. Practice applying this model and see how it can improve the quality of your interactions.

We have just created a new web site. Check out www.fusionlearninginc.com
to learn more about us.

"We are up 25% year over year in our Key Accounts. We are in a business where growth must come from existing accounts and Fusion Learning’s Key Account Planning Process has helped us do just that. Thanks Fusion for great support."
- Kayvon Khalili, Canadian Bearings,
June 2004





Synchronicity, The Inner Path of Leadership
Berret-Koehler Publishers

Why you should pick it up:
This is a great reflective, summertime read. It will cause you to think about keys to leadership and how open you are to change.

A Sample:
"We have to think with everything we have. We have to think with our muscles. We have to think, as Einstein said, with feelings in our muscles. Think with everything. And so it is a flowing process which also goes outward and inward and makes communication possible."

Please click here to send us the e-mail address of any colleagues or associates who might benefit from Insights... To unsubscribe click here.

To talk with a human please call
416-424.2999 Ext. 23