Selling Technique Based on 7 Fundamentals

When you have worked with a 'Sales Professional', who uses the fundamentals of selling with ease and technique, you find yourself surrendering to the enthusiasm. You were definitely not going to buy what the Salesperson was selling, you just wanted to hear about it. With the selling skill set used by the Salesperson you found yourself, about half way through the presentation, rethinking about your previous assumptions and thought, 'maybe this is something I should consider'.

By the end of presentation, you did not change your mind, but you made a new decision based on new information, that made you want to buy what the salesman was selling. It was masterful: the timing of the questions, the tone of voice, the amazing ability to listen to what you were really asking for. It was like poetry in motion. It seemed like that salesperson could read your mind - and wow - even understood your pain. We are helpless and totally at the mercy of the Sales Professional's defined sales technique and sequence and the most fascinating of all, we loved every moment of it! The sales process was effortless, enjoyable and we even spent more money than what we had originally planned.

The reason why is because the level of professionalism made us feel that the product would add value to our life or solve one of our problems. You felt safe with this person and confident that your needs would be met. Working with a real 'Sales Professional' is rare and you wee so happy with the ease of the process that you began referring them to friends and family. It made you look good that you solved your issue and you were telling the story about your great purchase to everyone.

Effective professional selling fundamentals are what make this 'Sales Professional' that good. To be compassionate about being a sales person, with the drive to become this effective, you should become familiar with the '7 Pillars of a Sales Professional'. You will build a solid foundation for professional growth with these effective selling fundamentals.

The Selling Fundamentals

The fundamentals of selling consist of a basic foundational sales skill set. These include features and benefits, hot buttons, closing, silence after asking for the sale, the law of averages, the 80/20 rule, the six money making activities, open ended questions, etc. It is virtually impossible to build a career as a sales professional with out this foundation. Returning to the fundamentals is the secret to getting out of selling slump.

Art of Selling

Anyone can draw a picture of an apple, but an artist draws an apple so beautifully that you might pay to put it on your wall. Learning the fundamentals is a great start and will make a dramatic impact on your sales career and pocket book. Now add learning how to deliver those skills in the same way an artist makes a painting and see your results soar. The art of selling consists of the proper use of voice inflection, body language, presentation skills, timing of questions, use of silence, pace of speech, etc. Research shows that tone of voice and body language make up 93% of the impact we make on other people. It's NOT what you say, it's HOW you say it that matters.

The Psychology of Selling

All sales people face the same psychological challenges of facing rejection, insecurity, fear, call reluctance and procrastination. These are not logical problems but rather problems of emotional self-regulation. Pure will power can sometimes be suffice but when we fail to overcome these challenges it may be due to taking a purely logical approach (better time management) to solve emotional problems (lack of impulse control). The psychology of selling consists of coping strategies and tools to deal with the realities of being a salesperson and creates the proper mindset and winning beliefs of a "Sales Professional." This is a complex topic, which is why it is so difficult to master.

Generating Results Through Selling

This pillar is exciting because it offers the opportunity of taking a giant leap forward in generating results if applied correctly. By using key scientific methodologies understanding the role the human brain plays in making buying decisions, the Sales Professional can experience vast improvements in closing ratios and speed the trust building process with clients and referral partners. Plus, the results can be achieved on purpose every time by following the scientific process/methodology, versus crossing fingers and hoping that the gift of gab or instinct will get you by.

Six Money Making Activities

Sales professionals know exactly what their job is on a daily basis. They know what their objective is on every sales call and are comfortable driving the sales process because they are crystal clear on what step is next. Their clients find it easy to do business with them because they reduce the number of decisions the client needs to make, allowing them to focus on their business. The foundation of a defined sales process is made up of what I call the Six Money Making Activities: Prospecting, Setting Appointments, Presenting Value, Closing, After Care/Follow-up, and Referrals.

Advanced Selling Strategies

Advanced Selling Strategies consist of creating leverage and compression, preemptive selling to eliminate all objections before they come up, and consultative selling. In essence, here you begin moving from $25/hr. activity to $2,500/hr. activity.

Creating a Sales Accountability System

Create a lean sales accountability system. All of the first six pillars are, fundamentally, subject matter and skills that can be learned and honed by committed sales professionals. However, the key to bringing them all together and turning them into more income, is a lean system. This ensures all the right things happen, at the right time, every time, with minimal wasted effort and maximum benefit both to the customer and to the sales professional. Such a system should keep track of every one of your contacts as well as your current lead pipeline and then drive each lead through the Defined Sales Process (pillar 5) that you created to take advantage of best practices.

Contact management and CRM systems can be helpful here, but a lean work flow automation solution is the way to get it done right. Such a system brings accountability to how you are handling the leads in your pipeline and whether you are moving them through your Defined Sales Process at a pace and conversion ratio that ensures that you are consistently making money. With competition at an all time high and unskilled salespeople lowering their prices on a daily basis, Sales Professionals need to streamline their business, focus on highest payoff activities and still deliver more value than competitors. By defining your sales process and accountability system, you then can focus on creating the life and business you've always dreamed of.

Use these professional selling fundamentals to generate confidence in your presentation skills and pride in being a professional salesperson. Your chosen profession changes and you need to remain up to date to stay fresh on knowing why your are selling what you are selling. Continue to understand your customer's needs so the information you provide them is current and knowledgeable and will help them understand why they need what you are selling. When you understand, and can effectively use these selling fundamentals, you will be able to sell the right things to the right individuals and that is needed in today's world.