On several occasions my clients have asked me about the main strength that a seller must possess in order to be successful. After going a long way in the profession, where I had the happiness of having shared intense hours of training and workshops with thousands of them, as well as having accompanied them in field coaching efforts, without a doubt I can define that the greatest strength that differentiates successful sellers from those who are not, is precisely "knowledge."
In order for this statement to have value for the reader, I will now allow myself to expand on the reasons that lead me to define it.
When a person we just met begins to express himself, he demonstrates with his voice, his words and attitudes who he is and how he is. And this is perceivable by everyone simply by paying due attention to our interlocutor.
That first impression is the one that can take us to the following stages of the sale process, only in the event that it is successful and this will be a consequence of what and how we have presented ourselves to our interlocutor.
Here is the well-known sales slogan that expresses: "There is no second chance for a good first impression." But it is not a matter of pretending or acting, since the perception that our interlocutor has of us is precisely what will condition the rest of the interview.
The values that are perceived, and that can later be confirmed but hardly rectifiable, are "security" and "poise".
When a person that we just know perceives these values from us, he begins to see us as a true specialist with whom he can offer to participate in advice, by giving us his trust, to share his needs or problems and discover the satisfactions or solutions that we can provide with our argument about the products or services we represent.
These values are what our body and our gestures transmit and that come from general and particular knowledge about what we are, represent and want to be bought from us.
However…
In this new millennium in which we travel, surrounded by a wonderful generation of technology in communications and computing, there are no barriers to accessing and delving into the topics that our curiosity leads us to search for.
For this reason, an aspect of the profile that I highlight in certain young people (few in our days) who start in the sales profession, is curiosity with a pro-active attitude. The latter is what leads them to investigate everything that interests them and to persist until they reach it.
Perhaps today it is not required as in past decades to have to go to a library or bookstore. There are publications on sales by prestigious and recognized authors, they can even be bought online and read in PDF files on the PC itself; specialized articles; forums; free newsletters; research reports; etc.
By doing this frequently, their minds are nurturing knowledge that enables them to face new challenges in their lives, while enriching other key aspects of every good salesperson, which is having a broad vocabulary.
Now, let us pause for a few moments to establish what or what are the aspects in which every salesperson must have in order to result in a successful sales management.
The order of the following list is not intended to assign any priority to the topics. Also, this list is not intended to be exclusive since other topics may be part of its enrichment.
Essential knowledge for sale
General:
• The local market in which it operates and how it is in the rest of the world.
• The history and trajectory of the company it represents.
• News about the country's economy and medium-term prospects.
• Hobbies and leisure activities.
• Sports in general (popular and not so popular)
• Local and international news.
Individuals:
• What your products or services satisfy or resolve.
• What the competing products and services satisfy or resolve.
• Effective sales management methodology.
• Administration of your management information with clients and action time.
• Prospecting techniques.
• Professional sales techniques.
Conclusions
A key aspect in any selection interview that I recommend to my clients when incorporating sellers is precisely "knowledge" and "the way they express it" when consulting them on these aspects.
It is no longer surprising to come to the end of a lengthy selection interview process and to see that many young people lack a basic fluent speaking skill, it is essential for all link driving to advise and sell.
Technology has simplified and will improve our lives in many aspects, but to acquire the general and particular culture that is required to interview all profiles of people, it comes precisely from a constant and permanent readiness and action of reading, in all the media that today they exist and that I have pointed out.
This is like the musician who trusts his wonderful ear, and therefore believes that he does not need and discards the learning of musical notation. With the passage of time, his little musical culture, unable to execute the great masters, builds a roof that will prevent him from advancing towards better states of his activity, which he could access if he learned it.
In short, every professional who loves what he does does not stop learning every day: from his experience and also from that of other authors, because he knows that his wide and deep knowledge will determine the success he wishes to achieve.
Bibliographic and training references:
• E-book "The Professional Sale" and "The Professional Retail Sale"
• E-book "Keys to a successful sale" for effective management.
• Professional Distance Selling Course or Professional Selling Course "in company"
• Management Consulting.
© Copyright 2008, by Martín E. Heller
