Solving Problems

Sales is nothing more than the process of finding a problem and solving it. This is what a professional salesperson does. Of course, this is radically different from the conception that most have of salespeople. Instead, most carry the idea of "Herb Tarlek" from WKRP in Cincinnati as the image of what a salesperson is. Basically, they believe it is someone who is just trying to force their products down people's throats. This is not true.

A salesperson is not a con man. That is called a con artist. A salesperson is not a crook. That is called a crook. And a salesperson is not a swindler. Rather, a professional salesperson is someone who is schooled in his/her industry and is adept at uncovering problems within an organization. One these problems are realized, the salesperson can design a solution that solves the problem. This is what the pros do.

How is this different than the average "car salesman"? This is an industry which got a bad name and for good reason. These people tend to use hard sales tactics to get people to buy. This is not what I am referring to. The class of salesperson which I am thinking of operate more like doctors. They investigate a company's current situation by asking questions so as to fully understand what the problem might be. After that, they formulate a "prescription" which cures the ills of that company.

A salesperson is a problem solver. In this current economic environment, many companies are suffering large problems that they need help with. The most obvious situation confronting everyone is dwindling financial resources. This is where a salesperson can help. Do you have a product or service which will save a company money? This is something they are all looking for. Perhaps you can reduce the time/people needed to complete a particular task. This would equate to a savings for them. Regardless of the situation, seek to solve a problem.

Salespeople are what makes the economy flourish. Many will take exception to this idea but it is the truth. Few companies are complaining about the lack of qualified accounting personnel. Nor are they suffering from a lack of creative ideas. Every company is experiencing a loss in revenue. This is where the salespeople come in. They are the only ones who create revenues for a company. Everyone else is an expense.

It is good to remember this point when looking at this profession. There is still a stigma attached to it. However, never were professional salespeople needed as they are now. The entire economy is resting on our ability to excel at our jobs. Collectively, we are the ones who will turn this recession around.
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4 Parts of the Sales Process

Yesterday I wrote that having the ability to sell is the only survival skill guaranteed to get one through this economic crisis is it persists. Selling is the one job within a company that can pay for itself. Salespeople are revenue generators; everyone else is an expense.

That being the case, I figured it best to give you some of the fundamentals of sales. This will enable you to start to look at this lucrative field in a different light. It will also provide the foundation for further research.

There are four basic parts to the sales process. They are:

1. Prospecting-the act of finding someone to talk to who has a need and ability to pay for your product.
2. Qualifying-determining if the person you are talking to has the need and/or can pay for your product.
3. Presenting-showing how your product is the solution to the needs uncovered during the qualifying process.
4. Closing-asking for the order.

That is the entire sales process. Everything, no matter how is it packaged, goes through the same process. The only difference is how companies choose to use marketing as opposed to sales people. For example, large retail chains use advertising to do their prospecting instead of sales people.

People often believe that closing is the most important part of the sales process. You often see classified ads wanting "closers". That is the old sales model which had people tying up prospects and hammering them over the head until they bought. Under the new model, closing is a natural progression of the entire process.

So what is the most important part of the process: prospecting. The best closer in the world will starve if he/she has nobody to talk to (just go onto any car lot now to see what I mean). A sales person who has a steady flow of prospects will write consistent business. Those who fail in sales do so because they lack the ability to find people in the market.

There is an old saying, if you ask enough people to buy, someone will say yes.

Look for the sales process in all transactions to familiarize yourself with this concept.
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The One Survival Skill

Many people are worried about their jobs with the recent economic events that took place around the world.  And, for good reason.  Things are awful in many areas.  This is perhaps the worst economic environment that we have seen in a couple of generations.  Before it is done, we might surpass the Great Depression for worst economic crisis ever to impact the industrialized world.

Do you have the same fear?  I was posed this question the other day by someone.  After looking into where I stood emotionally, I realized that I have no fear regarding the current economic situation.  Things are bad for many; for me this is an opportunity.  I can excel where others are struggling.  This is something that separates the successful from those who allow circumstances to swallow them up.

Why do I have this outlook?  Like many, I am overexposed with some of my debt.  However, I use debt as a method to increase my wealth.  I am not buried by unsecured debt like so many. Also, my investments were hammered over the past year.  Some days, I see stocks I purchased decreasing by double digits percentages.  I am no different then others in this regard.  Finally, my businesses are down substantially from a year ago.  Money is tight all around thus all businesses are suffering to some degree.

So, what makes me so different?  When I got to the core of my confidence, I realized that I had the security of knowing that the catastrophic gloom would not strike me.  Many, when they loose their jobs, have difficulty finding another.  This leads to financial pressures often encompassing the losing of a home.  Facing events like this strikes terror into the hearts of so many.

I understand that I am exempt from these pressures.  Regardless of how bad things get, I will be able to overcome any obstacle.  My businesses can go under and I will be able to maintain the basics of life.  Being out in the cold is not an option in my life.  This is the reality of the economic circumstances we face today.  People who have my skillset are in greater demand now then they were a year ago.  Everything in my life can crash today and I will be employed tomorrow.  And, it is simply because I have this one skill that most fail to learn.

What is this magical skill that I am referring to?  And, can it change your life to give you the same peace of mind in an economic crisis?  It most certainly can.  You will have all the comfort of knowing that you will succeed if you can do one thing: SELL.

Okay, now I lost most of you.  Many of you would walk through an alligator pit before taking a job selling.  Well, that is exactly why I will excel where others fail.  The present economic circumstances are limiting what businesses can do.   Many positions that were needed a year ago are no longer necessary.  A company does not need all of its customer service personnel when its customer base decreased by 25%.  Administrative positions are being eliminated daily. Organizations are doing everything they can to "trim the fat".  And, if one is doing it, so is everyone else.  

Yet, sales people are needed.  They are the solution to declining revenues.  Sales people are the one group of people who can positively affect the bottom line.  In short, they are the only personnel who actually pay for themselves.  Everyone else within an organziation is an expense. Sales people affect the left hand side of the balance sheet in a positive way.  They are the ones who generate the revenues for companies to expand and grow.

That is why I am so confident in this economic environment.  My sales background is the most fundamental sales style there is.  I was groomed in the traditional mode where one takes a territory and generates business.  It is that simple.  You can put me anywhere in this country, provide me with some product training, and I can go to work that day.  A phone book and map is all I need.  My livelihood is not contingent upon anyone else.

Compare this to your present circumstances.  Who holds control over your employment? Assuming that you are a terrific employee, what other factors could impact your livelihood.  I am surrounded by companies that do a lot of defense work.  They have cutbacks every time government contracts are not funded by Congress.  Washington controls their employment.  I know others who were laid off because of diminishing sales.  Businesses enter into bankruptcy. People take their business to a competitor.  All these factors are out of an individual's hands.

The bottom line is that sales people are the only ones who can be assured of being needed.  When things get bad economically, their services are required even more.  Every company is looking to increase their revenues.  To do that, they need people to "hit the streets" and make sales, not another mid-level manager.  

Start to learn some of the basics about sales.  It is something that will give you an avenue to pursue should this economic crisis continue.

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