Attitude and Know How

A Professional Sales Consultant isn’t just about their ability to use their skills, it’s those certain traits that all lead towards their success, and their attitude. Here are just some of attributes of sales professionals.

• They know the products and features well, easily matching the benefits to the prospects needs and or wants.

• They know how to do a lot of fact finding by asking questions so that each sale, is planned and purposeful.

• They have developed the ability to arouse curiosity; getting the client to want to hear more of the presentation.

• They present features of the product in a manner that the client understands.

• They look at sales as an opportunity to help people.

• They know when to close and find out whether or not the client is ready to buy.

• They have the ability to handle real objections, and know how to blow through the “smoke screen” objection.

• They know how to create desire and urgency.

So once again, the goal is to develop these skills and ideas routinely, because only then will you be a professional, not an amateur. I believe a “natural” sales consultant is the type of individual that has a certain charm to them. When you talk to them you almost get pulled in and want to learn more and more. No matter what it is they are discussing it is always to the point, and they can easily recall details of anything you would need to know. They are always positive in nature, and in a sense live larger than life. Can someone shy learn these skills to be successful? Certainly! Just as someone who is very out going can literally talk them out of a sale because they are untrained.

For example, a positive mental attitude comes from enthusiasm and confidence.

How do you act enthusiastic without it seeming fake?

A. Product knowledge.
B. Belief in what you are selling will truly benefit your client.

Where do you gain this confidence?

A. By using established techniques and skills.
B. By being determined towards your principle.

Learn how to analyze your failures and correct them and build from your achievement.
The three top attributes of a Sales Consultative consist of:

• Product Knowledge

• Selling Skills

• Attitude


So in the success formula product knowledge contributes 15% to the sale. 85% of the sale came from the effective skills used and the confidence the sale consultant had. Don’t believe me? Well think back to recent sells you’ve had and think about how much was the client impressed with product knowledge and how much of it was the fact they were “buying me”? The important thing to never forget is a Professional Sales Consultant never loses control of his her attitude. Who hasn’t had a day where you had to leave for work after having a fight with a significant other, or had someone close to them pass away, or a child sick at home?

In order to manage your attitude, you have to learn how to evaluate your attitude and analyze things that affects it. By learning to analyze your setbacks as well as your accomplishments what impact do you think this will have on your self-confidence? Also if you have in depth product knowledge, and can see how this can truly benefit your client, how will it affect you attitude?

The reason attitude is so important is because the more confident you become, the more motivated you’ll become…subconsciously. And we all know that when we feel motivated selling become much easier. None the less no one can motivate you except for you. That’s’ why motivation has to come from within, just like enthusiasm.

Which us brings back to how do you carry genuine enthusiasm so it’s not perceived as fake? Well for me I feel enthusiasm comes from a feeling inside that comes from possessing product knowledge, and knowing how my product can sincerely help people and businesses. (Take note that my product I sell is nothing more than a service to business, but none the less the sales steps are still all the same.) As a Senior Manager I see this all the time; morale does need to be charged from time to time. That’s where living larger than life comes in. You can help boost morale and create a positive work environment by doing simple pep talks, contests, even company sponsored outings. A friend of mine, his company posts their outings on their website so not only are the employees are encouraged to participate but it also is a great social gathering for clients as well.


Finally NEVER be a reflection of your clients attitude, let the clients attitude be a reflection of your attitude and enthusiasm.

What does that mean? Simply that your feelings do effect the client. They can and will sense your feelings and attitude. This is great because you can use that to favor their attitude towards you. If you are feeling negative because of a blown sale, then the next client that goes to talk to you, someone who probably really needs your help, if you never changed your negative attitude and refreshed from it, how do you think it will affect the next client? Who are you hurting by missing that sale?

Genuine enthusiasm will have an affect on the client’s attitude. But the rule of thumb is to never be 1” more enthusiastic than your client, yet trying to constantly bring up their level of enthusiasm. How is this done? By constantly asking questions, listening, and being observant. Because once the client believes the product benefits them, how excited do you think they will be?

So in order to stay “on the same wave length” as your client, learn your products well, find your belief about the company you represent, and explore your company’s positive culture. It’s important to do this because the toughest part of a sales cycle is early in it; because they do not know you, and you haven’t spent any time getting them interested, and excited. It’s our job to possess the belief that what we do can and will benefit them.

What are sales people?

When the thought of a sales person come to mind the first thing people often think is, annoying, pushy, or overly friendly and trying too hard. Today's buyer is way savvier than in the old days of the snake oil salesman. They are informed, skeptical, indifferent, and well some times rude. It is not their fault though. This is from years of dealing with manipulative sales practices, pushy sales people, and irritating commercials and ad’s that give no one credit for their intelligence.


This relationship between the buyer and seller needs to change. False attempts to connect with a client with out knowing and understanding truly what they need, has to come to an end. A client should be looked at and treated as a relationship you keep for life. Who wouldn’t want to have and keep customers for a life time?


The goal behind this blog will be to exchange ideas amongst my professional and talented friends. I believe that discussing ideas amongst each other allows us to find new and hopefully profitable ways to expand our growth. Keep in mind this blog isn’t just for people in sales. These techniques can be used in the interview process, when looking for the right candidate as an example. They can be used when negotiating with your six year old to pick up their room before bed time. They can also be used to talk your significant other into seeing a chick flick, and like wise drag the opposite sex to go watch freestyle motocross. Albeit I do know some guys that enjoyed watching New Moon, and you wouldn’t hear any complaining from me watching Carey Hart.

Personally any success I have gained came from learning an idea, and practicing it until it becomes second nature. Think of how you learned to breathe while you were learning to swim. At first it was a challenge but after a while it become so repetitive you do it almost with out thinking. The goal here is to learn the reasons behind the techniques and practicing them so often you do it with out even thinking. Just like breathing.



So for this month we will focus on,

• What is the truly professional salesperson?

• What is a “natural” sales person?

• What is one sales skill you would want to perfect?