It's All The Same!

Agreed - I was a Boy Scout.

Assuming I am prepared - I know my company, products, business - everything about what I have to offer AND potential: objections, concerns, questions, complications, considerations, etc. STILL isn't what we do about: So Joe, do you want it? Do you seriously want to look into it?

When you JC says: Yes I do! the conversation answering questions, considerations - begins.

MitchM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Closer

The idea "Selling is selling" is not accurate.

I agree, J.C.

Some salespeople rely heavily on repeat business, others don't. Some salespeople prospect to find new business, others don't have to. Some are directly involved with each order, others manage the relationship but not the transactions. Some sales models are designed for short-cycle selling while others have a long sales cycle.

And on it goes. The sales industry is really quite diverse.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skip Anderson

I agree, J.C.

Some salespeople rely heavily on repeat business, others don't. Some salespeople prospect to find new business, others don't have to. Some are directly involved with each order, others manage the relationship but not the transactions. Some sales models are designed for short-cycle selling while others have a long sales cycle.

And on it goes. The sales industry is really quite diverse.

Your synopsis on this is as good as any that I have seen.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Closer

Your synopsis on this is as good as any that I have seen.

Thanks, Joe.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skip Anderson

Some salespeople rely heavily on repeat business, others don't. Some salespeople prospect to find new business, others don't have to. Some are directly involved with each order, others manage the relationship but not the transactions. Some sales models are designed for short-cycle selling while others have a long sales cycle.

And on it goes. The sales industry is really quite diverse.

Which is exactly why people butt heads in general sales forums.

Mitch, you need to get away from the "amateur" thing because it doesn't help you with your point. When this whole "amateur" vs "professional" thing is taken off the table, here's what I'm boiling your thread down to: "Not to condescend to professionals from my amateur status though - ... - doesn't selling still begin with: Joe wants what I got and we both know it?"

When you attempt to clarify selling with a simple statement like yours above, there is simply too much missed: not everyone knows that they need what you have neither do they know who you are. So, how can anything transpire if someone isn't incented to make the first step?

Sales happen because someone was "johnny on the spot", recognized an need, tailored a solution to that need and asked for the order (somewhat simplistic but nonetheless accurate).

For example, when I sold about $40K of Xerox hardware to Cara Foods, it had nothing to do with copiers. There had been an article in the Globe & Mail portraying Cara's current superb fiscal performance ... I sold the CEO on sheltering some of that money.

I'd been calling on them for a period of time and knew the office situation quite well but had never really gotten anywhere trying to "flog iron".

It's fair to say that the process begins with assuming the sale. Everything else follows a good SR with good selling skills especially in the area of probing and listening.

Good luck & Good selling!
Pat

Assuming things have it's valuables and invaluables open for debate. I spoke in jest when I spoke of not wanting to condescend to professionals from my amateur status in sales - you messed that and perhaps assumed I meant something else.

Also, I don't posture professional vs amateur as you indicated - contrary, I posted a phrase about both amateurs and professionals capable of achieving the same success.

Many times here I've asked: have I missed anything. I am an amateur in sales as far as I'm concerned and that's that. I also recognize my experience is limited to one eleven year stint in what I presently do and I have no experience in complex negotiations or incentives or multi structured sales situations.

Nevertheless, in my small world of sales I let someone know what I have and they tell me if it's what they want. There's conversation, there's questions sometimes leading up to my offering. After the offering that person wants to know more or not and usually says YES or NO.

I've taken some of Mr. Werth's sales system to heart and in practice though I've never taken any of his sales training so I'm not a good example of what he promotes. And he says you do it all or nothing, I believe.

I approximate his system as well as I do presently and for the time it works - actually, when I quit the other sales techniques, tactics, and methods and made it as simple as I post here my business turned around.

ANF for whatever reason someone wants what I got, they get it. Often reasons vary and like your Xerox example, the reason may not be what I thought it would be - but because of a thought in their mind I heard, "Yes, tell me more."

So however everyone else sells, I stick to a simple application that assumes nothing but I'll get a YES or NO - most of the time. Actually we may not be talking on the same page about things here - or we are but the inability of language or our use of it in a relatively flat medium obscures that fact.

I don't know.

MitchM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OUTSource Sales

Mitch, you need to get away from the "amateur" thing because it doesn't help you with your point. When this whole "amateur" vs "professional" thing is taken off the table, here's what I'm boiling your thread down to: "Not to condescend to professionals from my amateur status though - ... - doesn't selling still begin with: Joe wants what I got and we both know it?"

When you attempt to clarify selling with a simple statement like yours above, there is simply too much missed: not everyone knows that they need what you have neither do they know who you are. So, how can anything transpire if someone isn't incented to make the first step?

Sales happen because someone was "johnny on the spot", recognized an need, tailored a solution to that need and asked for the order (somewhat simplistic but nonetheless accurate).

For example, when I sold about $40K of Xerox hardware to Cara Foods, it had nothing to do with copiers. There had been an article in the Globe & Mail portraying Cara's current superb fiscal performance ... I sold the CEO on sheltering some of that money.

I'd been calling on them for a period of time and knew the office situation quite well but had never really gotten anywhere trying to "flog iron".

It's fair to say that the process begins with assuming the sale. Everything else follows a good SR with good selling skills especially in the area of probing and listening.

Good luck & Good selling!
Pat

Outsource, I couldn't have said it better myself. A great post in every way.

Skip Anderson

I became a student of all the sales tips sellers and advisors with Frank Bettger being the first THEN a neighbor who does roofing telling me about pricking that nerve or uncovering needs and creating desire, enthusiasm - he used common acronyms the professinals all know.

Then I outlined books and tried this method and that - I've read them posted here - since I'm an amateur and have never taken a full sales course nor have I applied one single system though I see many over laps in the most conventional - and eventually wondered why I still wasn't having the success I wanted.

That's a trick question as we all often think one thing when it's at least partially another - that old self recognition fish in the water not questioning water thing analogy. Nevertheless as objectively as the subjective mind can analyze such things I undertood such a self examination.

Having found another system I began another self study reading this book four times trying to make sense out of it. The book's simplicity was met with my engrained ideas and habits - I was looking for tricks and mirrors, inspirational cliches and clever lines - with none of that in the book my previously ideas and habits were slow to respond in a rather confused state of wonder,

But in my feeble way I began using thus system called high probability selling [prospecting] and things began to change in my sales life. I'm still in the first grade of this class of selling skills but am improving I believe.

As far as assuming, I don't assume the sale - I know many use the power of that emotion and idea as a preset mental attitude - I don't. AND other than complex negotiations and incentives and complicated sales situations I have no experience in - I am truly an amateur - I retain a simplistic attitude that someone says YES or NO to what I offer and I stop there - for now. A return to a reworded offer can come in time.

YET if you say you want what I offer and after a few minutes commit if I meet your conditions of satisfaction and I feel I can trust you - then for the most part I assume the sale - the buyer has already agreed to it - it still may not happen but it likely will happen.

BUT if assuming the sale means assuming a sale with a prospect who has just agreed to look at what I offer with a little interest - I don't assume that at all and most of the time - I still have moments of weakness or lack of focus or doubt - I don't do the appointment in that situation.

MitchM

Mitch, you seem to be describing "someone buying" vs "you selling". If someone pays well for this and provides quality leads, my congratulations.

Your comments in the following are somewhat revealing though: "I retain a simplistic attitude that someone says YES or NO to what I offer and I stop there - for now. A return to a reworded offer can come in time." Having just stated that you don't assume the sale, you talk here about rewording an offer in time: You are assuming the sale.

In my experience, the answer isn't in a book. The issue with finding inspiration in a book is that it tends to be short-lived. I've worked with a number of people who have found information which has helped but, in the main, meaningful success has come from being serious about working a sales methodology or methodologies into their personal style.

Between your comments about "assuming the sale" and the whole "amateur-vs-professional" thing, I'm really not sure where you're heading with this thread.

In fact, this "amateur" thing really is tiresome. If you're making money at it you're NOT an amateur. You really should give it a rest.

Good luck & Good selling!
Pat

It's All The Same!

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