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Starting A Career In Sales

- May 28, 2013

Sales… it’s like a 5-letter dirty word. Everyone thinks that they hate sales. Which is kind of funny since everyone sells, all the time.

Politicians sell themselves for votes. Teachers sell learning to reluctant children. Plumbers sell themselves for work. Children sell future good behavior for a night at Chuck-E-Cheese (“I will be good, I promise. Can we go tonight?”)

There is only one thing that you really need to sell well: a belief in what you’re selling.

If you are selling something that you know will help make people’s lives better, bring them happiness or keep them safe, it’s easy to sell it.

If your job is to sell something you don’t believe in, you are never going to do it well. That’s why tele-marketing has such a bad name. Most of the people who are making those call have no idea what they are selling or if it’s good or not.

Now consider a preacher. When you get to hear a powerful preacher speak, you know that that person loves what their talking about. There is passion in their voice. There’s no effort to use the correct tone of voice and no stopping to think about what she is going to say next. It just comes out.

So here is your quick guide to being a great success as a salesperson:

  1. Sell something you believe in. It doesn’t matter what it is, but make sure you can get behind it.
  2. Write an elevator speech. This will be a 30-second speech that tells someone you just met about what you sell and why.
  3. Get tapes of Zig Ziglar speaking. Although he’s passed away now, Zig Ziglar was on the most likable and dynamic teachers of all time. Don’t just listen to what he says, but how he says it.
  4. Read “Notes from a Friend” by Anthony Robbins. This is a small book that tells you everything you need to know about Tony Robbins teachings, which are powerful ways to believe in yourself and help to motivate others.
  5. Sell to your mom (or wife or best friend or former co-worker) – Let them hear your speech and be open to corrections.
  6. Change, change, change – Never be afraid to change your approach or can your entire speech all at once. You can even stop in mid-stream and say, “It’s clear I am not communicating clearly. How can I convey to you my passion for this item?”

Everybody sells, all the time. You might as well get paid for it.

By| Bob Peryea

With great vision, you need great people

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