CHAPTER 18

THE SUPER SALESMAN

          So, you would like to be a Super Salesman.  It is very simple.  First, I would like to tell you about my selling experiences. My first real selling-learning experience came when I worked for a chemical company.  These people knew how to teach selling.  The management of all the other firms I had worked for knew nothing about teaching salesmanship.

          Everybody seemed to be selling chemicals in those days, so I had competition everywhere I went.  I learned the “hard sell” and, believe me, it works.  I have heard people say that they just could not sell if they had to be pushy.  Let’s change the word, “pushy” and call it: “Do not accept ‘No’ for an answer.”  If you are in the selling game and you do not like the hard sell, you had better change professions.  The object of selling is to sell.

          Why call on the customer unless you expect to make a sale?  Everyone is a buyer.  From the beginning of our lives, in today’s world, we were taught that it is fun to buy.  So, you know that the person you are talking to was conditioned to enjoy buying. 

          Always ask for a much larger sale than you expect to get.  You will be surprised when the buyer will take that larger order.  Then, you will really be ahead of your quota.

          When your customer says, “No,” restate your point in other words, just as though you did not hear the “No.”  If you do not get at least five “No’s,” you are not doing your job.  If your customer asks a question about the product or service, as far as you are concerned, that is a “buy” sign.  Tell yourself that if the customer says, “No,” that’s a “buy” sign.  Tell yourself that the tougher the customer, the easier the sale.  If the competition is mentioned by your customer, do not discuss the competition.  Instead, restate a strong point of your product.  Never debate the competition with your customer.  This puts the customer in the selling game, of selling the competition.  And, believe me, he is the man who has the power of the pen and if he loses the debate, he will probably not buy your product.

          Success in selling is also in the numbers.  The more people that you call on, the more chance you have of making a sale.  If you sit at home on your backside or spend most of your time having coffee, you will not sell your product. Start your day as early as possible.  This gives you more time to make more calls.  Remember the numbers.  No calls...no sales!

          If you are going out of your shop to make the call and it is a cold call, do not wait for your customer for more than ten minutes.  While you are waiting to see the customer, you could be selling someone else.  Qualify your buyer.  If he or she is not the buyer, do not waste your time or your sales pitch.  If they do not have the power of the pen, do not show your product.

          Almost every Super Salesperson has some form of a daily plan: a call sheet.  You plan your calls and after each call, you record all the pertinent facts about the call.  Record the buyer’s name, age, type of person, noticeable traits, likes and dislikes, work schedule, family, kids; anything that could be mentioned on your next visit.  He will think you are truly interested.  Act sincere.  If there is to be no next visit, that’s all right.  Everyone likes to talk about himself.

          If your customer needs a son, play the role of a son.  If your customer needs a mother or a father, play the role.  If your customer needs a friend, play the role of a friend.  You do get the picture, don’t you?

          When the customer gets to talking too much about himself, you must guide him back to the purpose of your being there.  If he tells you that he does not buy your type of product, that means he may not have any of your type product on hand.  Therefore, in your mind, he needs some.  If he has too much of the type of product that you are selling, that means he is a buyer and you will sell him even more.

          If you use an order pad, have it out in plain sight.  You are simply letting him know that you are there to do business and you expect to make a sale.  After he has said, “Yes,” write it down.  Once you write it down, he may think that he is committed.  After you have the order written and it looks like you are finished, give him the pad and pen.  Tell him to “Sign right here.”  Do not ASK him to sign the order.  TELL him to sign it, such as, “Sign right here, sir.” “Would you?” is a question and this leaves you open to get a “No.”

          After you have the signed order and you are getting ready to leave, tell him you are going to send him some of your new product to try.  Then, add it to the order.  Do not ask him if you can send some of the new product to try; tell him you are going to send it.  If he does not say, “No,” you have added to the size of the order.

          Always have a promotion.  Whether you have a promotion or not, tell the buyer that you are having a big promotion.  If it is around Christmas, you are having a Christmas Promotion. If it has just rained, you are having a Rainy Day Sale. If it is close to Washington’s Birthday, you are having a Washington’s Birthday Sale.  If it is close to Groundhog Day, you are having a Groundhog Day Sale. If there is a dead dog on his front lawn, you are having a Dead Dog Sale.  Get the picture?

          If you have used every trick in your bag and the customer does not buy, tell yourself, as you walk out the door, that your odds are getting better.  If you normally write one sale out of four, that means that one of the next three will buy.  If the second customer of the day does not buy, you tell yourself that your odds are getting better because one of the next two will buy for certain.  The game of selling is primarily the game you play with yourself.  You are simply going to set the scene and sit back and watch the customer react.  Remember, he was trained to react, not to think.

          There are thousands of little techniques that you can use in the selling game. Many of the above techniques can be applied to any type of selling.  When you use just a few of the above-mentioned techniques, plus the mental suggestions to yourself about how good you are at selling, then you become a Super Salesman.

          The most important thing that you must do in the selling game is to always be honest about your product.  Never, I say, never, misrepresent your product or service.  If you do, you will soon be out of the selling business.  Always do what you say you are going to do.  Always.  Selling is one of the easiest, one of the most exciting, and profitable businesses you can be in. Enjoy it!

       

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter19.. Opinion vs. Emotion