The Four Questions Every Salesperson Must Ask Themselves to Succeed
By Ryan Felman
@PathToManliness
A millionaire that has mentored me for years gave me this book by Jeffrey Gittomer. Over the years this “Sales Bible” has been a source of invaluable information for me. It offers insights into the mentality of being successful and getting sales in your life. Now at first, I thought it was cheesy, but that was before I started to practice it in my job and other areas. Learning to sell is a skill that bleeds into all facets of one’s life and is an essential skill to living a fulfilling life. But you have to be willing to act on what you learn here for it to make an impact in your life. Don’t even bother reading this if you aren’t going to put these ideas into practice. Without action, you are just wasting your time.
Now before you even try to get your next sale, or your first sale if you are still learning the ropes, you need to sit down with a pen and paper and ask yourself these four questions. One way or another, these questions are sure to come up and you need to know how to respond to each of them with confident, concise answers.
1. Why do I believe in my company?
Your company is what separates you from an average joe on the street. What is it about your company that makes it stand out? How does your company provide value or help solve pain in people’s lives? Every company has its own strengths and weaknesses, so you must focus on what your company excels at. Or as Media Conquistador (@Ipb_Media) likes to describe it, the “Unfair Advantage.”
2. Why do I believe in my services?
What is it that sets your services apart from all the competitors? This can be a number of things ranging from a proven track record of satisfied customers to a unique system that works better than the competition. Now, even if you don’t offer the best overall experience, you surely have aspects that are unmatched. Focus on what it is that your services do best. There is something that you can offer your customers that will add value to their life and you need to effectively communicate it. Everyone wants to be a part of the best service or products. Playing into their emotional need for what you are selling is the key to closing the deal. Fear can be a powerful motivator as no one wants to miss a golden opportunity or even a great deal.
3. Why do I believe in myself?
You likely have a unique story and people love a good story. Be sure to emphasize your more likable qualities too. At the end of the day, few people will truly understand the nitty gritty details of your business and likely they will be bored by these technical aspects. If you can relate to the customer and be likable, they’ll remember how you made them feel. This is often more important than what you actually do. I have spoken in front of crowds, and I have done 1 on 1 sales in person with at least 100 clients. If I can get in front of a potential client in a 1 on 1 setting, I can close about 90% of these sales. How do I do this? I ask them what they need help with, instead of boring them with company details that they don’t care about. I make sure that after I leave, and they forget most of what is said, that they have a positive feeling about me. People enjoy spending time around positive and energetic people. They often do business with people that they enjoy spending time with or who they look up to.
4. Why do I believe my customer is better off having purchased from me?
What pain in the lives of your customers are you solving? Explain how you can offer peace of mind and help make the customer’s life easier. How are you improving their lives? Most people want to improve their life in either health, wealth or happiness. How does your product or service improve these sectors of their life? Will your class teach them how to plan a better budget or earn extra money on the side? Focus on how this can improve their life and give them the best odds at success.
These four questions came from Jeffrey Gitomer’s Sales Bible, which has been a tremendous resource of knowledge for me. This has helped me in my career as well as in my personal life. It was given to me as a gift when I graduated college and I have consulted it countless times over the years as it is invaluable to everyone, not just salespersons.
There are some people who feel that salespeople are sleazy and like all professions, there are plenty of bad eggs out there who tarnish the name. The dirty truth is that people don’t want to be sold, but they love to buy. If you can be that resource that helps them find the right product that they are looking for, then they’ll be happy you were there to help.
Like it or not, you are a salesperson. Everyone is at some point in their life. Young bucks likely don’t understand this yet, but if you have ever convinced a girl to come over, you made a sale. I had an old coworker explain this to me. He lived for selling and at one point, held three different sales jobs. Each one making about 6 figures, yet he lived a simple life. He just got a rush out of getting sales. These techniques are useful from everything you’ll do. From getting a job, to getting that next girl and of course to making a sale. Even if you don’t have your own company, at some point, you’ll have a car to sell or old exercise equipment to put up on craigslist. Learn how to sell so that you can live a successful life.