Is sales a talent?

[westpac99]

what is this "blockbuster" thing you speak of?

Maybe this is a yank, but if not, Blockbuster Online - Welcome to Blockbuster largest video rental at least on the west coast, even by mail order to compete with netflix.com

Note: netflix now can watch video rentals from your own computer.

 

[lookin4abetterwayinpa]

PS: I'll say it again, nice quote Napoleon!!!

Thank you. A must read in my opinion for a sales professional.

 

[somarco]

sales can and should be taught

Almost anyone can be taught to sell almost anything. But should everyone be in sales?

A dog with a note in their mouth can sell.

I believe most of the skills required to sell effectively are innate. Others may disagree and that is their prerogative.

Most of what I have learned about selling has been done by watching some of the more successful people in my field (and others), taking what they do , and adapting it to my personality and situation.

I have met and worked with people who could literally "sell iceboxes to Eskimo's" and have marveled at how easily they "connected" with their client in a way that was truly genuine without being self serving.

They learned how to get inside the clients head and walk around. They helped the client really understand not only what they needed, but what they needed to do to help the client solve their problem.

You can literally drive yourself crazy learning the "psychology of the sale", studying the Meyers-Briggs typing, reading the philosoply of Jung, Maslow and others. But none of that will really make you a better salesman.

Training is good, but only to a point. Effective training builds on your natural skills and enhances those traits.

Look at baseball pitchers for example. Each has their own style of windup, arm angle, release point, grip. A good coach doesn't teach every pitcher in the same way but rather they take their natural talent and ability and tweak it to make it better.

A good sales trainer will do the same.

And they will do so in a non-confrontational manner.

The most powerful question a salesman can ask is "why?" but a more effective question is "how?".

But it can also be confrontational and destructive.

There is a difference in the following.

"Why would you do it that way?"

and

"Tell me how you arrived at that decision".

There are ways to soft pedal the questions and make them even less confrontational but the idea is to get your client to talk about their problem and how they plan to go about solving it. Once you do that you can gently guide them along a path that is mutually beneficial.

Sales is a process, not an event.

People hate to be sold but they love to buy.

My job is to help them buy what they need, when they need it.

 

[Guest]

I agree Somarco, that it comes down to this:

Shut up and sell!!

Ask questions and listen, this way the client tells you all you need to know to help them, simple right?

Oh and I love the Gitomer quote:

"People hate to be sold but they love to buy."

 

[OnTheFrontLines]

I've always heard that "selling is the transference of a feeling"

 

[InsuranceRus]

Great thread!!! At my first sales job my manager said to me “There are 3 paths you can go down in sales:
1. You can have no talent but work hard and you will make money.
2. You can have talent and be lazy and make money.
3. You can have talent and work your ass off and you will make a TON of money!

At that point in my career I took his advice with a grain of salt because I was terrified of the cold calling. (I was selling yellow page advertising) I was terrified that this person on the other end of this phone call would reject what I had to offer. Three years later, I am fearless when it comes to cold calling and I am always prospecting, whether it’s the person that is browsing in the same isle as me at the store, ringing me up, or making the mistake of looking at me for half a second and smiling. I strike up random conversations with these people and they all end up sounding like this: How long have you been in Vegas? Where did you live before? What do you do out here? Is that your passion? As for me, I am an agent with Farmers and I am very passionate about Insurance and ensuring people have enough of it! I’d love to have the opportunity to look at your coverage to ensure that you are adequately insured and possibly save you some money.
Sorry to ramble off, the point I am trying to make is that if you are dedicated and willing to put in the time ANYONE can succeed in sales!

 

[xrac]

Great thread!!! At my first sales job my manager said to me “There are 3 paths you can go down in sales:
1. You can have no talent but work hard and you will make money.
2. You can have talent and be lazy and make money.
3. You can have talent and work your ass off and you will make a TON of money!

At that point in my career I took his advice with a grain of salt because I was terrified of the cold calling. (I was selling yellow page advertising) I was terrified that this person on the other end of this phone call would reject what I had to offer. Three years later, I am fearless when it comes to cold calling and I am always prospecting, whether it’s the person that is browsing in the same isle as me at the store, ringing me up, or making the mistake of looking at me for half a second and smiling. I strike up random conversations with these people and they all end up sounding like this: How long have you been in Vegas? Where did you live before? What do you do out here? Is that your passion? As for me, I am an agent with Farmers and I am very passionate about Insurance and ensuring people have enough of it! I’d love to have the opportunity to look at your coverage to ensure that you are adequately insured and possibly save you some money.
Sorry to ramble off, the point I am trying to make is that if you are dedicated and willing to put in the time ANYONE can succeed in sales!

Great post! Thanks!

 

[Guest]

Great thread!!! At my first sales job my manager said to me “There are 3 paths you can go down in sales:
1. You can have no talent but work hard and you will make money.
2. You can have talent and be lazy and make money.
3. You can have talent and work your ass off and you will make a TON of money!

At that point in my career I took his advice with a grain of salt because I was terrified of the cold calling. (I was selling yellow page advertising) I was terrified that this person on the other end of this phone call would reject what I had to offer. Three years later, I am fearless when it comes to cold calling and I am always prospecting, whether it’s the person that is browsing in the same isle as me at the store, ringing me up, or making the mistake of looking at me for half a second and smiling. I strike up random conversations with these people and they all end up sounding like this: How long have you been in Vegas? Where did you live before? What do you do out here? Is that your passion? As for me, I am an agent with Farmers and I am very passionate about Insurance and ensuring people have enough of it! I’d love to have the opportunity to look at your coverage to ensure that you are adequately insured and possibly save you some money.
Sorry to ramble off, the point I am trying to make is that if you are dedicated and willing to put in the time ANYONE can succeed in sales!

Awesome, I said the other day on here.

Good leads + zero/bad training = Failure
Bad leads + good training = Failure

You may survive but

Good leads + good training = Rock star status!

 

[Guest]

I've always heard that "selling is the transference of a feeling"

Yes, that's why infomercials work, sizzle, in that realm it's temporary, but give someone peace of mind through caring for them and their insurance needs and that's a good deal.

 

[OnTheFrontLines]

I was taught that selling is the transference of a feeling. So the battle beginning in the mind is something that makes sense too because if you don't believe in what you are selling then you can't transfer what you don't have.

Now more specific to whether sales is a talent, I will weigh in and say it is a NOT a talent. Sales is a skill that can be learned.

If you have a talent it sure helps, but skills that can be learned are not totally dependent on talent.

Skills are improved via work ethic and proper coaching and even further cultivated by being in the proper environment.

Forgive the sports analogy, but when you look at the fact that Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team it was not for lack of talent, but a lack of honing his skills.

So sales people can have talent and not hone their skills and not be effective so that is why I think that sales comes from skills plus the proper mindset to be able to transfer the belief in the service/product from the salesperson to the fortunate buyer.

OnTheFrontLines