Want to be successful? Learn how to sell! by NEIL PATEL

Want to be successful? Learn how to sell!

by NEIL PATEL on JANUARY 13, 2009

The number 1 reason businesses fail is because they don’t have enough money. Whether you plan on owning a business or not, this is important for you to know because you work for someone. And that someone is a business. The people who tend to keep their job the longest are usually good at sales because if you are bringing in revenue it doesn’t make sense for your employer to fire you.

Whether you are an engineer, a receptionist, or a manager you should learn how to sell. I know selling sucks, but the skills you learn will come in handy. You sell yourself all the time, such as when you go to a job interview you are selling a company on why they should hire you. Here are a few things you need to know if you want to be a great sales person:

1.      Practice makes perfect – if you don’t try to sell, you will never get good at it. It doesn’t matter what you know or what you don’t, just pick up the phone, make a few cold calls, and sell. Don’t expect to make a sale on your first call, just keep on selling until you are comfortable doing so.

2.    Act like a punk – being a nice guy won’t get you anywhere. If you are too nice you are just going to be ignored or even worse, walked on. If you show a bit of arrogance at least you will get some attention.

3.    Sales are always being made – a sale is being made every time you make a pitch. Either you sell to the customer or he sells you on why he can’t buy from you. If you want to be the one closing, you better have a rebuttal for every one of his excuses.

4.    Do a sound check – if you sound dull and boring you are going to put people to sleep. Record your voice and play it back because you sound different then you think. Ask your friends and family how you sound…get as many opinions as possible. If your voice doesn’t sound great, practice until it does.

5.     Studying pays off – knowing who you are selling to is really important. You want to know a person’s hot buttons so you can push them. And more importantly, you want to know about them, so that you don’t accidentally say something stupid that offends them.

6.    You have an opportunity of a lifetime – if you act like you don’t you won’t close anyone. You need to act like you have a great deal that won’t last forever. Who doesn’t want a good deal? Especially one that is better than what your friends and family got.

7.     Numbers add up – the more sales pitches you make, the more deals you are going to close. Sales is a numbers game, so you better hustle and make the most out of each day.

8.    Time is money – your time is worth money and make sure others know it. When you are making a pitch make sure they know that you have other people to talk to as well. If you give someone too much attention you will seem too desperate.

9.    You’re the man – no one takes sales people seriously. You are not a sales person, instead you are whoever you want to be. You can be the CEO of a company or anyone you can imagine. If you act like you’re the shit, you won’t get treated like shit.

10.                        Be persistent – if you give up or start slacking, you will never succeed. Sell, sell, sell and never let anything put you down. Keep in mind that it could take months before you close your first deal.

And on a final note, before you go out and start selling you should have some fun and watch the movie Boiler Room. There are some great sales scenes in the movie that you can learn from…