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Publishing Details
A Brightword book
www.brightwordpublishing.com
HARRIMAN HOUSE LTD
3A Penns Road
Petersfield
Hampshire
GU32 2EW
GREAT BRITAIN
Tel: +44 (0)1730 233870
Fax: +44 (0)1730 233880
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.harriman-house.com
First published in Great Britain in 2011
Copyright © Harriman House Ltd
The right of Jackie Wade to be identified as the author has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988.
ISBN: 978-1-90800-308-9
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book can be obtained from the British Library.
All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the Publisher. This book may not be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise disposed of by way of trade in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published without the prior written consent of the Publisher.
No responsibility for loss occasioned to any person or corporate body acting or refraining to act as a result of reading material in this book can be accepted by the Publisher, by the Author, or by the employer of the Author.
Introduction – Challenging Times
I have been selling since I was five years old; I can clearly remember the first shiny shilling! Interestingly no-one taught me till I was almost thirty. Somehow I just did it and did it well – it came naturally and I loved it. From selling sweets in my grandmother’s grocery store, to running market stalls around the fair city of Dublin; then on to the more challenging and exotic world of international business-to-business sales. These many different scenarios, different languages, different cultures, different products and services were all, somehow, the same. It was all about connecting with the right people, in the right way, with the right story, and not giving up.
When I set up my company, Winning Sales, back in 2000, and began working with others to help fine-tune and improve their sales performance, I quickly understood the important dynamics of nature and nurture. For some people (the minority), sales comes naturally: it’s instinctive or indeed in their DNA. For others (the majority), it’s a cultivated or learned process which needs to be explored and understood, adapted and refined to sit comfortably with the personality and style of each individual seller. Although the former may seem to have an easier path to fame and fortune, the latter can be just as effective and often produce better, more focused and consistent results. Ultimately, however, the real formula for true sales success, as in any walk of life, is the decision, desire and dedication to succeed and not give up whatever the pain barrier. In summary, it’s about the skill-set and the will-set!
Along my training journey, I have come to recognise in business, and particularly in start-up ventures, that actually the biggest barriers to sales success are fear, trepidation and often an unease or real dislike of actually having to sell. These emotions often serve not just to hinder the sale but actually damage the ability of a business to grow, as people naturally stick to the comfort of what they do best, occasionally coupled with a flurry of passive marketing or reactive selling.
As we struggle out of global recession and entrepreneurial people decide to pick up the start-up gauntlet and take control of their own destiny, there is a greater need than ever to address the issue of proactive selling. We face interesting and challenging economic times, where sellers are many and buyers are few. In highly competitive marketplaces, can you realistically expect to grow a business successfully without reaching out and engaging effectively with new customers, convincing them that you are the best choice when it comes to their problem or need? Yes marketing is great – and great marketing may generate enough sales without ever needing to physically or verbally engage. However, for many, marketing will simply drive potential customers to your door (real or virtual) and then it’s over to you and your people to ensure they pick you and come back time and time again. In a competitive market place, it is truly imperative to “get” sales and get proactive. It is often not the question of the best product or service out there but rather the best seller – the one who can truly make an impact and convince potential buyers that they cannot go it alone, they need to take action and buy from them!
This short book aims to help you become comfortable with selling and sales and recognise that you too can do it; hopefully dispelling some common misconceptions and myths around selling and sales people. It will share with you some useful tips, tools and processes which will get you started and also help avoid some common pitfalls. It will challenge you to focus on gaining real clarity about what you are selling, to whom, and why they may, or may not, buy. Ultimately this will set you on the right path for developing a successful sales habit for life.
Have fun and share with me your thoughts, questions, feedback, etc. via:
Email: [email protected]
Linked-In Group: Winning Sales
Twitter: @winningsales
Jackie Wade, July 2011
Chapter 1. Selling – Can Anyone Do It?
10 things you should know about selling
1 Successful selling is not a black art. It is a logical process and conclusion, based on a simple series of pre-planned, well-executed steps.
2 Sales output is related to input. You get out of it what you put in to it.
3 Selling is not marketing, marketing is not selling.
4 Telling is not selling.
5 You cannot close what’s not closable.
6 No is ok. Every no brings you closer to yes.
7 Likeability is important but not everything.
8 In sales we are all equal – buyer and seller.
9 It’s not about perfection, it’s about doing it.
10 Sales Success = mindset + process + action!
If you have bought, borrowed, been kindly gifted or otherwise acquired this book, I’m assuming that you are currently considering your next step in taking your business forward. You will have identified that sales and selling are pretty vital, if not imperative, in order to succeed and grow. The questions on your mind might be can you, will you, should you be the one to kick start sales in your business or do you need to bring in an expert? Is this a
