Motivation Monday

It is probably a short week for you at the office this week and next.  At the end of the year we tend to let our goals and ambitions hibernate since the New Year is only a little ways away.  Don't wait!  Start those resolutions now.  Start visualizing those goals NOW!  This downtime is the perfect time to set up your goals for early success in 2015.

Nothing like a good head start!

Be honest...Do you really care?

Working with small to medium businesses can be tough.  They work hard and sometimes they are just scraping by, so when they decide to spend money on anything, it is a BIG decision for them.  Unlike corporate companies a hundred dollars is not a drop in the bucket for them.  Those dollars spent could end up breaking the bank.  So when you are approaching a small, local business trying to sell them anything, ads, social media, business services, their decision to buy can sometimes come down to how they feel about you, the salesperson.  They are going to ask them selves, "Does this person care about my business?  or Are they just trying to "sell" me?

If you don't care about their business they will see right through you.  You have to want to help their business; you have to want to see them succeed and see results.  Ask yourself - is this product or service necessary for this client?  Will it make their business more efficient?  Will it give them a Return on Investment (ROI)?  Will it keep them in business?

If you believe that you are helping the client and selling them something that will enhance their business then they will be more apt to buy from you.  Conviction is powerful.

 Photo from EnchantedMarketing.com

Taking this theory a little further...If all sales people starting caring more about making their clients money wouldn't we, the sales person, make more money in the end?  Times are changing, people don't want to buy cars from the sleazy, slick salesman - they want the knowledgeable person who is going to help them make a sensible decision.  If we starting caring more for our customers well-being, they would be more willing to buy from us, and  to that end, spend more money because they have faith in what we are selling them.  Now you not only have a customer, you have a return customer.

For that matter, we could change the whole outlook of how sales people are looked at.  Wouldn't it be nice to call or stop into a business and not be shut down right away because you are a "salesperson?"

 As salespeople, we need to dig down into that ethical under layer that we all have somewhere in there and realize being ethical can make us money, in theory it could make us more money than the latter.  If you are making your client money, that means they have more to spend with you.  If a client trusts you, they will not only choose to do business with you; they will also being willing to spend more money with you.  They will continue to be your client.

So now you are keeping clients rather than cycling through them like the Cookie Monster goes through chocolate chip cookies.  (I had to use at least one metaphor/simile!)

Let's change the way businesses look at salespeople!

Top 3 Qualities of a Superstar Sales Person

I have done a lot of interviews for sales positions this year, and one of our questions is, "What do you think are the top 3 qualities of a good salesperson?"  I have noticed that each interviewee has a different take on this question and this is important because it generally makes or breaks the candidate.  Whether you are the one interviewing or you are the interviewee, here are three qualities a potential hire should recognize as important for any sales position.

1.  PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE

You have to know what you are selling!  Study, study.  If you don't know the ins and outs of your product it is eventually going to hurt you.  A pretty face can only take you so far.  This is applicable for any type of sales - advertising, cars, pharmaceutical...even the best drug dealers know their products and what is new on the market.

2.  ADAPTABILITY

If you are someone who needs to have a strict routine everyday, sales is not for you.  Sorry.  Sales is an ever changing business and you have to be able to work on the fly.  If a customer calls you at 5pm and wants a proposal to present at their 8am meeting the next day, you have to get it done if you want that sale.

In this same sense, you need to be able to change up a sales pitch quicker than Google pulls a search.  If you go into a client's business expecting to sell them ice cream, and they specialize in lactose intolerant products than you better be ready to pitch them on why you have the best sherbert in the tri-state area.

3.  CHARISMATIC, PEOPLE PERSON

Don't be a snob, and if you don't like people, don't get into sales.  Customers want to work with sales people they can talk to and grow to like as a person.  Plus it's harder to reject someone when they walk into your business happy and friendly.

Now to wrap it all up...

These are my top three, the next few I am going to mention are good qualities, but you should be able to talk about these somewhere else within the interview.  The above are different from the below because they signify you understand sales specifically.  These other qualities are standard in business and could fit you into pretty much any job in the business market.  If you want to stand out, you want to give sales specific qualities when this question comes up or if you are on the other side of the table these qualities as listed above are what you need to get that SUPERSTAR candidate. 

4.  Goal-Oriented
5.  Well Versed
6.  Organized
7.  Dedicated, Determined, Motivated, Able to Manage Time Properly, Hard Worker, Nice, Friendly, Punctual, I think you see where I am going with this.  Cliche answers do not get attention.

I want to hear what you think are important sales people qualities, comment below!

Hello my name is...

Blogging is something I have wanted to do for a while now.  I am not a professional writer or journalist, and I am not an expert on what a blog is or should be.  What I know is that I have insights into many different areas of life and business and the crossover that inevitably happens, and if I can help one person with that insight, it is worth it.  So here it goes...

Let's play a game of getting to know me for this first post because I think it is fair for you to know where I have been and my unconventional and humble career start.  First and foremost, I never expected to be in sales, but really, who does?  Nobody.  You don't come to school for career day and say, "when I grow up, I want to be a salesperson!"  It doesn't happen that way, but for those of you who end up in sales, you should realize how lucky you are.  I knew I wanted to be a business woman.  I wanted the corner office and big windows and I wanted to be able to dress up everyday like I saw in the early 90's movies. Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead was iconic for me, I had no idea at the time what Christina Applegate role in that company was, but it seemed like this interesting world, I wanted to be in.  

Note - So glad shoulder pads went out of style before I got into the business world.

In high school, my senior year, I took work release to travel to Pittsburgh each day for an afternoon internship in a national appliance company's Marketing Department.  I needed experience for my resume. I was a straight A student and near the top of my class and accepted to college, but I was determined to get a job out of high school, make money and then go to college, probably night classes, and have no debts.  

SPOILER ALERT:  I did just that!  (I am debt free, and will talk about that within this blog as time goes on.) 

A month before graduation, I started applying to jobs in the area.  I focused on entry level positions that would consider someone right out of high school and someone who was still 17, since my birthday wasn't until later that summer.  Everyone wanted someone 18 or older, so as started my summer as a high school graduate, I worked with my dad and applied for jobs and went on interviews. 

The short version, I ended up interviewing at my current company to what I thought was an Administrative Assistant position, but in reality was an Inside Sales Consultant position.  I was immediately passed onto my second round interview after my first and apparently did something right because that afternoon I received a call to come in for a job offer.  I did not see the significance in this at the time, but I was just happy that it happened so fast because I am not a patient person.

Now 8 years later, I am still with my company have grown and moved up through the years.  I can talk more about those in between years as time goes on, no need to rush this blogger-reader relationship!