SALES PROFESSIONAL: The 3 D's for Sales Success
What makes a successful sales person...?
by Debbie Sweeney – Managing Director & Sales Trainer, Solutions2Success
The 3 D's for Sales Success
The question is do successful people get lucky? Yes they do!
One of my manager's once told me 'you make your own luck in this world'. It is so true! Those who seek opportunities get them and if you have the passion and desire to succeed then you can make it happen. I gained my first sales role due to being brave, passionate and confident. I did not have the skills, experience or meet the criteria but I got the job,it changed my life forever. Andy Chilton (Yellow Pages) could see that I had the right attitude and with the right sales training, courses and coaching I could succeed in sales. After 6 months I won Regional Newcomer of the Year, the following year Regional Sales Person of the year followed by many National awards at Orange and top sales performances. I am very grateful to Andy Chilton for giving me the opportunity and it proves that if you have someone with the right attitude and potential then you can turn them into a sales star.
This article is based on my 18 years in sales.
Desire
You can have all the skills and experience in the world, but without desire you will never be the best you can be. Attitude accounts for 70% of your success, 12% knowledge and 18% is skill. When I decided I wanted to leave the corporate sales world and set up my own business I knew I had to leave. My heart was not in it but I left on a high at the top of my game at Orange. I could then set up my business with all the desire and passion I had when I got my first sales role.
As a manager or business owner if you invest time and money in providing sales training and coaching to those individuals you feel have the right attitude you will be rewarded with loyalty and great sales results.
Determination
Learn to accept rejection, it is a part of life and a very big part of any sales role. You cannot win them all: if you do not win a sale, identify and understand the reasons why, learn from this experience and then make the necessary changes to increase your chances of success in securing the next contract. Remember: no means no, not right now, not never.Research has indicated it takes 5 no's to get a yes. All feedback is good, you learn by your mistakes as much as you do your successes. If you do not ask then you will never know. When asking for feedback from a customer who has not placed an order with you say 'if you took price out of the equation what was the reason why you decided not to buy from me?' Customers always say price when price is not always the reason, this will help you get to the real reason of concern and why they did not go ahead. You can ask them the price question after you have gathered information from the first question 'just out of interest how did we compare on price to the company you chose and what did they offer you for that price?
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.” (Winston Churchill)
“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” (Henry Ford)
Dedication
Put the effort in and you will be rewarded. ' Dedication is what you need if you want to be a record breaker' (Roy Castle). You cannot beat hard graft, your effort should = your reward. If you work hard and smart then you should succeed. I pinch myself and wonder how I worked all those long hours in sales year on year for so many years. I knew to achieve my long term objectives it was what I needed to do so I did it with rewards along the way to keep me dedicated and motivated. If you look at Jessica Ennis and other top athletes they dedicate everything and make many sacrifices to win the Olympic medals and realise their life long dreams. Take control of your own personal development and request training if you feel it will help you.
The three ways to become a top sales person are to have desire, determination and dedication. With the right sales training, sales coaching and regular sales training courses you can be as successful as you want to be.
Debbie Sweeney is a CIPD qualified training and an endorsed course designer and trainer.
For details about how Solutions2Success could help you or your business achieve sales success contact Debbie or the team at:info@solutions2success.co.uk.
Check out sales courses and services via www.solutions2success.co.uk, see how we can help you gain more sales today!