Everyone is in sales. To me, job titles don’t matter. Everyone has to be thinking about sales. It’s the only way any company can stay in business.
There are no jobs if you don’t bring the business through the front door. That’s why I have a sign on my office door, “If you know where you can get us some business, come on in.”
At our company, a sales mindset is a requirement. From the factory floor to the reception desk to the boardroom, figuring out what the customer wants and finding a way to deliver it must be at the forefront of every job. Whether you are selling a product, services or a corporate image, you are in sales.
A while back I received an email from a loyal reader who used to be in sales but switched to information technology as a help desk technician. Even though he was now on the side of delivering service rather than sales, he understands the personalized approach with customers, be it computer operators, network administrators or engineers.
He wrote: “When it comes to identifying and resolving technical issues, it’s important to remember the human side of technology. I only have the phone to work with but quite often those little or long pauses while waiting for a procedure to cycle through or a test result to return can be used to build rapport, ease tension or otherwise get to know the other person(s) on the line.
“The important thing to keep in mind here in taking advantage of these opportunities is that these people talk to the people who ultimately buy the company’s services. If the service they receive at any point along the line is poor, or if the vendors’ techs are impersonal or worse – abrasive or condescending, the sales person talking with the decision maker is going to have a rough time of it when it comes to renewing the contract.”
So you can see how having a sales mindset – no matter what role in the company – can have an impact on sales.
From the moment we get up in the morning to the time we go to bed, we are negotiating, communicating, persuading and influencing. If we aren’t selling products or services, we are selling ideas.
If you want to be successful in sales, remember the 4 Ws and the H.
Don’t forget to measure your results. Keep track of successes and failures. Analyze what helped you succeed and where you may have slipped up. Identify some best practices that have led to success, and incorporate them into every customer interaction. Keeping score of your record can help you stay motivated and productive during dry spells, and reinvigorate you when you’re doing well.
Mackay’s Moral: Selling isn’t rocket science – it’s people science.
Seven-time, New York Times best-selling author of "Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive," with two books among the top 15 inspirational business books of all time, according to the New York Times. He is one of America’s most popular and entertaining business speakers, and currently serves as Chairman at the MackayMitchell Envelope Company, one of the nation’s major envelope manufacturers, producing 25 million envelopes a day.
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