Are You Cut Out For A Career In Direct Selling
Are You Cut Out For A Career In Direct Selling
Anyone who elects to embark on a career in direct selling had better be able to sell. A person who chooses sales, even as a last resort, is making a tough decision to depend entirely on his/her own effort, pride, and willingness to practice long enough to succeed. It’s tough not to be able to hide behind a corporate security blanket, make excuses, or blame the product, the boss, the company, or anybody else. When they choose sales, they accept the risk to their egos, some people’s derision, and the fears of those not brave enough to stand up to that kind of heat.
But when they succeed – not just because they were smarter or luckier – the reward is twice as sweet. Successful salespeople develop the confidence of independence. They are their own bosses. They set their own goals. They claim their own rewards. They go to bed tired, but satisfied. They work hard when it’s needed, but they’re proud of it. And all because they learned, mostly on their own, the few key laws of successful sales.
We have researched successful and unsuccessful salespeople for twenty-one years. We have a database of nearly 200,000 salespeople whom we have tested and tracked. From this database, we can identify the six critical success factors that account for success in direct sales.
However, it is important to note that the attributes and skills required in any sales role, are dictated by the needs of buyers, not sellers. So the needs of buyers of Life Insurance may be significantly different to buyers of cosmetics or cleaning products.
For example, somebody buying an insurance policy may require more hand-holding and “technical” input than, say, somebody buying dishwashing liquid. So these two product lines may require different types of salespeople or salespeople who are capable of adapting their selling style to suit different customer needs. The two golden rules of selling are:-
Rule 1: Identify what kind of salesperson you are. In one study, we tested 1000 direct salespeople to determine which attributes we present in the superstars, but absent in the total failures. These were:-
• Effective networking
• Problem solving
• Qualifies prospects with standard probes
• Commits time and effort to ensure success
• Closes through logical incremental steps
• Opportunistic
All of these are measurable and any individuals’ prospects of success in a specific sales role are predictable.
Rule 2: Segment your customer base. All customers are not the same, and top salespeople are skilled at determining different customers’ needs. “Relationship” customers, for example, do not respond well to “in-your-face” closers who push hard to close on the first call.
So, if a career in direct selling beckons, ask yourself the tough question – “Am I suited for a career in sales?” Not everybody can do this, as the high failure rate in many sales roles testifies. Sales is a skill (i.e. based on both talent and practice) and, for those who lack any talent, sales may be a poor choice. For those who do, it can be a fulfilling and rewarding career.
Are You Cut Out For A Career In Direct Selling - To learn more about this author, visit Peter Gilbert's Website.
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Are You Cut Out For A Career In Direct Selling
Anyone who elects to embark on a career in direct selling had better be able to sell. A person who chooses sales, even as a last resort, is making a tough decision to depend entirely on his/her own effort, pride, and willingness to practice long enough to succeed. It’s tough not to be able to hide behind a corporate security blanket, make excuses, or blame the product, the boss, the company, or anybody else. When they choose sales, they accept the risk to their egos, some people’s derision, and the fears of those not brave enough to stand up to that kind of heat.
But when they succeed – not just because they were smarter or luckier – the reward is twice as sweet. Successful salespeople develop the confidence of independence. They are their own bosses. They set their own goals. They claim their own rewards. They go to bed tired, but satisfied. They work hard when it’s needed, but they’re proud of it. And all because they learned, mostly on their own, the few key laws of successful sales.
We have researched successful and unsuccessful salespeople for twenty-one years. We have a database of nearly 200,000 salespeople whom we have tested and tracked. From this database, we can identify the six critical success factors that account for success in direct sales.
However, it is important to note that the attributes and skills required in any sales role, are dictated by the needs of buyers, not sellers. So the needs of buyers of Life Insurance may be significantly different to buyers of cosmetics or cleaning products.
For example, somebody buying an insurance policy may require more hand-holding and “technical” input than, say, somebody buying dishwashing liquid. So these two product lines may require different types of salespeople or salespeople who are capable of adapting their selling style to suit different customer needs. The two golden rules of selling are:-
Rule 1: Identify what kind of salesperson you are. In one study, we tested 1000 direct salespeople to determine which attributes we present in the superstars, but absent in the total failures. These were:-
• Effective networking
• Problem solving
• Qualifies prospects with standard probes
• Commits time and effort to ensure success
• Closes through logical incremental steps
• Opportunistic
All of these are measurable and any individuals’ prospects of success in a specific sales role are predictable.
Rule 2: Segment your customer base. All customers are not the same, and top salespeople are skilled at determining different customers’ needs. “Relationship” customers, for example, do not respond well to “in-your-face” closers who push hard to close on the first call.
So, if a career in direct selling beckons, ask yourself the tough question – “Am I suited for a career in sales?” Not everybody can do this, as the high failure rate in many sales roles testifies. Sales is a skill (i.e. based on both talent and practice) and, for those who lack any talent, sales may be a poor choice. For those who do, it can be a fulfilling and rewarding career.
Are You Cut Out For A Career In Direct Selling - To learn more about this author, visit Peter Gilbert's Website.
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 Are You Cut Out For A Career In Direct Selling
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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Staging DivaDebra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained over 1000 Staging Diva Graduates worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular ebooks made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide and Portfolio Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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 Peter Gilbert (Visit Peter's Website) Peter began his sales career with Ecolab Inc in South Africa.He spent 14 years with the company in a variety of technical and sales roles, with his final assignment being as CEO of the South African operation. He then founded the South African affiliate of Philip Crosby Associates, and fulfilled the role of Sales Director for 7 years, during which period the company became the largest TQM consultancy in the southern hemisphere. When the Company was bought by Proudfoot Consulting, he assumed the role of Sales Director for three years, before leaving to establish Chally SA, specialising in sales assessment and recruitment
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