What is selling
What is selling
I have heard many answers to this question over the years and some of them not too complimentary. Some people not in sales and even some who are, have an idea that the art of selling is a less than honourable trade. They have the feeling that the best salespeople are close to con-men who would do anything and say anything just to make the sale. They meet a sales person and are on their guard watching for the trick that will make them buy something they don’t need or can’t afford.
This is not sales. Unfortunately there are a few con-men who give the trade a bad name but most of them do not last long, having to move from product to product or industry to industry to keep one step ahead of their reputation.
Sales is not conning people, it’s helping people. The best definition I have come across is as follows:
“Sales is helping the customer to buy”
Helping him to make up his mind based upon the satisfaction of his needs. Sales is always going for “Win - Win” or “No Deal”. That means that it is the salespersons responsibility to ensure that both he and the customer wins on the deal.
If the salesperson finds that he is about to conclude a deal where he is winning but the customer is losing, the deal should be scrapped.
I have said this many times at seminars throughout the country and I always get a few dissenters. “Surely”, they say “It’s the responsibility of the customer to make sure he is getting a good deal, not the salesperson?”
“Not so” I reply “What happens to your customer if you win but he loses?”
“Well, you make the sale.” say one or two of the less bright seminar attendees.
“True” I say “But when he gets home and discovers that he has lost on the deal, where does he go when he wants to buy another one of your products?”
“To the competitors?”
“Right! ... And so does his 10 friends and their 5 friends and their 3 friends etc.. You may make the sale but you should lose your job for the amount of money and good will you have lost your company”
“Okay” say the die-hards “But what if the customer wants to buy even though you know he will lose on the deal?”
Consider the following true story:
Some years ago I needed to buy a washing machine because the one we had was no longer worth repairing so I looked in the local paper and discovered that one of the large stores in the area was having a sale on a washing machine that was being advertised on television and seemed to fit the bill. So off I went to the store, money in hand, to make the purchase. As soon as I entered the area where the washing machines were displayed a salesman approached me and I told him I wanted to buy this machine.
Instead of filling out the order form and taking my money he asked me what I wanted the machine for. I was tempted to tell him I wanted it to vacuum the carpet in the lounge, but instead I asked him what he meant. “No”, he said “How many times a week do you run your machine?”
So I told him I have 5 Children and the machine is run at least 3 times a day 6 days a week.
“Oh, you don’t want this machine.” he said “What you want is the XYZ Washing Machine. It will last much longer and takes a bigger load cutting your washing time down.”
“Great.” I said “So sell me one.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, we haven't got any in stock but I can order one for you. It will just take a couple of weeks.”
“But I can’t wait that long. I’ll have to make do with this machine.” I told him. “When you have five children, two weeks without a washing machine is a life sentence.”
“I can understand that.” he said “The machine you asked for will do the job but it’s not the best machine for you. ..... I know the shop down the road have some of the better machine in stock at the same price why don’t you buy one from them?”
Now the “Shop down the road” was a competitor so I was surprise that the salesman was prepared to miss out on the sale all together and I told him so but he seemed pleased that I was going away happy.
I did buy the washing machine from the competitor company and he was right, it works very well so I was pleased with the purchase.
As luck would have it a week later the kettle broke down and as it seemed to be the last of that make and model in existence there was no possibility of getting parts. Where do you think I want to buy a new one?
That’s right....... back to the salesman in the big store where I knew I would get good advice even at the risk of losing the sale. And then a year later, when I needed a new fridge? And two years after that when my eldest son was setting himself up in his new flat? You guessed it! Back to the same salesman in the same department store, and if he leaves and moves on to another shop I will move with him. Now that is selling.
Selling is not so much shifting product as making customers. The great salespeople know that a customer will come back for life if you make him happy and that has to be your target.
What is selling - To learn more about this author, visit Richard Mulvey's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
What is selling?
I have heard many answers to this question over the years and some of them not too complimentary. Some people not in sales and even some who are, have an idea that the art of selling is a less than honourable trade. They have the feeling that the best salespeople are close to con-men who would do anything and say anything just to make the sale. They meet a sales person and are on their guard watching for the trick that will make them buy something they don’t need or can’t afford.
This is not sales. Unfortunately there are a few con-men who give the trade a bad name but most of them do not last long, having to move from product to product or industry to industry to keep one step ahead of their reputation.
Sales is not conning people, it’s helping people. The best definition I have come across is as follows:
“Sales is helping the customer to buy”
Helping him to make up his mind based upon the satisfaction of his needs. Sales is always going for “Win - Win” or “No Deal”. That means that it is the salespersons responsibility to ensure that both he and the customer wins on the deal.
If the salesperson finds that he is about to conclude a deal where he is winning but the customer is losing, the deal should be scrapped.
I have said this many times at seminars throughout the country and I always get a few dissenters. “Surely”, they say “It’s the responsibility of the customer to make sure he is getting a good deal, not the salesperson?”
“Not so” I reply “What happens to your customer if you win but he loses?”
“Well, you make the sale.” say one or two of the less bright seminar attendees.
“True” I say “But when he gets home and discovers that he has lost on the deal, where does he go when he wants to buy another one of your products?”
“To the competitors?”
“Right! ... And so does his 10 friends and their 5 friends and their 3 friends etc.. You may make the sale but you should lose your job for the amount of money and good will you have lost your company”
“Okay” say the die-hards “But what if the customer wants to buy even though you know he will lose on the deal?”
Consider the following true story:
Some years ago I needed to buy a washing machine because the one we had was no longer worth repairing so I looked in the local paper and discovered that one of the large stores in the area was having a sale on a washing machine that was being advertised on television and seemed to fit the bill. So off I went to the store, money in hand, to make the purchase. As soon as I entered the area where the washing machines were displayed a salesman approached me and I told him I wanted to buy this machine.
Instead of filling out the order form and taking my money he asked me what I wanted the machine for. I was tempted to tell him I wanted it to vacuum the carpet in the lounge, but instead I asked him what he meant. “No”, he said “How many times a week do you run your machine?”
So I told him I have 5 Children and the machine is run at least 3 times a day 6 days a week.
“Oh, you don’t want this machine.” he said “What you want is the XYZ Washing Machine. It will last much longer and takes a bigger load cutting your washing time down.”
“Great.” I said “So sell me one.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, we haven't got any in stock but I can order one for you. It will just take a couple of weeks.”
“But I can’t wait that long. I’ll have to make do with this machine.” I told him. “When you have five children, two weeks without a washing machine is a life sentence.”
“I can understand that.” he said “The machine you asked for will do the job but it’s not the best machine for you. ..... I know the shop down the road have some of the better machine in stock at the same price why don’t you buy one from them?”
Now the “Shop down the road” was a competitor so I was surprise that the salesman was prepared to miss out on the sale all together and I told him so but he seemed pleased that I was going away happy.
I did buy the washing machine from the competitor company and he was right, it works very well so I was pleased with the purchase.
As luck would have it a week later the kettle broke down and as it seemed to be the last of that make and model in existence there was no possibility of getting parts. Where do you think I want to buy a new one?
That’s right....... back to the salesman in the big store where I knew I would get good advice even at the risk of losing the sale. And then a year later, when I needed a new fridge? And two years after that when my eldest son was setting himself up in his new flat? You guessed it! Back to the same salesman in the same department store, and if he leaves and moves on to another shop I will move with him. Now that is selling.
Selling is not so much shifting product as making customers. The great salespeople know that a customer will come back for life if you make him happy and that has to be your target.
What is selling - To learn more about this author, visit Richard Mulvey's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
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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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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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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power'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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Jay Kubassek(Jay's Full Bio: EvanCarmichael.com/jaykubassek) In five years, Canadian-born entrepreneur Jay Kubassek went from selling mufflers at a Midas franchise to revolutionizing Internet marketing with the 2004 launch of CarbonCopyPRO, a online marketing education company, now worth over $20 million with customers in over 160 countries.
As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)
Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. Jay resides in NYC with his wife Jamie, son Milo and dog Cooper. Visit Jay's official website: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website |
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