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Position Yourself as a Leader

Written by: Mark Hunter

Article Overview: To be a top-performing sales professional, you must be a great leader...

Position Yourself as a Leader

It's been said that to be a successful salesperson, not only do your listening skills have to be great, but your closing skills have to be even better. However, I believe that while these skills are helpful, they are not essential. In my opinion, to be a top-performing sales professional, you must be a great leader. It is a fundamental character trait. Although we have all known salespeople who have had stellar years based on the luck of a few great clients, those with sustained, long-term success always exhibit great leadership skills.

What is a leader? Leaders are people who empower others to do seemingly impossible things, whether individually or as part of a group. They help people see issues and opportunities they would not normally see themselves. Most importantly, they instill a level of confidence in people that make them pro-active in dealing with situations they otherwise would be hesitant to handle.

These leadership traits are essential for top-performing salespeople to exhibit on a daily basis. By demonstrating these qualities to your prospects and clients, you are communicating your value to them. They will see that you have their best interest in mind and are not out to just "make a sale." You will create the confidence they need to desire to do business with you. Salespeople who see themselves as leaders are far more likely to provide the client with the services necessary to help them achieve their long-term goals. For example, a salesperson who is a leader will wisely show a 25-year-old the significance of buying life insurance both as an investment tool and a "peace of mind" policy.

Top-performing salespeople understand how positioning themselves as leaders can further their success. You will increase your profits by selling more to an existing customer, so it only makes sense to display leadership to them. In addition, because the best new clients often come from referrals, your existing customers will be much more apt to confidently recommend you. In my experience, I have observed that salespeople who behave as leaders are less likely to need multiple closing techniques to make a sale. I firmly believe that the higher the degree of leadership in a sales professional, the less time spent on closing the deal. Similarly, the opposite holds true, and the result is a loss of valuable time.

Over the years, I have come to believe that "sales is leadership and leadership is sales." The more salespeople with whom I work, the more I confirm the validity of this statement. Although it's important to work on both your ability to listen and your closing techniques, fostering your leadership skills is far more essential. Begin today to set yourself apart from the competition by positioning yourself as a leader to your employees, your clients and your prospects.

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Article Tags: best interest, buying life insurance, character trait, confidence, daily basis, existing customers, fundamental character, impossible things, investment tool, leadership skills, leadership traits, listening skills, peace of mind, profits, prospects, referrals, salespeople, successful salesperson, term goals, term success



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Blank text field might be better - Hi TheAnonymousMan, I like your idea! I'm assuming it would be similar to the status feature on Facebook where it might say "Kevin is ... " So I think having a blank text field in the profile box (and even "Leader" boxes on the left and top side of the forums if possible) might be more fun than just choosing from pre-set options from a drop down menu:D
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Re: How to Promote a MLM Business? - Hi Stacey, the subject of promoting your mlm and building that business is a tricky one and can lead to immense frustration if not done properly, the trouble with mlm is that most of the time the training the company gives you is just rubbish, i.e. make a list of friends and family, will get you so far but not top producer status. You need to think a little outside the box and start to learn real marketing, start to think in terms of how your product if you want to make product sales will be of benefit to the end user and what problems it solves, look to solve problems and offer your product as the obvious solution. In order to promote your biz opp you need to think of what the business can do for people and then craft a message around that, dont go screaming and shouting how great your company is and what a great comp plan and how long you have been in business (not that you would, but many do). Position yourself more to compete less, increase your value to people who join your organisation, maybe your a wiz at direct mail and copywriting, ppc, or video marketing or blogging whatever, learn new skills you can share with your team. The message and how it is crafted will get you results, the way the message is delivered i.e what form of media or print is almost dare I say irrelevant (check that coming from an internet marketer) its just a way of conveying your message to your ideal prospect e.g target market. Best of luck and if you need any help feel free to contact me through a P.M
Re: How to Promote a MLM Business? - [quote="RobBright":3kcpm0xw]Hi Stacey, the subject of promoting your mlm and building that business is a tricky one and can lead to immense frustration if not done properly, the trouble with mlm is that most of the time the training the company gives you is just rubbish, i.e. make a list of friends and family, will get you so far but not top producer status. You need to think a little outside the box and start to learn real marketing, start to think in terms of how your product if you want to make product sales will be of benefit to the end user and what problems it solves, look to solve problems and offer your product as the obvious solution. In order to promote your biz opp you need to think of what the business can do for people and then craft a message around that, dont go screaming and shouting how great your company is and what a great comp plan and how long you have been in business (not that you would, but many do). Position yourself more to compete less, increase your value to people who join your organisation, maybe your a wiz at direct mail and copywriting, ppc, or video marketing or blogging whatever, learn new skills you can share with your team. The message and how it is crafted will get you results, the way the message is delivered i.e what form of media or print is almost dare I say irrelevant (check that coming from an internet marketer) its just a way of conveying your message to your ideal prospect e.g target market. Best of luck and if you need any help feel free to contact me through a P.M[/quote:3kcpm0xw] You are right RobBright. That stuff most companies teach you will not work. That's why I follow a generic training that is not tied to any specific company. It works great and I have been using it quite successfully now.


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