How to Sell

1. Everyone in your organization is in sales.
2. Nothing is worse than when a potential client contacts your organization and your own people don't know much about your products and services, especially your new products and services. Example: A----- Computer sometimes sells vaporware like their PCs that double as telephones.
3. Take every opportunity to sell.
4. Don't leave without making a sale. Example: If a salesperson for the Sens can't sell a suite, they'll sell four season tickets and a sign or maybe just a couple of mini paks.
5. The best answer is 'yes'; the second best answer is 'no'; that last best answer is 'maybe'.
6. Tell the potential client that you'll take a 'maybe' as a 'no'-precipitate a conclusion. Don't get into the 'hoop' treatment cycle.
7. Don't be afraid of a 'no'.
8. A sale is about providing timely information to the right client; not about selling to people who don't need your service or product.
9. A sale is not marketing.
10. When you hear a 'yes', stop talking, get the order book out, book the order, thank the client and leave. You can talk your way out of deal by talking too much.
11. Often clients will answer their own questions; so you just listen.
12. Don't be afraid to name a price-many advisors tell you to let the other side go first. If you have the confidence to name a price first, you'll do many more deals even if you do leave something on the table for the other party.
13. Always leave something on the table for the other party.
14. Use very opportunity to reverse sell-your Accounts Payable is a good source of potential clients-even your accountants are in sales for you. Example: if a plumber isn't a Sens season ticker holder why is he or she your plumber?
15. Negotiate hard-clients won't feel that they got a good deal if you give in too quickly.
16. Protect your margins-ever dime counts.
17. Sales is all about action-don't push on a string.
18. Use the six degrees of separation to make contact with those you need to get in touch with but don't be afraid of just calling or showing up. Example: ASAP Copy owner gets more orders than he delivers, because he delivers the orders.
19. Use a bottom up not a top down sales method. Nothing is worse than asking your President/Coach/Mentor to call the other President to make a sale-then the line employee/manager will do everything he or she can to torpedo it. Instead, contact the line manager and when the time is right, your President/Coach/Mentor to make a call or send an email to the other President raising the profile of the opportunity and confirming the line manager's wise choice.
20. Remember that you are not in the selling business at all-you are in the buying business. You are providing a solution to a client's problem. Example: TnT.com sells promotional products to a car dealer. Not so. TnT.com is buying promotional products on behalf of the car dealer to solve the dealer's problem-how to get more people to buy their vehicles. TnT.com buys 1000s of car fresheners and arranges for students to give them away to owners of car repair shops, auto body shops, car detailing places, anywhere that there will be a lot of old clunkers. Every car that leaves gets a car freshener advertising the dealer and the next time their car breaks down; they only have to look at their mirror to see where they should go to buy their next new vehicle.
21. Creativity counts.

Copyright. Dr. Bruce M. Firestone, Ottawa, Canada. November 24, 2002

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