In the nature of the sales profession, if we have an ability that goes beyond providing for our own needs, we have a responsibility to use that ability to reach down and help those who do not have that capacity. We can learn to sell each other on the importance of building our lives on the foundation stones of honesty, character, integrity, faith, love, and loyalty. When we build on these foundation stones, we can build a business, a life, a family, a friendship, and a professional selling career while making a difference in the world in which we live.
Selling in the modern market, being ethical is not the only the right way to live, it is also practical way to live. True selling professionals do not only talk about ethics, they live ethically. When we are honest and ethical and live with integrity, our rewards are guaranteed. Build the career on an ethical foundation with the foundation stones of honesty, character, integrity, faith, love and loyalty.
Today’s sales professional is educated in what is necessary to be successful in the modern world – from computer literacy to market knowledge. One trademark of an “educated” person is the commitment to growth and keeping pace with the rapidly changing technology of the times.
The most exciting part of the sales profession is that change and technology cannot pass us by unless we allow them to because each of us is restricted only by mental and emotional attitudes. As long as we control our attitudes, we can be as productive as we choose to be – in whatever we want to do. To be successful in the years ahead as a sales star, we must understand the changes and the new technology.
The one thing that customers have always rated highest in the sales world is trust, which is also called dependability because it is a direct reflection on the integrity of the individual. The primary reason people will choose not to buy from you is a lack of trust. Women make better sales professional because they are more dependable and more open than men. They are also more trusted by the people they meet. Saleswomen will be far more inclined to let the prospects be the centre of attention and listen to what they are saying, that is due to a large part to women’s ability to listen. All successful sales professionals utilise listening skills to their fullest. The more salespersons know about the prospects’ needs, the better position they are in to meet those needs. Talking is sharing, but listening is caring.
When we listen, we must do more than listen with our ears. We have to look out for those non-verbal cues and gestures, their tones and speed of their voice. Listen with an open heart and observe them. Do not interrupt and never finish a phrase, a thought, or sentence when your prospect pauses. Another factor is the “Law of Reciprocity”, when we carefully listen to our prospects elaborate, we are putting them in debt to us. They will then have a feeling they “owe” us something and consequently more willing to listen to us.
In sales, dependability gives us credibility. Credibility makes us believable. With credibility and believability comes confidence, and with confidence comes success.
The sales professional today understands the importance of the proper balance between home and career and understands that to be successful in only one area of life is the biggest failure of all. The sales credo: “You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want!”. This sales credo is a philosophy and not a tactic. Do this often enough and you will build a beautiful sales career.
(Adapted from “The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional – Ziglar on Selling”, Chapter 2 – Selling in the Modern Market – The Decade of Technology, by Zig Ziglar)