chapter 18 characteristics of the professional salesperson since I constantly make reference to the fact that the salesperson is the most important part of the sales process let's take a look at the sales professional first of all they clearly understand that logic makes people think but it is emotion that makes them act they know if they use all logic in a sales presentation chances are excellent they will end up with the best educated Prospect in town who will buy from someone else if these all emotion in a sales presentation chances are excellent they will make the sale but unfortunately chances are also good the prospect will cancel the order however they know that when they use emotion and logic in the presentation chances are excellent they will end up with a sale today and a happy customer for the future the professional understands that logic is aimed at and appeals to the eye emotion is aimed at and appeals to the ear this is why when humanly possible we not only tell people what our merchandise or Goods will do but we demonstrate at the same time we've been conditioned to believe what we see instead of what we hear the eyes have truly been called the windows of the soul the mind's ey believes what it sees the eyes are the only one of our sense organs which connect directly to the brain for this reason logically we accept more readily what we see than what we hear however we are moved into action by what we hear remember our feeling brain is 10 times as large as our thinking brain so tell M and show M and your chances of selling them are greatly multiplied extrovert or introvert there are probably a thousand different opinions regarding the professional salesperson the man on the street thinks they are a happy go-lucky storytelling backs slapping extroverted Hill fellow well met type of an individual ual the truth is the professional salesperson is far more likely to be introverted than they are extroverted not painfully so but by Nature they are quieter and more serious obviously there are exceptions to every rule but let's look at the extrovert versus the introvert the extrovert is a person who is more likely to make a good first impression they're easy to like and establish Rapport fairly well in too many instances however they depend on the force of their personality to get the sale on a one call One Shot item when they're passing through town that's fine however if they're going to build a career that's a different matter if they're selling on a continuing basis to the same buyer that too is a different matter the introvert is more likely to be thorough in their studies precise in their presentation and knowledgeable about the goods products or Services their company has to offer they are better organized they know where they're going to be at a given time they're far more likely to plan their schedule and then work that schedule they are in most cases a better listener and a better student at uncovering the prospect's needs of course the ideal professional salesperson is an extrovert who is so serious about their profession they work to develop some of the introverts characteristics so they can more effectively serve their customers or they are an introvert who is so committed to their profession they develop some of the extroverts characteristics so they can more effectively serve their customer High performers versus moderate performers the study by DeMarco and magin of the Forum Corporation revealed that highly successful salespeople practice fundamental sales skills management skills and good human relations to get along with staff members customers and other salespeople they do not abdicate responsibility for installation implementation and service to technical support people they continue to maintain a service relationship which younger salespeople interest Ed in building a career need to learn High performers regardless of the industry involve others by soliciting opinions sharing information and establishing trust relationships inside the organization indications are extremely strong these hyper performing salespeople could move from the sales force into a bank or manufacturing concern and perform at the same level the Revelation was that ability to sell is not what separates the moderate performer from the high performer the other factors trust relationships Etc were the key the high performing sales professionals are total well-balanced people with Integrity who are knowledgeable and aggressively caring in their creative approach to solving problems a team player with Integrity the high performer is an influence manager of considerable skill and serves as the liaison or connecting link between the customer and the field and the support people in the company they work with their support people in a way that enhances their productivity and and self-esteem while concentrating on issues important to building and maintaining a productive trusting relationship with the customer the high performer helps with related products and services and simplifies the decision-making process for the customer by their willingness to identify other sources of help if the needs of the client extend beyond their expertise and the capability of their own company customers value Integrity very highly and expect to receive hints as well as knowledgeable responses to their questions High performing salespeople represent the interests of their company and of their clients with dignity integrity and skill they bring added value to the sales task with greater enthusiasm more sensitive interpersonal skills and a sense of professionalism they communicate clearly and sensitively to customers and support staff which builds customer confidence that they know what they're doing they also understand that the product or service itself does not build value but that salespeople build value with every visit to a customer building internal relationships clearly is a key to the success of high performers moreover the high performer is a team player whose internal relationship behavior is consistent with the behavior that makes them successful with customers they also see their sales managers as a resource to be called upon at the appropriate moment and indicate that their manager is an effective leader who encourages initiative and provides support Kevin's exponential Insight number eight you are the most important sale you'll ever make remember you are the most important sale you'll ever make your character and reputation are what will determine your long-term selling success what do you do when you do make mistakes first own up to your mistake the buck stops with you if something goes wrong customers want to know that you're going to take care of the problem you own up to it that's the cost of doing business own up to it then compensate for it in fact overcompensate for the mistake if somebody complains hey you charged me twice answer with we're going to issue a credit for that second charge and For your inconvenience I'm sending you a gift certificate that you can use on any product that we have we really do apologize then immediately get to the root of the problem if the factory is making defective products go back and find out why it is defective tighten up your quality assurance process set up systems to make sure it doesn't happen again at the end of the day there's one goal take care of your customers if you were to call back each person who got double charged the greatest thing that could happen would be for all of them to say you know what yeah we had a problem but they solved it and left me with a warm and fuzzy feeling I would recommend this company anytime the professional the professional is so other people conscious they never let their ego hinder their efforts they understand their function as a professional is not to attempt to help the prospect decide on on buying or not buying but rather to give information so the prospect will have the facts to make an intelligent decision they give some inspirational or motivational input so the prospect will be inspired to make the right decision the professional is thick skinned to the degree that they are not offended easily by what the prospect has to say this does not mean they accept abusive language or insulting manners it does mean they know that many times the prospect has been abused by other salespeople and they are able to understand that the prospect is not rejecting them but is simply refusing the offer they're making the professional understands the professional thinks in terms of service but they also think in terms of their ability to make the sale on a specific call they expect to make the sale they are versatile in their sales knowledge and their approach they work from a plan and not a can but as a professional they know that while there are many ways to say things there is one best way as a result they include many verbatim phrases explanations and expressions in every sales presentation they feel strongly that it is their responsibility to sell so clearly that the prospect understands it is in their best interest to buy they know when the prospect acts in an abusive manner it is often a defensive measure prompted by a sense of fear because of their own feeling of inferiority or ego inadequacy they understand one universal rule in the world of selling and apply it with diligence and enthusiasm that rule is their absolute conviction that they need to find out what the prospect wants and then help them get it the dictionary defines the professional as one who has an assured confidence in a particular field or occupation its quality of performance the professional has a good sense of humor they take their profession and their prospects needs seriously but not themselves the professional is a student they clearly understand that school is never out for them they study their prospects study their company literature and study the art of persuasion they read good books listen to inspirational messages attend training sessions and most of all on every sales interview they study human nature they know if they're going to change their status in life they must change their performance to change that performance they need to change their thinking to change their thinking they must change the input into their mind so they selectively choose the good stuff for they understand very clearly that their mind is not a garbage dump it's a temple the professional goes to school by watching good salespeople in action whether at the direct wholesale or retail level they constantly ask themselves questions like how can I take this procedure and translate it into my own sales situation so I can more effectively sell and service my customers they know their prospects will make their decision based on what they understand and believe so they undersell keep it simple and make it believable the professional Liv selling yes they're sales conscious they wake up up in the morning thinking sales they go to work thinking sales they come home thinking sales the only difference is that when they get home they understand that even though their sales situation is different they will use the same basic procedures and work from the same character base they remember that selling is a transference of feeling and hypocrisy on these sales calls will produce the same negative results they produce with their other prospects from their heart they must sell their children on being the best possible children from their heart they sell their spouse on the idea that they're a good mate and then demonstrate the point they wish to make in short they are other people conscious from morning to evening the beautiful thing is that it's so much fun for them that it gets to be and is second nature they understand that people buy for their reasons and not the salespersons for this reason they study a great deal about motivation and human behavior fully understanding that in order to influence behavior you need to understand something about it they understand that a good idea procedure or technique does not care who owns or uses it the professional is an optimist they look on the bright side of every aspect of life they know the average Prospect experiences enough gloom and doom in their life and does not appreciate a Salesman spreading additional Gloom the professional understands that they to a very large degree are in control of the buying climate with that in mind they do not discuss a relevant subject matter and do not bring in the latest National or local tragedy they create an atmosphere of excitement and optimism so their chances of making the sale are greatly enhanced they have great singleness of purpose and concentration on the immediate objective whether it is to make the sale plate a disgruntled customer or make a follow-through PR call this singleness of purpose enables the professional to zero and on the customers dominant buying motive and concentrate their energies and attention on helping the prospect get what they want they're highly motivated and transmit their excitement to their prospects who are motivated to respond by taking action the professional is adaptable they are a thinker but they clearly understand it is better to emulate genius than to create mediocrity so they evaluate materials and procedures on the basis of results if the techniques and methods they're using are getting desirable results they will stay with them but they abandon any procedure or technique that proves to be ineffective they do not permit themselves to get comfortable in using a sales process and continuing to use it long after it has lost its Effectiveness they're aware of change in procedure but they're even more aware of the fact that principles do not change the professional is career oriented because they are career oriented every action is taken with the idea in mind of building a career rather than just making that individual sale the professional fully understands the old cliche that words alone will often fail so they they demonstrate to make the sale they understand that when the prospect sees the product or service demonstrated the believability Factor increases they also clearly understand that if you hear something you will forget it if you see it you will remember it but if you hear it see it and do it you will understand and be far more inclined to take action with this in mind they get the customer involved in the presentation they let that customer feel the cloth as they slip on the coat they permit them to do the driving in the demonstration they let that customer sit down at the keyboard and work the computer they use visuals and testimonials in their presentation they encourage the customer to take their turn with the vacuum cleaner they permit their customers to apply the makeup personally so they will have confidence that yes they can do exactly the same thing in short the professional salesperson gets the customer involved in the use of the products goods or services the professional possesses conviction concern confidence idence and courage their conviction is strong that their product will solve the prospect's problem their concern is genuine that the prospect by now for their own benefit their confidence is strong that they can persuade the prospect to take action and their courage enables them to ask the prospect to take action now for their own best interests the professional has an incurable curiosity they don't just wonder why the grass is greener on the other side they climb over the fence to see how the grass is being fertilized and learn the brand they're using the professional looks and acts professional the professional looks the part of a professional they're appropriately dressed for the occasion they know you can't play the role of success dressed in the costume of failure they understand that you cannot Harvest this year's crop on last year's fertilizer so they constantly plant the right thoughts and procedures in their mind in short they appropriately dress both mind and body the professional is a person of principle they understand that the man or woman woman who won't stand for something will fall for anything they know if you add one small bit to the truth that you inevitably subtract from it they buy the statement of Will Rogers who said I would rather be the man who bought the Brooklyn Bridge than the one who sold it the implication is clear that they will bend over backward to protect their integrity and to keep from taking advantage of anyone they understand that as enlander says that's an awkward position but they know they won't fall on their face while leaning over backward the professional is a hard worker they understand as sales trainer Steve Brown from Atlanta Georgia puts it that anything worth doing is worth doing poorly until you learn how to do it well and they stick and study until they learn to do it professionally they clearly know we do not get work done through people but we develop people through the work in short they know activity proceedes accomplishment and learning generally precedes activity they do their homework and practices at sales meetings and in front of their family they are eager to get in front of the prospect for the final examination where they put their learning on trial and reach their objectives as sales trainer Phil Lynch said they prepare for tomorrow by performing today the professional is on the grow the professional builds a beautiful Library containing much information about the sales profession the sales process and the people they sell they would never dream of going to a doctor who quit studying when they finished medical school or an attorney who quit studying when they finished law school they would be dismayed if they realized the doctor or the attorney had no resource materials to refer to and learn from with this in mind they build their own sales library and add to it on a regular basis they understand that the average salesperson spends several hundred a year dressing the outside of his or her head that's for shaves haircuts hairspray Cosmetics cologne and perfume and will spend a minute minimum of $3,000 dressing their body and several thousand on Transportation now after having spent thousands of dollars getting ready to go sell they clearly understand that as a professional they need to know what to say when they get there with that in mind they constantly fill their library and more importantly their head with the new procedures and techniques they are able to put their investment in books recordings and training seminars into perspective by understanding how much it costs them and or their company to make a sales call and how much more it costs to miss the sale because of inadequate erroneous or incomplete information laptop computers cell phones instant this and instant that provide an incredible sales opportunity Advantage though the dollar cost for a sales call is high the cost in human frustration and wrecked sales careers because of a lack of sales information technique and inspiration is infinitely higher the cost of acquiring the necessary training information is minute in comparison to the cost of not acquiring that training like the man said if you think education is expensive just look at the cost of ignorance or to make it personal how many times have you missed a sale and later picked up some information or a technique which you know would have made the difference it hurt didn't it PS congratulations for investing in secrets and getting this involved in the learning process keep it up you are growing the professional pushes themselves the professional sets internal standards for performance they have goals which they work on daily generally speaking according to an article in Psychology today they set their own quotas and goals higher than the company would set them they are far more inclined to use their spare time in sales related tasks for example when things are slow they write follow-up or thank you notes to customers instead of killing time reading magazines drinking coffee or engaging in Bull sessions as time change the professional changes procedures and techniques but never changes the concepts and philosophy of delivering as much as possible as enthusiastically as possible at the lowest fair price the professional knows that all the knowledge contained in the books in the Library of Congress won't work without the magic of Common Sense and judgment in the final analysis they understand that their career will depend on what they do with what they know not just on what they know not a professional the professional understands that you don't become a salesperson by answering an ad in a newspaper and grabbing a briefcase with a prospectus in it any more than you become an engineer by buying a calculator or become a doctor by acquiring a stethoscope there's far more to being a salesperson than simply smiling dressing neatly telling some good stories and learning a few good lines when I speak of the professional I'm obviously not talking about the guy or gal who is a Dropout from some other profession or the one who simply drifted into selling because it was easy all you've got to do is talk they think and since I'm a good talker I'll be a good salesperson one of the myths exploded by The Forum Corporation study is that a salesperson has to be a glib fast talker nor am I talking about the part-time clerk who went to work 6 weeks before Christmas to pick up some extra money the professional gets with it the professional has chosen the profession of selling and stays in school throughout their entire career consistent ly working to earn the title salesperson they work as hard on their attitude self-image relationships and goals as they do on procedures and techniques they clearly understand that they must get the person ready before they can get the salesperson ready the professional understands that they need to stay green and growing because a green salesperson is always better than a blue one they know as long as they're green they're growing but when they get ripe they will rot the professional salesperson is the story of the high jumper who broke the world's record somebody asked him how he did it and he responded I threw my heart over the bar and the rest of me followed when you really get your heart into the profession of selling and with the company you're representing you will acquire the skills procedures and technique necessary for success as Dr Robert Schiller author of move ahead with possibility thinking says spectacular achievement is always preceded by unspectacular preparation the profession attitude is such that they're grateful for some of the difficulties they don't want to be like this old boy down home who stated that he would occasionally like a blessing which was not in Disguise I mention this because when we encounter the tough Prospect and the tough sale we must remember that the tough prospects are our best teachers and if all sales were easy and anybody could do it our commissions would be about 1th as much as they are the professional understands completely that competition is getting Keener all the time and so they must do the same thing the professional has character they're not one as sales Pro Mike Frank says the professional acquires and maintains a prospecting awareness he seeks prospects from current and former clients as well as everyone he calls on regardless of sales results he cultivates them at the supermarket the club and restaurants as well as other social contacts he utilizes information gleaned from Radio TV and newspaper as well as Billboards and bus signs he sees a prospect behind every Bush and tree and around every corner the professional keeps records they remember what has made them successful and they keep the same hustle enthusiasm and dedication to the job those factors which got them started combined with expertise experience skill and knowledge are what make them the successful professional they are a student and read good books and Publications on selling and motivation recency frequency potency and recommendation in the world of professional selling the professional remembers that if they're going to build a career instead of just selling One customer one time and then having to look for another they must take seriously the advice of Dr Joseph braik the body language expert from Sydney Australia he Advocates the use of the recency frequency potency recommendation one formula which is self explanatory recency this refers to how long it has been since you are in touch with your customers to let them know you available to serve tell them that you appreciate their business and inform them about a new addition to your product line or a new use for the products they already have according to Dr braik customers even those who are good friends need to be reminded of your existence and your eagerness to meet their needs or solve their problems frequency this will vary tremendously with the product and the practicality of the time investment as it relates to production but in a competitive World in some shape form or fashion your customers need to be reminded of your existence and your interest otherwise competition which has no feeling of I've already got that customer complacency enters the picture and your short one customer the man who is one of the best in the world at keeping his name in front of his customers is Joe Gerard who with Stanley H Brown wrote the bestselling book how to sell anything to anybody his phenomenal success in the automobile business enabled him to write a book on selling based on his personal experiences to the best of my knowledge he holds all the records for selling cars he sold 1964 307 1965 343 1966 614 1967 667 196 8 78 1969 764 1970 843 1971 980 1972 1,28 1973 1,425 record year 1974 1,376 1975 1, 360 1976 over 1,200 1977 over 1,200 for the details on this astonishing performance you should pick up Joe's book and carefully read what he has to say there are many remarkable things about his record first is the fact that over this 15-year period of time he averaged nearly 900 cars per year and these were all individual sales no Fleet Sales at any time second these were sales and not deals or giveaways his company made a profit Joe made a profit and the customers obviously 1 two or they would not have returned Time After Time third Joe was the number one automobile salesman in America every year from 1967 to 1977 the magnitude of that feat almost defies description fourth despite the fact there were two recessions during his first 11 years he sold more cars every year than he had sold the previous year fifth the last 6 years he sold cars on a full time basis before getting heavily involved as a speaker and writer he averaged over 1,300 cars sold each year there are many reasons for such phenomenal sales success but one of them is the fact that once a month Joe dropped a card in the mail to every one of his customers obvious ones like Christmas Easter birthday and anniversary and and not so obvious ones like happy 4th of July Labor Day or Washington's or Lincoln's birthday with cards coming all the time his customers consider Joe a member of the family or at least an old friend that's the way a real professional does things Mike Frank adds his own touch to this process by handwriting a minimum of seven cards every day Mike uses a notepad which includes his picture because many of his contacts are of a 10 to 15minute duration during which time he sells prospect on inviting him back at a later date to conduct a meeting the purpose of the meeting is to sell tickets for an upcoming sales and motivation Congress the note reminds the prospect of the date and the picture helps them to put Mike's name and face together Mike does the same thing with people he did not sell to but who might buy later he has done this every day since 1972 tough to do yes time consuming yes rewarding you bet you potency how strong was was your impact how solid is the relationship will your customer distinctly recall your last contact are you solidly entrenched because you sold and served well or did you get in for that initial sale through connections it's great to have connections to make sales but it's highly dangerous and erroneous thinking to believe that once you sell to them they are your customers recommendation this one especially on the initial sale is critically important as you will learn in the next chapter Chuck Bell sold me a Cadillac because the recommendation was so strong I went to see him prepared to believe him to trust him and yes to buy from him the professional builds that kind of reputation strong recommendations are the easiest and by far the shest method of building a sales career finally the professional is skilled at communicating and reading the prospects Communications back to them according to some authorities what we say contains only 7% of the persuasive impact of the message the way we say it contains 38% and our body language the remaining 55% with this in mind the professional learns body language and voice inflection they learn and use the words that sell and avoid the words that unell I deal with this phase of the professional in chapter 23 the professional is a builder and not a destroyer they build their fellow salespeople they build their country their company their Community they constant suffer from a case of mild discontent which they instinctively transform to inspirational dissatisfaction which is one of the most powerful forces we can harness in professional selling one Joseph braik body language the art of seeing what others are thinking Joseph braik and Associates Australia 1979