TSOS Tip #3 Master Your Craft FINAL

The birth of a salesman: how I got up to speed

Willy Loman is arguably the best sales character I know. A man working hard, some success but his reliance on the “smile & a shoe shine” approach has resulted in a subsequent drop in revenue. Along with delusions of success that aren’t real – every sales rep has to be creative, take some risk, be adventurous. Maybe a bit crazy. But most of all they have to be resilient, thick skinned, able to push aside self-doubt, and accept rejection. Its an emotional nightmare hidden by bluster, unjustified self-confidence, and a comeback desire “to win next time”, to push ahead in search of money to support the family, success to fuel the ego, and to win that “one big whale”.

Invest in sales training

• Take anything that is offered from your company
• Read and understand the concepts and best practices of the following:
  • Strategic Selling by Miller-Heiman. Learn how to identify supporters and detractors. understand the strengths/weaknesses (Blue Sheet)
• • SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham. How to guide the conversation through structured questioning.
• • Consultative Selling: by Mark Hanan — on using ROI to drive your sale
• • Short Cycle Selling : by Jim Kasper – a complete methodology that covers all the steps but in a shorter period of time.
  • Let’s great real or Lets not Play by Mahan Kalsa. How to build a relationship of equal information sharing.
• Get to unconscious competence — make it natural, your own.
  • I don’t like scripts – but they can be effective: same process repeated – could yield higher results:… but often comes across as mechanical
  • Rehearse
• Don’t expose your sales process or script to the prospect.  

My list of movies and plays

• Death of A Salesman
• Door to Door
• Glen Garry Glen Ross
• Tommy Boy
• Tin Men

See, blog Birth of a Salesperson for a reading list

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