A lot of people have trouble imagining themselves as sales people. They can't imagine themselves shoving a product in someone's face and saying Buy This. That is not really what salesmanship is all about though. We are all salespeople. The teacher has to sell her way of teaching to her students. The employee has to sell his worth to his boss to get that raise. The parent has to sell discipline to the child. Every single day of our lives we are selling our viewpoints and way of thinking to others. Therefore, if being a salesman has a negative connotation in your mind, get rid of it. You are, whether you like it or not. It is how you go about it that makes the person.
Marketing vs. Sales
Many people believe that Marketing and Sales is the same thing. First cousins maybe, but not identical twins. If you take any sales training, you will find that one of the basic premises that you are taught is that the fastest way to get rich in life is to solve other people's problems. Find out what your prospects need/desires are and then show how your product or service can solve that. Or how to change your sales approach so that it 'looks' like it will solve their problems.
This whole process is intended to build a relationship with the potential client, so that they feel that you have their best interests at heart. After all, every good salesman knows that selling has nothing to do with the product or service. It is all an emotional decision. How many times have you just HAD to buy something, even through your brain told you not to spend the money? I think we all have.
Nobody who bought a drill actually wanted a drill. They wanted a hole. Therefore, if you want to sell drills, you should advertise information about making holes - NOT information about drills - Perry Marshall
The best sales people are able to 'read' people and find out what they really want. The life insurance salesman sells security and peace of mind. The vacuum salesman sells pride in a clean home. The big-screen TV salesman sells the awe your friends are going to be in when they come over to watch football. People don't buy products or services. They buy the feelings those things invoke.
A good salesman will take your wants and mix in a dose of urgency. The encyclopedia salesman will tell you that your children's education will be lacking unless you buy this product now. The traveling cookware salesman at the county fair will tell you that this great deal is only available the few days he is there. The car salesman will tell you that there are only two left at this closeout price. The on-line web page tells you that if you buy today, you will get five extra bonuses.
Since no money is made until a product or service is sold, you will need to learn how to 'read' people. You will need to learn how to invoke emotion at times. You will need to learn how to build that sense of urgency. You will need to learn how to build those relationships of trust with clients. If you learn nothing more than to sell emotions, instead of products or services, your income will improve dramatically.
There are some people out there who are natural born sales people. There are some that study and practice long enough to do a good job. But, most people have a problem mastering this skill or there would be a lot more millionaires in the world. While you may not master salesmanship, and you don't need to for success, it would be to your benefit to study it as part of your overall business education. You will find many books that deal in depth with this subject.
You may be the best salesperson in the world, but if nobody walks in your store, if nobody calls you on the phone, or if nobody visits your website - it won't do you much good. As I said before, there is nothing wrong in all the conventional media outlets, whether it be TV, radio, magazines, newspapers, websites, banners, email campaigns, social media, etc. All of these are normally written to evoke an emotion that will pull you into a store, make that phone call, or visit that website. But, with all of the competition doing the same thing, the odds are stacked again you.