Introduction

You can't always buy right. But you can always sell right.

No matter how unusual you think your merchandise is or how different you think it is from someone else's wares, the truth is that customers don't appreciate the same distinctions that you do and may regard what you have as just about the same as the next salesperson's. So, if your merchandise is not perceived to be substantially different from that found in other places, why will shoppers buy a product from you, instead of buying it from the store down the street?

It all boils down to you. Success as a salesperson depends entirely on your ability to open up customers, to communicate with them, and to satisfy their needs.

When people choose a doctor or lawyer, their selection is based only in part on that individual's education. Feeling that you can relate person to person is a major factor in choosing and staying with one professional over another. A good professional knows that an excellent education is only a small part of what goes into a prospective client's decision to use him or her. Reputations are built and practices grow as much because of people skills as because of technical skills.

There are no born doctors, lawyers, accountants, or plumbers, and there are no born salespeople either. People in business need technical, personal, and business skills to succeed. Learning these skills is an ongoing process that changes as new information becomes available and new methods of doing things are developed.

Unfortunately, in today's retail environment, salespeople are professionals who often act like clerks. Clerks may do an adequate job of executing routine tasks at work, but they don't develop special skills, go the extra mile, do their homework, or cultivate their customers.

Like clerks, salespeople have frequently let their people skills—and their technical skills—remain uncultivated.

In this book, we'll show you how to develop people skills and selling skills that will not only boost your income but also dramatically increase your job satisfaction. The first chapter, “Getting Your Act Together before You Take It to the Selling Floor,” covers the basics of the Precheck—what to do before the store opens in the morning—in a sense, getting your act together before you take it to the floor.

Chapter 2, “Opening the Sale,” addresses the unconscious things salespeople have been saying to shoppers over the years and offers a professional sales approach to speaking with your customers. It is frightfully true that too many salespeople have resisted doing their homework and refrained from any degree of preparation. This has resulted in ineffective probing and unenthusiastic demonstrations, offered by ill-informed personnel. Chapters 3, “Probing,” and 4, “The Demonstration,” cover the crucial skills of probing and demonstrating.

In Chapter 5, “The Trial Close,” we'll tackle the professional salesperson's mandate to close the sale, with a bonus of adding on to the sale.

In Chapter 6, “Handling Objections,” we'll focus on the all-important skill of handling objections, followed by techniques for closing the sale in Chapter 7, “Closing the Sale.” In the past, salespeople have been happy with the hit-or-miss approach to selling, contenting themselves with intermittent closes and merely respectable sales. The professional salesperson goes for the close every single time, with every single customer. We'll discuss in depth how you can do that, using your own personal style.

Finally, in Chapter 8, “Confirmations and Invitations,” we'll highlight how to use confirmations and invitations to build more sales, encourage repeat business, and generate referrals.

As we proceed throughout the book, remember: If you choose to say hello to a customer, choose to sell and satisfy that person!