The Secrets of the Elite Sales Professional

Here is an article I wrote which was published in November of last year. Have a read!

The Secrets of the Elite Sales Professional
By Scott Wain

What is the secret to an elite sales professional? This question can open up a huge debate. Just cruise into any book store such as Chapters and have a look in the business section. There are hundreds of thousands of "how to" sales books. Which one is the right one? With all the choices, how do you decide? Well, if it's on the New York Times best sellers list chances are it has some useful tips. So you find the "right" book and you take it home to read. The next step is to apply the information real time to your daily routine. The trouble with that is to read a book from a successful author and then apply the techniques or strategies is a daunting task. Why? There is simply too much information to absorb all at once. Unfortunately once you start and or finish the book and go back to work, you don't know where to start. We've really bitten off more than we can chew.

Here are some reasons why very few readers have the ability to successfully apply "how to" sales books from print to reality. Chances are you have shared some of what you read with co-workers. We all know they'll have their own opinions. Depending on the culture of your work environment will effect whether or not what you share is accepted and encouraged or tormented and discouraged. There is a strong possibility that it will be tormented and discouraged. We live in a world of many pessimists. Odds are against you before you even get started. Most of the pack drops off here.

So let's say you are strong willed and the naysayers don't slow you down. Great job, you are among a small percentage. Now you've put the negatives behind you and you're ready to move forward. You begin by changing your approach to your customers based on what you have read. However, after days or maybe weeks you find yourself lost and back to the old routine. Again, a number of you are thinking "that's not me at all". So we have narrowed the percentage of individuals who can successfully apply the skills all over again. If this is you then chances are you are a leader within your organization and probably in your respective industry. How do they do it?

A very effective way to learn and apply what you read is to actually take notes while you read the book. This step places you ahead of the pack just by taking the notes alone. Here is where we'll lose a few more. A small cross section of readers who take notes will review them. By getting used to this practice you will start to instill or embed what you have read deep in your subconscious. At this point what you have finally read will start to bear fruit.

Once you decide not to let naysayers slow you down and you take notes and review them you have laid the ground work for the start of some new practices. Before you begin throwing all these techniques at your oblivious clients you may want to slow down for a minute. In order to not look silly in front of your co-workers and or clients you should take the time to learn and perfect one thing at a time.

So, the next time you pick up a book remember you have some more work to do besides reading it before you can apply your new found ambitions! Don't let anyone hold you back. Surround yourself with people who support you. Summarize your readings for reference later. Then spend time perfecting one technique at a time. You are now on your way to lying the brick work to strategically plan and apply the experience of those who are great before us.

Scott Wain

Helping dealerships build elite sales teams one store at a time!

Did you know the average rating a dealership gives their entire sales staff for interview and presentation skills is a 3 out of 10? How much money is being left on the table as a result of poor salesmanship?
http://www.five-paces.com

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