Max Bottaro

The fact is, everyone is in sales. Whatever area you work in, you do have clients and you do need to sell.
-Jay Abraham

Selling-in the purest sense-is the art of causing people to willingly part with their cash. A good salesperson will make this process as painless as possible. The best compliment you can get as a salesperson is “You weren’t a good salesperson; I just really wanted the product”.

In my limited experience in sales, there are 2 major reasons people decide to buy products. The first is the costumer really “needs” the product. I say “needs” because this is a perceptual shift that often must to take place before a costumer is sold. A lot of people want certain products, but they will only be bothered to pay if they feel like they need it. As a salesman, it is your job to show the costumer why they need the product. The second reason people buy is they like you, the salesperson. In direct sales, a decision to buy is often a combination of these two factors: the prospect likes you, and they like the product.

I don’t care if you sell fast cars or candy bars, certain sales principles will be applicable across different scenarios. The art of selling is practical in almost any walk of life; you sell yourself in a job interview, you sell your opinions when you argue, and you sell your value when you pursue relationships. The roots of any business are based on sales. I don’t care if you have the best product in the world, if you can’t sell it effectively you don’t have a business. Conversely, if you knew how to market and sell a product well, why you could probably bottle water turn it into a million dollar industry.

Here are some gems of wisdom I’ve picked up along the way- mostly from more experienced and profitable salespeople. I suggest looking for the underlying thought process, attitude, and belief system vs. actual words. Pick up lines won’t get you girls, and canned sales pitches don’t make sales. But if your belief system and attitude is right, it doesn’t really matter what you say. It’s how you say it that communicates with power.

Feeding the ego or closing the deal

When direct selling to a costumer, you will inevitably come across objections. It could be price, timing, or some other extraneous factor. As you sell your product, you will get a sense of the common objections people will come up with to not buy. Obviously, having a concise and logical response to every possible objection is necessary. Learn your common objections and have responses ready to shoot from the hip.

After a few objections and fast responses, prospects will catch on and say something to the extent of “it just doesn’t matter what we say, he’s got an answer for everything!” At this point you can make a choice: close the sale, or message your ego. You could say “well, I was the top salesperson in my office last month…” or, to paraphrase Zig Zigler, look them straight in the eye and say:

“Mr. Prospect, I appreciate that comment and I am going to take it as a compliment- but the truth is I don’t have answers to many of the objections and questions costumers have. That is why I am so excited to bring this product to you- because it is the answer to your problems; and in the end isn’t that what we all want?” while nodding your head.

Remember, you are there to solve the costumer’s problem, not slam witty rebuttals down their throat. You can be better than your prospect, or you can close the damn deal.

Make an initial “Jab”

Just as a boxer uses a less harmful jab to create openings for more powerful punches, as a salesman can use a harmless question to open the mind of the prospect. The first thing I often do when I get into someone’s house to show them the vacuum is make a “jab”. As soon as I pull the first dirt pad out of their carpet, I’ll look them in the eye, smile, and say “cash or credit?” At this point, I’ve barely started the demo and hardly given them a reason to buy- the question to buy isn’t serious, it couldn’t be- it’s a nonthreatening joke. Still, it “punches” a whole in the prospect’s buying defense, and it puts them in the mindset of “purchase”. Jabs should be nonthreatening and friendly. They aren’t meant to close deals, they should be used early on. When the real ask comes down the road, it will seem like less of a shock.

%80 percent of purchases happen after the 6^th time a salesperson asks the prospect to buy. A jab can count as one of these asks. Just don’t be afraid to ask down the road. Shy salespeople have thin children.

Some people fold after making one timid request. They quit too soon. Keep asking until you find the answers. In sales there are usually four or five “no’s” before you get a “yes.”
-Jack Canfield

Avoid yes or no questions

You want to avoid a situation where a costumer can give you a concise and clear “NO”. This not only puts them in a “no, not, never, can’t, won’t” mindset, it shuts down their “how” mindset. It’s weird, but when a costumer hears themselves say “no” they end up believing themselves. They can give you other bullshit objections for reasons not to buy; that is perfectly natural and even a good sign. But if you hear “no”, you can be rest assured that the part of their brain that comes up with “how” answers is shut down.

The easiest way to avoid this is not put yourself in a position to hear a “no”. Don’t ask “you want to buy, its $2195?” ask “if you were to buy, would you pay cash or credit?” I hate to use sex as an analogy to closing sales, but there are some similarities. You would never ask a girl “hey, you want to have sex? Let’s go.” You ease your way into it, so everything seems like a natural progression, and you avoid high pressure situations. Nothing will turn a prospect or a girl off more than being pushy, aggressive and direct. That doesn’t mean you should be shy, but there is a certain way of being bold that works.

I AM Like You

“Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness, and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.” –Og Mandino

This idea ties in with the notion that half the reason people buy is because they like the salesmen. One of the best ways to get someone to like you is to be like them. I don’t mean be fake, but within your personality find things that you can genuinely appreciate about them, or that you have in common. For example, if someone has a Patriots poster in their house, I might talk football with them (although I wouldn’t pretend to be a Patriot’s fan).

Tweak your mannerisms and tonality to match your prospect’s. If I am with an older lady, I speak slowly, gesture softly, and I smile a lot. If I am with a younger guy, I am fast and energetic. If I am with uneducated people, I kind of dumb my language down. People trust people who are like them, and trust is a key component of sales.

Be Honest. Sincerity is a rarity.

You always want to be as sincere and as honest possible when you’re with a prospect- trust can make or break a deal. Honesty is also very hard to fake; people can almost always sense when the truth is being bent-and truth bending and issue minimization will turn prospects ice cold. If you don’t know something about your product, or your prospect has an objection you don’t have an answer to, it’s best just to look them in the eye and say:

“Honestly, I don’t know, but let me make a call and I’ll get back you.”

This let’s your prospect know you care about them, and it takes them off guard, because 99% of salesmen will try to weasel their way out of the question or minimize the issue (politician style). Don’t do this- not only is it unscrupulous- but your prospects won’t react positively to it. Fight the urge to make your product look like the flawless solution, and acknowledge possible issues directly and honestly.