Business Marketing Magazine Summer 2017 Summer2017 | Page 23

when shorter lines are available at the line of
the grouchy checker that is burdened by your
visit! Right? Be like-able…
Harvey MacKay said, “The mark of a good
sales person is that clients don’t regard them
as a salesperson at all, but as a trusted and
indispensable adviser who luckily is on the
someone else’s payroll.” It’s ironic that some
will say that this quotation is dated, it was first
published in his 1988 book, Swim with the
Sharks. The reality is that I’ve found it to be
absolutely true in the dozens of markets that
I’ve personally been involved with, consulted
with and studied over the past 40 years.
4. Remember that when it comes to buying
– we all love to buy, but none of us love to
be sold! Often times we’ll enter a store with
the absolute intent of making a purchase of a
specific item. Maybe we saw it on an adver-
tisement, maybe not – but we’re going to buy.
What’s the first thing we say when a salesper-
son asks if they can help us? “No thanks, just
looking!” We must remember that same men-
tal process when we’re pursuing the follow-up If you model yourself after these simple -
on our leads as the salesperson.
though not easy to implement - techniques,
traits, and skills, you’ll find tremendous suc-
5. Realize that one never “arrives” – and that cess as you progress in your sales career.
the key is to keep on a schedule that stretch-
es your abilities. The old TV show Columbo,
Remember to get your follow-up on, get it on
had Peter Falk always asking just one more
timely, and be tactfully persistent. Never give
question! For those of you who’ve never seen up!
this, Google it and apply his technique to
your sales career. Always ask just one more
The successful sales career is a process going
question – always make just one more phone from an introduction - all the way through
call – always do the little bit extra that turns
to the objective of loyalty (not merely satis-
ordinary into extraordinary! Under-promise
faction...you can’t have loyalty without satis-
and over-deliver and you’ll be indispensable
faction, but you certainly can have satisfied
to your company, your team, your clients –
customers that are not loyal!) Would you want
and as a byproduct, you’ll enjoy your life and
your spouse and co-workers satisfied or loyal?
career immensely.
Realize that the process takes time, patience,
6. Relationships are everything – realize that and continual effort, and it involves many
they don’t form easily. They’re based on trust, advances along the way that at the time may
and trust can easily be lost, and once lost can seem insignificant. Persist and you’ll find that
be almost impossible to restore. How many
the career of sales will grant you every thing
of us are friends with people that we initial-
you ever wanted in life.
ly wanted nothing to do with, yet over time
we’ve become loyal friends? The same is true By: C. Franklin Nilson
with those we’re prospecting. If we view them Franklin is a regular guest contributor for Busi-
as future friends and business associates,
ness Marketing Magazine.
we will not become frustrated with setbacks
www.darktwin-marketing.com
and contact number five through twelve and
beyond.