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It is usually the wish of every person to be successful. This is the reason why most people strive to secure careers that are not only successful but also lucrative. Business related careers are usually the most competitive; hence, they are quite flooded with people. A profession in sales is one of the business careers that are flooded. Salespersons are people tasked with the responsibility of foreseeing the selling of goods or services to other entities so that the company can make profits in return (Vogt).
A career in sales is usually critical, hence, only the best are assigned these positions. Before one commences his or her career a salesperson, he or she ought to possess a number of qualifications. For instance, to be successful as a salesperson, apart from good communication skills, one ought to have patience as well as good attitude (Foley). The study aims to address the basic requirements that one ought to possess in order to be successful in a sales career.
Listening and Asking Questions
The reason why a career in sales is challenging is because it is vast due to the large number of people already present in this profession.
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Hence, in order to stand out, apart from being determined, one also ought to work harder. First, one needs to be confident. When one is confident, this increases chances of becoming successful since clients will also become confident in him or her. For this to be achieved, one ought to be inquisitive. That is, apart from asking questions, one has to pay attention to the answers being given by clients (Michaels).
According to Michaels, this skill distinguishes ordinary salespersons from those that are skilled and successful. This is because most salespersons spend their time trying to convince clients into purchasing their products instead of discovering the actual needs of these clients. In order to portray confidence, one has to speak with authority about the goods or services. In such cases, consistency is mandatory. This is because any attempt to flatter or change attitude is normally devastating since it makes one appear fake and unprofessional (YEC). Being in possession of good listening skills is of great importance to salespersons since it allows clients express themselves freely, hence, increasing chances of customer loyalty (Foley).
While listening, it is vital that one observes a number of skills. For instance, one ought to be sincere, that is, listening to customers without any hidden agenda whatsoever. Second, one ought to possess good ethics; this implies that good salespersons are not supposed to talk someone into something. They ought to listen to what clients want. Finally, to create good relationships, one also has to ask questions that will enable prospective clients make wise purchasing decisions (Michaels). In order to be a successful salesperson, one ought to be knowledgeable. In order to achieve this skill, salespersons need to ensure that they perform lots of research on the background of products they are selling and their capacities (YEC). For instance, good salespersons ought to comprehend products being sold in addition to articulating their value. This skill is quite essential since it boosts customer loyalty. Most customers prefer dealing with salespersons that have full knowledge of the products they need. For this to be achieved, knowledge is mandatory.
Persuasiveness
The main objective of a salesperson in any organization is to ensure that goods and services are sold, which is usually directly proportional to the company’s profitability. For a company to achieve the required profits, salespersons ought to be persuasive. By being persuasive, they are normally in a position to attract more customers into purchasing their products or services. In order to be persuasive, one needs to have good communications skill in addition to transparency as well as positive attitude. It is only though this that one will be in a position to attract more customers into making purchases (YEC). According to Foley, good salespersons use platforms such as seminars to persuade more customers into purchasing their products. Although it is the responsibility of every salesperson to be persuasive, what makes some salespersons successful than others is the manner in which they use their persuasive skills (Foley).
One’s persuasiveness is normally determined by the manner in which he or she interacts with prospective clients. It is the responsibility of a good salesperson to initiate a conversation. The main objective of starting a conversation is usually to engage the client by asking questions that will make him talk. It is only after initiating a conversation that a salesperson is able to persuade his client into purchasing a product or service (Foley). When a client responds positively to the conversation initiated by the salesperson, this enables the salesperson obtain useful information on what the client really wants. Apart from the acquisition of insight on what the client wishes to purchase, the conversation also enables the salesperson know how much money the clients are willing to spend in addition to whether they will make any compromises or not. Acquisition of these insights is usually of great importance since it distinguishes skilled salespersons. It is through this information that a salesperson is able to persuade a client into purchasing a product or service. According to Vogt, for a salesperson to be successful in persuading more clients into making purchases, one ought to be more of a friend than a salesperson. When a salesperson acts more of a friend, this increases chances of making more sales since clients feel at ease when interacting with such a person. In order to achieve this persuasive skill, one needs to ensure that he or she talks politely with prospective clients and with an attitude that is friendly. Through persuasiveness, clients become at ease since they tend to believe that the salesperson serving them is helping them make good purchase decisions and not trying to make them spend their money on goods and services (Vogt).
Intelligence
Although all salespersons can be persuasive, not all of them possess the intelligence factor. Intelligence is one of the main factors that determine whether a salesperson has a successful career or not. According to studies, for one to have a successful career as a salesperson, one ought to possess intelligence (Vogt). Intelligent salespersons portray a number of skills. For instance, they are usually self-motivated, this enables them interact positively with their customers, hence, increasing chances of making more sales. Intelligent salespersons rarely take no for an answer. This is because they know how to persist politely (YEC). Good salespersons know that rejection is part of sales; hence, not all sales end positively. Despite this form of awareness, great salespersons are never discouraged. This is because they never take rejections personally. Whereas normal salespersons embrace rejections, successful salespersons use them as stepping-stones to success. Apart from intelligent, successful salespersons are also personable as well as self-driven. These mixed personalities are usually of great importance to successful salespersons since they enable them acquire many prospective clients, hence, resulting to the creation of strong customer relations, which result to high dividends within a short period. Intelligent salespersons also possess good empathy; that is, the manner in which they interact with their customers. For a salesperson to be successful, he or she ought to relate properly with customers, for instance, supporting clients into making the right decisions. In order to achieve this, one ought to be in possession of personal empathy. Through empathy, salespersons are able to pay attention to the needs of prospective clients. Similarly, through empathy, they are also able to relate properly with clients (YEC).
Conclusion
Salespersons are usually the people tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that goods and services are sold. This profession is quite demanding since it requires lots of dedication. The salespersons profession is quite flooded, hence, to stand out, one ought to be determined and confident. In order to achieve this, one ought to embrace a number of factors. For instance, one needs to possess good listening skills. Through listening, salespersons are able to comprehend what the client needs as well as how much money a client is willing to spend on a certain product or service. Apart from listening skills, successful salespersons also ought to be knowledgeable. In order to achieve knowledge, they have to conduct research on the products and services they are selling. Finally, for a person to be successful as a salesperson, apart from being persuasive, one also ought to be intelligent. For a salesperson to stand out from the rest, he ought to be more of a friend than a salesperson. This increases the chances of purchases since clients tend to become at ease with a friendly salesperson.
References
Foley, Len. “The Ten Laws of Sales Success.” Entrepreneur. 2014. Web. 15 November 2014. < http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/239642>
Michaels, Sharon. “3 Powerful Skills you must have To Succeed In Sales.” Forbes. 2011. Web. 15 November 2014. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/womensmedia/2011/08/22/3-powerful-skills-you-must-have-to-succeed-in-sales/>
Vogt, Peter. “Have a Great First Year in Sales.” Monster. 2014. Web. 15 November 2014. < http://career-advice.monster.com/in-the-office/starting-a-new-job/have-a-great-first-year-in-sales/article.aspx>
YEC. “13 Traits of an Outstanding Salesperson.” INC. 2014. Web. 15 November 2014. < http://www.inc.com/young-entrepreneur-council/13-qualities-to-look-for-in-your-next-sales-hire.html>
Source document
Being Successful in a Sales Career. (2015, Aug 07). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/being-successful-in-a-sales-career-essay
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