I've been working in sales for a while now, but its something I find incredibly difficult and I struggle constantly with the whole process. I have been on the verge of jacking it in but I know I can become more comfortable with it but I don't know how. This lead me to NLP and looking for a practioners course but I am unsure if it is the right thing to do.

Some background; I worked in telesales when I was 21 and it was an unmitigated disaster, I just couldn't get my head around it and I left after 4 months and swore I'd never work in sales again. A few years down the line another sales (field) opportunity arose post redundancy and I took it, nice company, nice people and its going OK, but I'd like it to be a lot better. However, I am still struggling emotionally with the whole thing and its having a serious effect on my performance, to the point where I might jack it in and do something else.

What ticks me off is that I know I can do better than I currently am doing. I have really great relationships with some customers and I would like to take that element of rapport into as many relationships as possible but I'm unsure how to do it. I'm not a 'deliberate' or 'natural' sales person but outside of the work environment creating rapport comes very easily and I'd like to transfer it to my work but I can't get to that point.

So here's the question.

Would it be best to get some extra training on 'sales' or NLP? I've never actually been formally trained, I've just relied on my own personality to get the job done but I've always felt that I'm missing opportunites from my lack of formal training and that I could handle things a lot better with some learning. I just try to sell to people the way I would wish to be sold to, low pressure and a friendly disposition. Sometimes it works and sometimes it really doesn't....or am I reading way too much into it? What would I look for in a sales training program? High pressure sales does not sit well with me at all, I'm definitely more of a 'soft sell' person, that I do know.

All feedback welcome.

Cheers

Rich

I used to hate selling, so I stopped doing it.

Now, I find out about my customer's problems and offer to solve them. If they don't want them solved then I'm Ok with that but if I have found out enough about their pain and produced a great way to remove it then they often want to buy what I can offer.

SO

Stop selling.

Hi Rich

Nick, is right

The first thing to do is look at selling at Solving peoples problems.

This is actually what the "S" stands for in my S.A.L.E.S. system.

The A stands for Attitude (and aligning values) which in my opinion is probably the most important thing for any salesperson.


Couple of questions

Can you remember any times when you actually sold? how did you feel, what did you say, what did the customer say as you talked to them? Where there ant phyical sensations?


Secondly if you were to think about times you didnt sell , did you do anything different? What did you say, could you tell if its going well or not?

Do you before you go into a call focus on the good feelings rather than the bad ones?

Is their a particular type of customer you're selling successfully to Industry / certain age / sex / role (if B2B) / preferred modality?


What's your selling average? How does that comapre to your colleagues. Have you asked them what they do? Perhaps you could shadow them?

Finally what are you selling? Do you know the product inside out, the industry your selling to etc etc?


Selling is made up of 3 areas for me

A)Your Attidute
B)Your Selling Skills
C)Your Knowlede of your product and client

B & C will help A. But your attitude is what makes the real difference.

So a live training may help but it also depends what you change after the training.

Lots to consider!

I look forward to hearing your reply

I would also suggest you check out my S.AL.E.S. system and loads of other free videos on the Institute Of Sales & Marketing Management on their S.A.L.E.S Part 1 - Solving Problems ( Video) - SellingSuccess.tv

They have lots of free resources, which may help!

Kind Regards

Marc

Firstly, thanks for your input guys, I will try to answer your points as honestly as possible.

Marc, I have your 'STEALTH' DVD's, I actually started to write an honest 30 day diary of how I tried to implement the techniques. Maybe I should start again at the beginning and go from there...

As for solving problems I sell food, so as for unless its hunger I'm going to find it a bit more difficult than some other industries...I will try and come up with some creative ways of interpreting your valid points.

Attitude; I could definitely do better here, but I'm thinking its a bit of a vicious circle. Feel bad, not get results, feel bad, not get results and so on...

I do try and get to the same state prior to calls, of feeling like I do in the 'good' calls. Its definitely hit or miss though.

I have good knowledge of my industry, and try to keep learning and growing here.

I'll check out sellingsuccess.tv and let you know what I find useful.

Kind regards

Rich

I am convinced that food can solve problems and create emotions.

Can you tell us a little bit more about the food you are selling.

Is it retail or wholesale?

What is special about it?

How does buying your products change the lives of your customers?

What emotions are your customers buying?

What is the story that goes with your product.

I get very excited by good food, we get an organic veg box each week from a farm we visit a couple of times a year and Birthday treats usually involve a visit to a great restaurant. We visit farmers markets for our meat and cheeses.

My problem is bland and unimaginative food of dubious origin. The people I buy it from solve that for me by giving me incredible taste, provenance and a great story, in return I pay them a good price.

I guess I wasn't thinking about my product properly Nick as you've pretty much hit the nail on the head with your last paragraph... I have all three of the solutions you stated so I need to find a better way of telling people about it.

JamMan wrote:

I guess I wasn't thinking about my product properly Nick as you've pretty much hit the nail on the head with your last paragraph... I have all three of the solutions you stated so I need to find a better way of telling people about it.

I think it helps if you can get passionate about your products. I wouldn't have considered myself a natural sales man either, yet I have successfully set up 3 businesses from a cold start, excelled in selling solutions to people - mostly because I was genuinely passionate (and extremely knowledgeable) wrt the products.

There is a website here NLP Language Patterns for Advertising

That has quite a few, mixed, ideas about using NLP in selling products and some articles about different ways of thinking about your products.

NO, NO, NO, NO, NO DAMNIT!!!!!! YOU DO NOT, I REPEAT, NOT SELL FOOD.......

You do not sell freeze-dried fruit, cans of corn, or fresh meals in a cafe, you sell EMOTIONS.

I sell cars. Mazdas. But that is far from what I sell...I sell dreams, emotions. The customer asks why he should buy from me today...."Because, Mr. Customer, you enjoy the new car experience."

I don't sell anti-lock brakes, I sell the piece of mind in knowing that your wheels won't lock up on you if you have to stop suddenly to avoid an accident, thereby keeping your children nice and safe in the backseat.

I don't sell torque, I sell the feeling of exhileration you get when you press the accelerator and the car responds instantly and you feel butterflies in your stomach (we call it Zoom Zoom).

You say it's your first new car. Great! You can smile every morning when you look at it before you get in on your way to work because you've made it. You've accomplished much in your life and this is a great way to show for it.

Emotions. That, my friend, is what you sell. Not food.

JamMan wrote:

I guess I wasn't thinking about my product properly Nick as you've pretty much hit the nail on the head with your last paragraph... I have all three of the solutions you stated so I need to find a better way of telling people about it.

Richard,

You might get some ideas by looking at this site. This is the company that supplies our Veg box, but they are so much more than farmers selling veg, they share their passion in lots of ways.

Farm news - Riverford Organic Vegetables

Loads of great recipes and their own very cool recipe book.

They have a restaurant on the farm cooking their produce and it wins awards. The food would easily match some very pricey restaurants.

Guided tours round the farm and you can pick a bit of what you fancy and take it home.

The cook the meals for a local school.

They have bought another farm in France to supply stuff earlier.

The farmer writes a newsletter about all about the farm and his passion for the produce.

They have fruit boxes for work.


They solve all sorts of problems and they do it with passion.

Hi Rich

Facts tell, emotions sell!

Food is deeply emotional (i'm forever explaining to my wife the emotional benefits of chocolate!)

Nick and tony are completely right - you need to look at both business / intellectual benefits and emotional benenfits

ie with nicks veg box

We deliver right to your door (intellectual benefit) which means that you don't have to waste your precious weekends in crowded supermarkets, and spend the time time doing the things you love like....( emotional benefit)

So the pattern is simple think of the business / intellectual benefit and then "which means that" and create an emotional one.

This means that when you are talking to customers you can give them both intellectual and emotional benfits in one statement,

By looking at how they respond (Signal Tracking in S.T.E.A.L.T.H.) you'll be able to see whether they are responding more to intellectual or emotional benefits.

I use this all the time especially in presentations as it allows me to appeal to both intellectual and emotioanl audience members!

All the best

Marc
www.marchoganonline.com

Hi Richard,

I know exactly what you mean. I have done sales jobs. Some I have done very well at, other less so. In fact, the one that I look back on with regret is where I was working for a financial services company in the city. I started off incredibly well and broke the record for number of deals in their 1st quarter. Then after that I struggled and I wondered why. The answer, with huindsight, is simple. When I started I was confident, believed in myself and the product and did all of the right steps. Then after my 1st quarter where I did well, I had made bugger all money so completely lost my confidence in what I was doing. Subsequently, I performed badly, lost confidence in myself and struggled.
Attitude, or state, is vital. Maybe you need to start fresh in your role. I.e. come Monday I am going to be a different ME and I going to put all the setback, worries and fears out of my mind and go in fresh with the correct state.

In addition to that, what Marc and Nick have said is very true. People buy from emotion. I can recommend a couple of books if you want?

Jamie

Hey Jamie, thanks for that. I have been thinking about how to become more organised in what I do. ie planning before calls, set objectives, making sure I have a 'next step' after I leave the call etc.

I agree that state management is vital, I got dropped by an existing customer this morning and strangely enough didn't feel that bad about it. I just went round the corner and called on another new business just opening who could benefit from what I do....

I'm definitely gonna watch my STEALTH dvd's again as well. I can do this its just all down to self belief and I think that's where the real issue is.

I will keep you all informed of my progress.