I’ve often asked that question at seminars, and the answers have been all over the ball park.

“You’ve got to have the right product,” some say.

It helps. But we’ve all known salespeople who went broke trying to move superb products and others who could make fortunes selling ice cream on an iceberg. A really good salesperson can rack up more sales with a mediocre product than a mediocre salesperson can make with the greatest product in the world.

“You’ve got to make plenty of sales calls,” others say. “The more calls you make, the more sales you’ll get.”

As a general rule, that’s true, but it doesn’t go far enough. If you think about it, the more passes a quarterback throws, the more passes he’ll complete.

But a quarterback who completes three out of four passes will put points on the board much more regularly than one who completes one out of four, even though both may throw the same number of times. A baseball player who hits .350 will cross the plate much more frequently than one who hits .200, even though both take the same number of swings.

Similarly, a salesperson’s success doesn’t depend on the number of calls. It depends on the number of sales. An effective salesperson and an ineffective salesperson may make the same number of calls, but it’s the effective one who eats steak and lobster instead of hamburger.

Still others say, “you’ve got to master the mechanics.” That helps, too. But mastering the mechanics won’t put you on top of the sales charts unless you master the right mechanics.

In today’s market, as in none before, it is crucial that we learn selling savvy. The sales environment has changed radically in four distinct ways:

1.Customers are better-educated, more sophisticated, and more value-conscious.

in other words, they are harder to please; they want more for their money.

Think about your own demands as a consumer. You insist on quality goods and efficient service. You don’t want some slick con artist trying to trick you into buying a product or service you don’t want or need. And you don’t want to be abandoned after the sale.

You expect follow-up service. If something goes wrong, you want to know that the salesperson and the company are going to stand behind the sale.

This means that salespeople have to stay on top of their markets. They have to be knowledgeable about the products and services they are selling. And they have to be honest, and sincerely interested in helping their customers find value and derive satisfaction.

Customers expect more from us than ever before.

2.Competition is stiffer.
Customers now have so many options that price will always be the deciding factor — unless you can offer a strong differential advantage.

With companies producing similar products at similar cost, it’s getting tougher every day to offer substantially lower prices than the competition does.

That means that you have to offer something that sets you apart from all the other salespeople who are trying to get your customers to buy from them. You have to provide quicker service, more up-to-date product knowledge, and better follow-up.

It’s not enough to provide products and service as good as those of your competitors. Yours have to be better — a lot better. Moreover, your customers must acknowledge the superiority of your products and services, and the object of your presentation should be to lead them toward that recognition and acknowledgment.

If you can’t lead your customers to that acknowledgment, you won’t get the sale, no matter how good your product. Your success in selling depends less and less on the product your are selling, and more and more on your skills as a salesperson.

3.Technology is rapidly replacing peddlers.

People are buying more through direct mail. And such media as interactive television and the Internet are making it possible to buy almost anything you want by pressing a button or clicking a mouse.

Companies are no longer looking for peddlers to handle items that are much easier to sell by phone or through the mail. In many cases, they’re setting up self-service systems that can be operated by clerks.

Of course, there are plenty of very good opportunities for really sharp salespeople who can sell with power and skill, especially in the industrial field.

To be successful as a salesperson, you must find ways to distinguish yourself from the inexpensive clerks and the commonplace peddlers. You must rise to the challenge with proficient skills, depth of knowledge and a positive attitude.

4.Time has become a priceless commodity — for salespeople and for their customers.

Prospects don’t want salespeople wasting their time.

And if you’re serious about becoming successful, you don’t have time to wander around showing your products or services to anyone who will look at them.

To survive in today’s volatile marketplace, you need a clear and effective strategy. You need the skills to implement that strategy. And you need the know-how to make that strategy work for you.

When you acquire and apply these things, you’re demonstrating selling savvy.
Five Ingredients for Selling Savvy

What do we mean by selling savvy?

The answer lies in five ingredients that are vital to your team’s success as professionals:
1.Selling savvy is understanding the selling process well enough to approach it as a highly educated professional.

2.Selling savvy is understanding people well enough to influence them to buy.

3.Selling savvy is knowing how to execute.

4.Selling savvy means developing street smarts.

5.Selling savvy is having the self-discipline to carry out every detail of your strategy all day, every day.
Professionals Versus Workers

I often draw the distinction between a person with a worker mentality and a person with a professional mentality.

Workers tolerate their jobs as burdens to be endured for the sake of putting food on their tables and roofs over their heads.

Professionals see their jobs as rewarding components of their lives. Their careers and their personal lives complement and support each other. Their jobs are part of who they are.

Workers wait to be told what to do. They don’t reach out for new responsibility, because they don’t want responsibility. They take care of their own immediate tasks without worrying about how their tasks affect others in the organization. In fact, they don’t see themselves as part of the organization. They see the organization as an outside entity that may have a negative or positive impact on their lives. They refer to it in the third person: as “it” or “them,” and not as “we.” The organization is something they have to respond to, although they’re not a part of it.

Professionals see themselves as part of the organization. To them, the organization is “we.” When it succeeds, they succeed. When it suffers reverses, they feel the reverses.

People look up to professionals because they recognize them as being good at what they do. They’re good because they’ve walked the extra mile toward excellence. They absorb information about their chosen fields, and they share their knowledge with others. They’re jealous of their images and are always careful to avoid compromising them. To be a professional, you have to look like a pro, communicate like a pro, and exude the confidence of a pro. You must set a high standard for yourself and never allow yourself to fall below that standard.

Sales and marketing training is essential for any business, small or large. No matter what your industry is, sales and marketing training can give you the competitive edge. In this fast-paced, entertaining, and idea-loaded program, you’ll learn dozens of innovative tactics for selling and marketing your products and services more effectively than ever before. You’ll hear clever stories loaded with insights, ideas, and humor. And finally you’ll be reminded of some of the most important sales basics that many of us tend to forget. If you are ready to start thinking outside the box, Jeff Slutsky’s sales and marketing training seminar will give you the tools you need, with an entertaining twist.

Jeff Slutsky is well versed on the subject of sales and marketing training. He is known for his energetic, entertaining, and high-content style. As dynamic as he is informative, Jeff knows how to captivate an audience from start to finish. His Street Fighting program has received a great deal of national media attention, in fact, Jeff Slutsky’s work has been discussed and written about in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Success Magazine, Inc. Magazine, and CNN. In addition to having authored 8 powerful books, he is a contributing author to the bestselling book, Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work. As a speaker and trainer, Jeff Slutsky has helped hundreds of prestigious organizations, including AT&T, McDonald’s, American Express, Walt Disney, Pizza Hut, Sony, the city of Dallas, the state of Arkansas, and the country of India. With more than 20 years experience in sales and marketing training, Jeff Slutsky is an excellent choice for training and entertaining your team.

Customer service training can positively impact customer retention and is an essential part of any retail, service or sales organization. For more than 20 years, Jane Handly has been a highly sought-after customer service training expert. She teaches practical ideas on exceeding expectations, handling difficult situations, increasing internal teamwork, boosting sales and much more. As dynamic as she is down to earth, her unique style captivates and motivates people to go the extra mile to wow their customers. Customer service training can make the difference between customer loyalty and customer indifference. Make sure your team is equipped with all the skills they can get to take their customer service skills to the next level.

Starting out as a graduate of Wake Forest University with a Masters Degree in Communication, Jane Handly went on to become an author as well. Her two books: “Getting Unstuck” and “Why Women Worry” have been the subject of articles in Business Week, Money Magazine, Ladies Home Journal and USA Today. In addition, she has appeared on more than 200 radio and television programs. Her impressive list of clients includes American Airlines, Neiman Marcus, Pepsi, Bristol Myers Squibb, Verizon, Southwest Airlines, Seven Eleven, Subway and hundreds of other prestigious companies and franchises. As a consultant, Jane Handly has researched over 700 major businesses and has gathered information that includes over a half million face to face encounters with customer contact employees. She knows beyond a shadow of a doubt what it takes to get and keep your customers. Discover why Jane Handly is one of America’s top customer service training experts with this powerful training video.

Communication skills training is extremely important for people in sales, management, customer service, public speaking, or any position dealing with people. In this powerful communication skills training video, expert George Walther shares the knowledge, skills, and insights necessary to take your communication skills to the next level. You’ll learn specific ideas on how to be more positive, more persuasive, improve your first impression, improve teamwork, and use positive language to serve at a higher level. Whether routinely communicating with co-workers or clients, or defusing hostile customers, or seeking to build sales cooperation, or simply aiming to project a more positive image for your organization, you’ll see results fast with this content-loaded communication skills training video.

George Walther is an internationally acclaimed expert in the area of communication skills training. His energetic style captivates, motivates and teaches people how to be more effective in business and in life. As a full-time professional business speaker since 1980, George Walther holds the National Speakers Association’s Certified Speaking Professional designation, and has also been inducted into the Speaker Hall of Fame. He earned an MBA in marketing from UCLA, and graduated summa cum laude with a BA in Rhetoric and Public Address. Media appearances have included CNN, Live with Regis, The Wall Street Journal, Ladies Home Journal, and many others. In addition to his communication skills training, George Walther is an expert in telephone sales techniques.

In this powerful session recorded in front of a live audience, you’ll learn how to make more sales, faster and easier than ever before. Brian Tracy gives you a series of practical, proven techniques you can use immediately to get more appointments and boost your productivity in the most important areas. You’ll also learn how to get and stay motivated to reach your important sales goals. From rookies to veterans, this seminar is a “must view” program for all salespeople.

Brian Tracy is one of the most in-demand speakers in the world on the subject of success. He’s a dynamic and entertaining presenter, teaching critical laws and important ideas on how to reach higher levels of achievement, and avoid the most common reasons many people fail.

As the author/narrator of more than 300 different audio/video learning programs and books covering the entire spectrum of human and corporate performance, Brian Tracy has appeared on countless television and radio shows. He is also featured regularly in major publications across the country, and overseas. Brian has also conducted high-level consulting assignments with several billion-dollar-plus corporations in strategic planning and organization development.

In this fast-paced positive attitude training video, top motivational speaker Ed Foreman recommends a series of easy to implement strategies for overcoming the daily bombardment of negativity surrounding us. You’ll learn the basic habit patterns of winners, techniques for overcoming worry, how to help others to have a more positive attitude, and dozens of ideas to make sure that every day is a terrific day. Whether you are in sales, service, management, or any other capacity in business, maintaining a positive attitude is critical for success.

When it comes to motivating and teaching people how to have a consistent, positive attitude, Ed Foreman is one of America’s best! Serving corporate America for more than 40 years, he has been a full time management consultant and motivational speaker in high demand. As a trainer, Ed Foreman regularly addresses corporations and associations across America conducting his highly acclaimed positive attitude training seminars. In addition, he has been positively featured on CBS 60 Minutes, and has been inducted into the Speaker Hall of Fame. Through his down-to-earth, humorous style, and no-nonsense approach, audiences consistently give him rave reviews. At 71 years young, Ed Foreman is living proof of the benefits of living a positive lifestyle.

Your ability to influence and persuade others greatly impacts your sales career, as well as other areas of your life. Persuasion skills are the backbone of any good sales training program, but for them to work, your prospect must trust you. This dynamic motivational sales video covers a range of sales ideas, including how to persuade, how to build trust, how to stay motivated, listening skills, tapping your energy, and more. The new reality is that everyone has been charged with the responsibility of adding value, building the franchise, being a positive influence, or finding a better way. Top sales professionals understand that the ability to influence and persuade is key, and that’s exactly what this program teaches. You’ll walk away with seven insights and several specific skills for influencing and leading people more effectively than ever before.

Mike Lipkin is an internationally known speaker. He is president of Environics/Lipkin, one of Canada’s largest and most sophisticated research houses, specializing in motivation and persuasion skills. As a Toronto-based speaker, author and persuasion skills coach, Mike Lipkin has worked in twenty-two countries with over a million people. His impressive list of clients includes top companies like Deloitte, IBM, Pfizer, & Starwood Hotels. In addition, he has authored numerous best selling books. As a true economic nomad, Mike was born in the UK, raised in South Africa and immigrated to Toronto in 1987. By combining Environics’ Social Values Research with his personal expertise and experience, Mike Lipkin provides people with the confidence and insights to increase their persuasion skills, and their sales.

Most salespeople and service professionals use the spray and pray approach. They conduct business in a predictable, methodical manner with every prospect or customer, treating them all pretty much the same. The fact is, everybody has a unique way in which they like to be treated, and Dr. Nate Booth shows you how to uncover what’s most important to each individual you deal with. In this basic and profound program, you’ll learn the importance of discovering what people want, and exactly how they want it. Not only does he apply it to sales and service, he also shows its tremendous value in relationships, both business and personal. In this day and age, where relationships are King, and customer service is Queen, nothing short of the royal treatment will do.

Dr. Nate Booth received his D.D.S. degree from the University of Nebraska in 1971 and operated a private dental practice for nine years. He then earned a masters degree in counseling from the same school in 1983. For ten years, Nate worked closely with Anthony Robbins, gaining wisdom, insights, and practical knowledge. With a great passion for training, Nate entered the field of professional speaking. Since then, he has presented nearly 2000 seminars and workshops to audiences around the world. His impressive list of corporate clients includes American Express, INC Magazine, Oracle, Sanyo, Honeywell, NASA and dozens of others. In addition, he is the author of the books Tiger Traits, Thriving on Change, and The Diamond Touch.