You are reading this article because you are considering a career in sales — but maybe you have some mixed emotions, or some false beliefs, or you just want to make a lot of money. Either way, I hope that the information that I am about to share with you helps you achieve your understanding of sales.
''Ali's 19 characteristics of top salespeople is bang on the mark! The book is also outstanding in terms of clarifying the relationship between sales and marketing. A must read for all professional sales folks! I love it. I'm sure you will to.''
If you would like a signed copy of my book, please send a check for $25 to
Ali Pervez
P.O. Box 31653
Walnut Creek, California 94598
I will send you a personally signed copy of my book. Tell me what you would like it to say. Now, before you get upset at me for making a “sales pitch”, I want you to know that I did this for a very specific reason. The reason was to teach you a lesson in sales: sales is all about belief. I totally believe in my book, and the value, that you can gain from it. I walk the talk. And I want you to know that
“Sell something that you passionately believe in.”
I know that my book is most probably one of the best books that you will ever read on sales -- I passionately believe in it. And I know it will help you. I have no hesitation in making you this offer to you. You will learn some amazing sales skills from this book, skills that will last you a lifetime.
Rule # 1 in sales is that you will never be successful if you try to sell something that you don’t believe in. It will come through in the way that you sell, and it will show in your body language and voice.
If you are new to sales, find a product or service that you have a passion for; any leading sales person is an expert in his or her field. You are going to have to spend long nights and weekends trying to gain product knowledge.
If you are already in sales but are not happy, then I suggest you find something that you have a strong interest in and then go out and sell it.
2. Sales is the opposite of what you think it is.
Most people have a stereotype of the classical salesperson: someone that is “forceful” or only interested in “closing the deal.” These are all simply clichés. And bad stereotypes.
Let’s face it, sales has a terrible reputation.
Most people say the following about most sales people
- Rude, pushy, manipulative, liars!
- Do not understand or care about me
- Do not understand their own products or services
- Wastes my time
- Pressures me
My mentors taught me the following:
“To Sell = To Serve”
“To Sell = To Solve Other People’s Problems”
People buy products or services to solve problems.
“As a salesperson you are a professional problem solver”
To be successful in sales, you need to change your mindset from taking advantage to helping others. Do this one thing alone, and your sales and sales skills will sky rocket.
3. Sales is a profession. You can learn it.
Selling is not only a noble profession, because you are helping other people solve their problems, it is also the world’s oldest profession. We became a modern day society by learning how to sell products and services to each other.
The reason that sales has such a terrible reputation is that most people in the profession have not had any formal training or read books on it when there are plenty of books and courses on sales. I offer a CD (“Marketing for Sales Professionals”) in which I cover the 19 Characteristics found in the world class salesperson. I normally sell this for $79.99. But if you order the book, I will send it you for just $20. Send a check for $45 to take advantage of this offer.
Again, I am making this offer because I believe that you will gain significant value from this. I am trying to teach you that you must always believe in what you sell, and that it can add value and help others.
You can learn sales skills: it is not an overnight process, but it can be learnt. Most importantly, it is a profession, and you need to spend time to learn the skills.
4. Selling = Relationships
“When all is said and done, people always buy from people they know, like, and trust.” And if you are going to make it in sales, you must have the ability to quickly develop and manage relationships. I know what they told you in school was “don’t talk with strangers” Well, in sales school, we tell you to make friends with strangers as quickly as possible as they will make you money.
Every dollar that we earn in life comes from someone else. And in sales, dollars are the result of solving other people’s problems. But people will not allow you to solve their problems, unless they know you, like you, and (the most important word in the sales dictionary) trust you.
To master sales, you must be a master at building and managing relationships. You must have strong people skills.
5. Sales is the opportunity to make $erious money.
It is no secret that the best paid people in the world are masters of sales. They know how to convince others. Yes, you can make serious money in sales. Top sales people do make $1 million in commission checks. It does not happen overnight. But it happens. Again, you need to treat it as a profession, and like any other profession, you need to get trained in it. You need to go to seminars, read books, and listen to tapes. Good luck!
Ali Pervez is the President and Chief Operating Officer of U Market U, a marketing consulting firm. Pervez has been involved in the field of global marketing for just under two decades, starting as a marketing analyst and rising to the ranks of marketing director and also division director.
He has had marketing experience in companies ranging from start-ups to major U.S. multinationals, including Sonoco Products Company, Robert Half International, Affymetrix, and Bio-Rad Laboratories.
He has traveled extensively through 22 countries outside the United States., having done marketing projects in all of them. He was the first person in the U.S. to teach job hunting at the university level, having taught Job Hunting 101 at California State University. He has also written a lead article for the California Job Journal.
He has also run a division of one of the fastest growing companies in the United States. Ali holds an undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the University of Manchester, U.K. and a master’s degree in Biochemistry from University College, London, as well as an M.B.A. with a distinction project in marketing from the Manchester Business School in the U.K. He has been interviewed by both the BBC and U.C.L.A radio on the subject of marketing. He lives with his wife and two children in the San Francisco Bay area.
