The 3 Keys to Sales Success

For years my company has been teaching a simple concept - top producers do three things very well. When you analyze the "keys to success" (and everyone has their own list of keys, steps etc.), you find that they apply to any business endeavor and not just selling.

Key Number One - Have an outstanding attitude. In all that man attempts to do in this life, maintaining a positive, success oriented and abundant attitude is the toughest endeavor. To those that were born with a natural dispostion to "think positive"I say "thank God everyday!" To the rest of us that battle the enemy inside our heads on a consistant basis I say "it's worth the fight!" There is nothing as unattractive to other human beings as negativity. Think about the person you most admire, are most attracted to, or most influenced by... I bet they don't have a negative attitude.

Key Number Two - Top Producers have an awesome skill set. They have taken time and invested their energy into the profession of selling and the product or service they represent. Few top people can get reach the top levels of success without being an industry expert in their product and dedicate themselves to the study of pursuasion.

Just as important is their immersion into personal development. The study of success and acheivement is the growth tonic of top producers. Whatever they are doing in their daily selling career is only enhanced by their nightly study of the master motivators such as Napolean Hill, Earl Nightingale and Jim Rohn. For more information on these individuals check out www.nightingale.com.

Key Number Three - Committment. That simple word is best described by my business partner...

"Committment is a measure of how much pain a person can handle before they quit!"
Ron Marks

That means top producers in selling (and life) don't quit for minor reasons. They don't quit because clients tell them NO, don't follow through on their committments, don't show up to appointments, don't return phone calls and don't blah blah blah! Top producers see these challenges as the catalyst to their other clients saying YES. Top producers don't quit because they don't like change in their organization. They work to influence policy and then work within established guidelines.

These three keys to success are part of the make up of most top producers. Show me someone that doesn't posess these keys, and I'll show you someone who is only temporarily at the top and headed for a fall...

TK

Law of Reciprocity

One of the largest challenges facing our sales professionals is getting future clients to take our calls, call us back and most of all... get that initial appointment. Sound familiar?

Last week a friend of mine, Jeff Nelson, gave me a lecture on marketing and schooled me on the "Law of Reciprocity." Simply put...

"The Law of Reciprocity states that when you give something of value away for free the recipient is grateful and feels obligated to give you back something in return."

David Frey, Author of the Small Business Marketing Bible

In another book that Jeff let me borrow there was a story about a man who was giving away a bottle of Coca-Cola and asking for the recipients to purchase raffle tickets in return. In some cases the recipient was purchasing two raffle tickets when asked in return for the bottle of Coke. Not a big deal right... the interesting fact is that at the time, a bottle of Coca-Cola was a dime and the raffle tickets were 25 cents. Thus the "premium" was garnering a 500% return!

The key seems to be giving away the premium before you ask for reciprocation... how much would you spend on a premium knowing that you could recieve a 500% return? I'm on board for $20 or $30!

Perhaps your company is already trying this marketing technique, it's pretty basic marketing 101, but I'd love to hear how it is working! Email me at tomk@closemoresales.com.

TK