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Top salespersons believe in what they're selling and see the joy in selling. They also have a desire to learn and ask a lot of questions and are good listeners.

The ability to understand differences in communication preferences and adapt to make relationship interactions more productive or versatility is a skill that makes sales people more likeable for customers. Salespeople can increase their versatility by having the insight that we have different styles and that each style has its own strength.

Twenty years ago when you asked what made a great salesperson, you got a wide variety of answers. Today, there are countless studies that clearly identify the psychological traits, behaviors [...]

'Everybody likes to buy things but no one lies likes to be sold' is not a new expression, but what does it really mean? Does it mean that people don't [...]

There are techniques that, with practice, can turn your business (or personal) goals into self-fulfilling prophecies. These techniques can become so powerful, in fact, they will seem to build paths [...]

Once-thriving businesses are struggling to survive in today's slow economy. Many are making spending decisions based on 'What can I afford?' rather than 'Where can I invest my money to [...]

The new frontier of Web 2.0 is not just about informing your customers; it's about communicating with them. Today's Web 2.0 tools, such as blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and the [...]

A wise man once explained 'we never learn anything with our mouth open. We can only learn by reading, by listening, by observing and by doing.' If you are like [...]

Do your customers call you with leads? Have they already convinced their friends to buy the products before you even make the first sales call? For the quality salesperson who [...]

Right now there are potential customers for your business trying to decide whether or not to choose you. Unfortunately, most of them can't see much difference between you and your [...]

Independent manufacturers representatives should become a well-rounded and complete businessman with continued education. The new type of representative is a problem solver and the resource for answering questions. Employing the concept of synergistic selling is also important to salespeople.

In order to be more successful at making follow-up calls, salespeople should not take rejection personally and to never assume that they are going to annoy prospects if they follow-up. Those that follow-up with prospects stand out among others since few salespeople do this.

There are common information that a sales representatives needs to know prior to choosing a manufacturer to represent. Both parties must keep promises made to customers and prospects. Reps also need the support from the manufacturers and to clear matters regarding their commission. Interviewing tips for representatives to get these information are presented.

An expert sales force is a competitive advantage that sales leaders can count on. The skills that the sales force need to have include 'consultative selling' or the ability to understand and link to a customer's business priorities, conducting a process conversation, and asking discovery questions.

Sales representatives should get involved and look into international trade if they want to be successful in the future. The weak U.S. dollar, labor costs, and the low cost of transportation are factors that drive the trend towards international trade.

The job of a sales person with regards to his relationship to a customer can be reduced to six basic elements that begin with engaging with the right people and making them feel comfortable with the sales person. Finding out what they want and showing them how what the sales person provides them is what they want are other elements to this relationship.

Difficult situations regarding the relationship between sales representatives and their principals in the fashion industry are presented to discuss suggestions on how to create contracts that seek to prevent this difficult relationship. Sales reps should make sure that manufacturer has a viable business that is well thought-out and adequately financed.

When preparing to present to a prospective principal, a salesperson should anticipate the speaking situation and find out in advance the program events that occur around their speech. They should also practice their material in front of a friend or colleague.

Salespeople can let the good times deceive them into thinking that success will go on forever. Salespeople and businesses should see prospecting as a strategy for creating a continuing flow of business.

Common misperceptions about selling and salespeople include the idea that anyone can be successful in selling if they work hard enough and that successful salespeople are born that way. In fact, top performers take risks and they invest in themselves.

Sales representatives should use the tough economy as a warning and motivation to work harder and smarter. Reps should improve their selling by reading books, listening to tapes and CDs. They should also keep a good attitude and build relationships.

Having good information can help a sales representative deliver effective sales performance. A process for collecting information about customers, prospects, and competitors is discussed.

Reports show that there has been a drop in the number of salespeople. Sales representatives are advised to be optimistic and keep the right perspective. Salepeople should realize that selling is more about understanding the customer than it is about skill or sales techniques, and that connecting with customers lead to their success.

The sales representative has a role to play in activating the process of selling products and this is done through their interaction with principals and customers. Possessing the character builder trait is also important for sales representatives as they become their customer's solutions provider as they progress in their career.

The first step for salespeople to unleash their potential is remove the restraining forces within them such as insecurities, doubts, and fears. A salesman should be clear on how they can impact their market and build their success plan on that. Approaching one's work like an owner and not as an employee by being responsible from start to finish is also suggested.

A discussion of sales strategy for selling systems and modules is presented. Topics include an explanation of systems and modules, labor costs, packaging, selecting which systems and modules to offer, design and markup practices.

Account executives at many advertising agencies are feeling the need to assert their importance to the organization. Many are finding their tradition roles supplanted by planners or marketing executives. Other agencies are asking them to do more while keeping them away from the advertising. Account executives will need to learn how to manage their accounts keeping an eye on the future changes., To most clients, Ogilvy & Mather's Tony Wright should epitomize the new generation of well-traveled, well-prepared account managers. At 35, Wright already has logged duty in Europe, Canada and the [...]

A salesperson should put the knowledge that they have gained from trainings and reading books into action before they can get results. Sales managers should hold people accountable for success and they can do this by having expectations.

Not doing all that a boss can do to provide for his or her employees is unethical. Basically, if a salesperson can steal a business away from another salesperson, then they did not deserve that business anyway. The same is true for employees who go to the competition.

Whenever I ask sales people to rate themselves on their competence at all the different parts of the sales process, they invariably rate themselves low at closing the sale. Unfortunately, [...]

The person who coined the phrase 'time is money,' must have been a sales rep paid on commission. In the selling profession, the old cliche rings true, if you are [...]

The U.S. gross domestic product grew 3.5 percent and the stock market has improved but manufacturers are cutting commissions or dropping sales representatives. Despite these challenges, it can be the best of times for salespeople because clients need them more than ever. Salesmen should find new ways to do business for their clients.

Some of the 400 ways to improve the people-reading skills of salespeople, to succeed in the highly competitive market place, are discussed. Salespeople should be able to read their prospect in different ways to ascertain their position in that prospect.

25 million Mobile Professionals are looking for a wireless connection to keep them in-touch. Meet them and make the sale! The most successful salespeople will tell you the key to [...]

Automobile sales personnel perform better when they work hard and work smart.

Sales representatives need to consider the value of field visits to themselves and their customers ahead of time. Several anecdotes about field visits from the perspective of manufacturers and sale representatives are presented.

Tips on how a salesperson can build a network of people that will bring them referrals are presented. Asking a person about their business and re-introducing one's self to an earlier acquaintance while remembering their names are some elements in the process of building this network.

Statistics show that many salespeople in 2008 earned only half the commission they earned in 2007. However, not all sales professionals are in a slump, as some are actually thriving despite the recession. Sales professionals are advised to work harder, talk to the right people, make more contacts, and change the way they work.

Ways on how sales representatives can recognize false customer objections are discussed. It is believed that prospects often put up barriers to new products and services that can actually help their organization. Because of this, sales representatives will need to be extremely competitive.

It is believed that the difference between winning and losing an order in the sales profession is often razor-thin. Sales representatives are expected to develop certifiably great selling skills, work in sync with manufacturers, and budget selling time for missionary lines. The importance of business networks is also discussed.

The various factors that make the representative to be successful in sales are discussed.

The author develops a comprehensive inventory of selling activities and uses it to analyze the jobs of 1393 salespeople employed by 51 industrial selling organizations. He also develops a taxonomy of sales activities based on frequency of occurrence of 121 sales activities. In addition, a taxonomy of six industrial sales jobs is created from configurations of sales activity factors. Managerial implications of the findings are discussed and directions for further research are proposed. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Sales statistics are valuable information to manufacturers' agents when properly attended. The four most important statistics are the monthly transactions by invoice, percentage to sales goal, year-to-date sales and monthly sales. Keeping an updated sales numbers allows an agent to anticipate trends and potential problems and to maintain good communications with principals.

Productive Selling Attitude is an enlightened point of view that results from a clear understanding of customer attitudes. Sales personnel should understand that customers are more important than getting orders. They can influence purchasing decisions by having a thorough product knowledge and a desire to share that expertise. They should also realize that getting orders is a continuous process. Finally, sales personnel should understand that customers' first impressions of them are more important than their initial assessment of their customers.