Making a career choice is one of the most critical decision one takes that will shape their entire life. Whether you have already chosen sales as your choice of career or you are considering it, here are a few things which will help you make an informed decision.
Spoiler Alert – Sales is not for the faint-hearted.
Life goes on. It simply passes by. We are all to finally fade. But for some amongst us, it is different. For us, life throws up opportunities. Excellence in business is one such opportunity and selling is business.
Selling is an art and like any other performing art, we have a performer- the salesperson and a beholder- the prospect. As an old proverb goes, “Every successful person is a good salesperson”. One can assume that selling comes naturally to some people. But then, how many of us are conscious of the fact that we are good salespersons. To sell naturally is something, but to sell compulsively and effectively is a different proposition. One does need professional skills to sell.
Let us first learn abut the territory we are getting into – sales.
What is selling?
Selling primarily effects transfer of Products and Services for something in exchange-from one person to another. It is a fair Exchange for the satisfaction of Mutual Needs. The Customer’s need for a Product or Service is satisfied by the Sales Person & His organization. In turn, the salesperson gets Business & Profit which is his need.
- Both the Buyer & seller thus have their need satisfied.
- In selling make sure your customer gains so that you also gain.
Any selling activity can be divided into various stages and various sequences and models. The performer has to practice a lot and sharpen his/her skills to avoid chaos during a sales call.
It is elementary that a salesperson gathers complete details of a client and specific requirements.
The significance of gaining the attention of the beholder is the first step in selling.
Building up of interest comes next after having gained attention. Before you give your prospect an optimum exposure of your product knowledge, identify his needs for him and then propose your product or services for him. Create a desire for your products or services. Arouse him. Bring in conviction. Talk of opportunity lost. Bring at a price only if you have to. Timing is important.
Thus, for a successful sales call following is important:
- Attention
- Interest- problem identification & classification
- Desire
- Conviction
- Close
Why Sales?
More and more young people are taking up sales as their career. That one has a knack of initiating a dialogue with anybody anywhere is not the only credential of a salesperson. One has to be initiative and imaginative. Above all one has to develop the skill of being a good listener. Experience teaches all that, plus the ability to give direction to a conversation. Lead the conversation to your goal without diluting the main purpose one bit.
Selling as a career gives you:
- Freedom of expression
- Offers you an opportunity to become successful
- Offers you a challenge every day, at every step, and stimulates you regularly
- Offers rich and high rewards
- Stimulates your personal growth
- Master of your own.
While the emotional rewards range drastically from sales job to sales job, the thrill of victories, the income rewards, the flexibility associated with sales and the learning potential makes choosing a career in sales a very attractive option but yet, not for the faint hearts.
