In the words of singing duo Salt n’ Pepa (sort of)…”let’s talk about sales baby, let’s talk about you and me, let’s talk about all the good things and the bad things that may be…”

When you say “sales” some people cringe and think, “I’m not a SALESPERSON”—I have a NEWSFLASH for those people---we are all selling ourselves every second of every day.  You may be selling an attitude, a concept, a reputation, a presentation and you may even be doing it badly…however I promise you if you are breathing, you are selling.  You sell your kids on listening to you, you sell your significant other on the fact that they belong with you, you sell your employees on your concepts or you sell your boss on the fact that you can get the job done.

Having established that whether you want to admit it or not YOU are a salesperson, let’s discuss how to be an effective one.  To sell anything effectively you need to learn to listen, really listen…people don’t care about what you want, they care about what they want and if you are going to sell them you better find out what it is that they want and then figure out a way to provide it.

Sales is all about relationship, real relationship…not pretending to be in relationship for the sake of getting what you want from the other person.  In this interesting economic climate it is important to strengthen the relationships that you have with people-- business and otherwise.  To do this you must be genuinely interested in the other person and you must be committed to doing what you can to enhance the quality of their life and their business, this may mean you need to EXTEND yourself beyond your comfort zone.  Comfort zones do not produce anything but more comfort and comfort doesn’t monetize and it doesn’t produce excellence.

When is the last time you did something to enhance the quality of someone’s life for no reason at all?  The last time you stopped by a client’s place of business with a gift for no reason or the last time your surprised your relationship with coffee or flowers or an unexpected dinner?

Everyone is soooo busy right now being self-concerned about the media’s portrayal of our ‘dire’ economic circumstances…does listening to that stuff make you feel better in ANY way?  Wouldn’t a better use of your time be to surprise a client or pick your kid up unexpectedly from school and take them for ice cream?

Being a successful salesperson comes from being a successful person that cares about other people.  Winners understand that their economic success is directly related to how much they are in relationship with people.  Money is a symbol of exchange, a good point to remember…you can’t ‘exchange’ with yourself…it takes at least two people to have a successful exchange.

George Foreman says, “Learn to sell and you’ll never starve.”  He makes an excellent point.

Sales expert Jim Cathcart notes, “People don’t buy because they understand your product; they buy because they feel you understand their need.”  He goes on to say, “Be better at listening. If you want someone to find you interesting, spend more time being interested in them.”

Instead of living in some fear-based idea that business is drying up, I challenge you to start something new…a new idea, a new project, a new business or a new way of doing things.”

In the words of FDR, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

Life will go on no matter who is President, life will go on no matter how much money the Government wastes….small business and entrepreneurs are the life blood of America and they will be what ultimately saves us from the seeming mess that is before us.

This is a time of unprecedented opportunity for those that are paying attention…Microsoft, Hewlett Packard and Fedex were all started in rough economic conditions. 

Get in relationship with people and find out what they need and then provide it, instead of watching the news read a marketing book or invent 3 new projects…stay focused and sharp as lots of opportunities to prosper are all around you…so LOOK for them!