Boost your sales, marketing, and general life skills!
By Morgan Hannah, Life & Style Editor
Callen Cochran, president of United Pallet Services, hosted a fantastic session entitled âIf you can sell advertising, you can sell anything.âAdmittedly, when I first saw this session I judged it by its cover.
I thought it was going to be good for me⌠but boring. Boy was I wrong. This business and sales speech taught me four core principles that will carry anyone through any sales career: the power of trust, the importance of determination, building value, and the need for laughter.
1. The power of trust
People buy from those they trust. Repeat that. People buy from those they trust. Cochran reiterated this statement a couple of times during his session, stating that if we learned nothing else, knowing that people buy from people they trust was just about the most valuable takeaway we could grasp.
How do you gain trust? Be respectful. Respect the customerâs time and their money, get to know themâmaybe even find some common ground that you share and talk about it. Donât be in a hurry to launch into your sales pitch; people donât care about what you know until they know you care.
a)
Practice professionalism
Show
up. Better yet, show up on time. And dress the part. Iâm talking about doing a
little research beforehand and dressing like those who youâre meeting with.
Most importantly, do what you say you will. It really is that simple. If you say youâre going to take the trash out, take out the trash. If you say youâre going to be somewhere at 8 am sharp, âya better be there.
b) Be honest
Donât try to mislead or trick the customer into a sale. Also, if something you promised fails to happen, be the first to tell them about it. Donât wait for someone or something else to spill the beans, and donât wait until the last second. Weâve all been guilty of this one at least once before⌠waiting a little too late to call in for work and mention that we canât make it.
2.
The importance of determination
Recognizing
failure is important. Failure is a learning experience, an opportunity to do
better, and part of any success story. If you havenât failed, you havenât
tried.
a) Focus on what is important
Tackle the biggest problem of the day first. This is a good rule of thumb for all aspects of life.
b) Put your heart into it
If youâre going to do something, put your all into it. Offer solutions to the problems you complain about.
3. Distinction between selling and delivering value
Ask the right questions. Do a little research and draft good questions before so that your questions are specific and targeted. And most importantly, let the customer tell you what they need.
a) When the customer speaks, LISTEN
Yes, we all love the sound of our own voices and showing off what we know and how big our brains are⌠but really, when someone is talking to you, make sure youâre actually listening.
b) Keep it simple for the customer
Donât over complicate things. Keep unnecessary details out of your conversations and pitches, but also be prepared to answer tricky questions. Make sure you leave every meeting you have with an important takeaway.
4. Having gratitude and perspective
Never take yourself too seriously. Life is already stressful and serious enough. If you can poke a little fun here and there, do it. Of course, it is important to have a balance of fun and professionalism too.
Customers want to work with someone whoâs committed to getting the job done right, and also with someone whoâs capable of having fun.
And most importantly, be grateful. You are where you are because people invested in you.
