Submitted by PBeaney on
in
Forums
Hi all,
I am currently a Technical Manager in a plastics company. The company has offered me the opportunity to move into a more sales based role selling recycled plastics which I am very excited about. I don't however have any formal sales training. I have read Selling to Win by Richard Deny which is great as it gives a step by step approach to sales for the beginner. Does anyone else know any good books / have any advice for a beginner?
My Sales "Philosophy"
Congratulations on the new role. I saw your post and wanted to help.
I was once told by my grandfather and have always viewed sales as "soap" (i.e. one brand or another they are still the same thing). The cardinal rule I have learned is that people buy from people they like and are in some ways like them. I personally do not like "salesmen" so I always took a different and more consultative approach. At a previous employer I moved from an installation/training/support role into a sales position although I had sales experience it was more retail and not in a professional sense. I was introduced to the DISC model and realized that understanding someone's behavior allowed me to communicate more effectively with them and thereby making them feel more comfortable with me. Most people don't want to "buy" something and have a negative attitude toward being "sold". They are much more comfortable having a problem or issue solved and the purchase being the end result of the solution you provide.
I found the book "Socratic Selling" (http://www.amazon.com/Socratic-Selling-Questions-That-Sale/dp/0786304553) to be helpful in learning some open ended and probing questions to get to the root of the problem. Once you know what the problem is you can offer the solution. It works the same even when selling a commodity like plastics. Your client needs to produce something with your material, understand what that is, see if there are additional opportunities or uses he is unaware of, and offer a solution.
I have gone to various sales training organizations (i.e. Sandler Sales, Dale Carnegie, etc.). They all have their good points but EVERYONE is different with a different personality. What will make you most effective is listening to all the styles but ultimately taking those pieces that fit YOU and your personality best and working on becoming an expert on those. Sales is a cycle and you NEVER take anything personally. NO does not always mean no forever it may just mean "no right now". I have worked with clients that took me two+ years of scheduled contact before they finally said yes. Persistence overcoming resistance.
Hope that helps. Please contact me if you have any questions or want to discuss further. Good Luck.
Scott