Friday, November 17, 2006

Top Salespeople

From You Got Contacts newsletter:
One business owner stopped by our booth and commented that he's looking to hire older and more mature salespeople. He said the younger ones just don't "get it" when it comes to selling. "What do you mean?" I asked. "The younger people don't realize that selling is more about starting and building relationships rather than selling your service. If people like you, even though you cost more, they'll find a way to justify doing business with you. But the younger ones always want to wait for the phone to ring, complain about poor leads, or give larger discounts to get the business. They don't understand what selling is about." After hearing his comment, I asked several other business owners and sales managers who stopped by what they thought of his observation. They agreed. They said only their top two or three salespeople understood the psychology of selling. The top salespeople understand it's their behavior, what they do, that makes them the best. Those barely meeting quota think price and package are all you need to sell. They said the irony is staffing their own companies with top salespeople. What separates the top salespeople from those "passing through"? It's not age or maturity they said. It's having a passion for what you do. They said salespeople are either professionals, amateurs, or pretenders. Most of the pretenders are quickly eliminated before they get hired, or within 2-3 weeks from being hired.

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