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It has long been known in selling that until something is sold,
nothing else happens. The selling profession is therefore one of
the most challenging and most profitable career paths one can
choose. And for those with an innate ability to sell, it can be
gratifying and profitable from day one. Others, who may want the
income and freedom that comes from sales but who are not as
naturally gifted, will benefit from a few specific tips on their
way to improving sales. First, acknowledge what type of sales
you're best at. Door to door business to consumer,
telemarketing, corporate business to business, and online are
all different ways of selling. And while most salespeople must
focus intensely on prospecting and business development, many in
the corporate business to business sales world are responsible
for closing million dollar deals in partnership with others at
their company who generate the lead. Once you've narrowed down
the type of sales you're best at, which may take years as you
progress through your sales career, there are some additional
resources that could help you. Sales coaching is a new form of
improving your sales. You partner weekly with a veteran
salesperson outside of your company who works with you on
specific techniques, motivations, scripts, behavioral training,
or attacks the call reluctance or lack of confidence you may
feel in your role. The sales coach is your advocate, someone who
has experience working with many types of salespeople and can
assist you with a perspective that only an unbiased third party
can provide. Another resource is lead generation. Specifically,
find, hire, or create a method of generating more leads. Sales
ultimately is a numbers game - the more leads you have in your
pipeline, the greater your chances of closing more deals. If you
can pay someone to generate more leads or create a direct
marketing method of generating interest, much of your hard work
will be done for you. This would free you up to focus on closing
deals and generating income. The final resource to consider is
one not many people think of, but can be tremendously valuable.
This idea was first proposed by Ben Franklin and popularized by
BLANK in Think and Grow Rich. Create a mastermind of
salespeople. This requires some work up front but could pay
great dividends, especially if you don't compete directly and
mutually respect each other. A group like this could have
various forms - you could be local to each other and meet
weekly, or connect online or by phone on a regular basis, you
could all be part of the same industry but sell in
non-competitive territories, or you could hire a coach among you
to assist each of you in getting the most out of this process.
It's been proven time and again that a mastermind group of
similarly driven and focused salespeople could be one of the
most beneficial things you do. Regardless, if you're committed
to sales success, you must continually improve yourself using
either motivational techniques, lead generation and prospecting
resources, or outside support from coaches or mastermind teams.
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