There are four keys to success in selling both Online and Offline, Industrial or consumer selling and here they are: Application, Attitude, Enthusiasm and Goals.  Let us first start with Application in sales.  The key to Application is to understand the client/ customer needs and to be “relevant” with what you have to offer.  In this fast pasted high tech world, it is critical that you understand what the application of what you are selling and then to make sure your offering is “relevant”.  It is basically, aligning all of the competencies that you represent behind what is “relevant” to the potential client.

Attitude is a mind set and it must be positive.  The professional salesperson must always keep in mind that his/her attitude determines their altitude.  In today’s busy and hectic world, everyone is looking to have better results and outcomes.  No one wants to be around someone who just drags them down. So the professional sales person must always be conscious of their attitude and their energy level.

Enthusiasm is also one of the keys to success in the online and offline sales world.  Because video is so widely used today, enthusiasm in videos, voice, and professional one on one selling is imperative.  Enthusiasm is often seen in professional selling when they know their “why”.  When a professional sales person is selling because it is part of their “purpose” to help people in life, it is clearly evident.

Finally, setting goals and keeping goals visible is necessary.  It has been proven, that sales people and people in general who commit their goals to paper and keep them visible have a much higher chance of succeeding.

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The Psychology Department at Yale University identified twelve words that have extraordinary persuasive power. I have reduced the twelve to four.  When developing a sales presentation, I believe the four main words that get your client’s attention are:

1. Money
2. Save
3. You
4. New

Even if Money, Self-Preservation, or Recognition are last on your client’s list of motivators, we all pay attention to these factors.  And to further simplify when dealing in a B2B (business to business) situation,  it reduces to three:

1. Make more Money

2. Save Money (efficiency)

3. Feel Good

So whether you are selling in a B2B or B2C (business to consumer) these power words are critical to use in your Online or Offline marketing and selling campaign.

Professional Selling involves 6 steps. Whether you sell Online or Offline here are the basic 6 steps:

1. Make/Establish Contact-For many, this is one of the most difficult things to do.  Cold Calling a potential client can be as terrifying as public speaking for some people, but for the professional sales person, this is one of the most exciting moments in the sales process. This is the time that sales person has to “enter into the mind of the client”.  This is much like typing in the Keywords into Google.  Basically you are entering keywords into his  mind and you want to have the potential client/customer listen to you exclusively.  There are four topics that will help you get into the client’s mind: Recognition, Romance, Money, and Self-Preservation. Your role as a professional sales person is to identify what category your prospective client falls into.  And since first contacts can often times determine the outcome of the sale, it is important to know how to do this well.  This is where the Spirit and Mental side of Professional Selling comes into play.  Positive first contact is essential to winning the sale.
2. Create Interest through Questions-You don’t have to be an extrovert to create interest or to strike up a conversation with people.  Just ask them questions about themselves and they will begin to pour out information about themselves.  It is the simplest thing to do and all you have to do is listen.  When you ask questions about “them” they start to get interested.  As the potential client begins to talk about themselves, you take mental notes about likes/dislikes/interests and dreams.  This is where you find common interests and shared experiences that create a bond between you both.
3. Create a Preference-Through your questions, you create interest and a preference for your product or service.  This is essential so that your potential customer realizes the value in doing business with you.  Remember, that you, the professional sales person, is the “reason why the potential customer” will say “yes”.
4. Ask for the Sale–  It is mandatory to ask for the order or the sale. You see it online when you see the “BUY NOW” or “ORDER NOW” button, and you must ask for the order if you are doing traditional selling.  I will go into the mental triggers that are used to move the potential customer along in upcoming posts.
5. Close the Sale-Closing the sale is critical because you want to offer proof that what you are offering is going to meet the needs and or exceed the needs of the potential customer.   While you may not get the order on the first visit, what you are always working to do whether online or offline is to make sure the potential customer wants to do business with you.
6. Keep The Sale Closed-After you make the sale, a professional sales person keeps the sale closed through service to the customer.  By repeating steps 1-5 daily, the professional sales person habitually keeps the sale closed through exceptional service and skills.  Remember, it costs 5 times more to go out and get a new customer then to keep the old one happy.

Learning how to Sell either online or offline, is the key to your Success.  In part 1, I defined selling as a process of helping!  That is why Selling is so important in life and so widely misunderstood.  There is a so called “Holy Trinity” of selling and that consists of three parts.  First, selling is a physical act. Second, selling is a mental act, and Third, selling is a spiritual act.  Lets look at each of these a little closer.

1. Selling is a physical act. In the industrial world, selling is about contacting a lead and doing the follow up.  The sales person has to contact the potential client and determine the needs of the potential client.  If the salesperson determines he/she has a product/service that will fit the need of the potential client, the salesperson continues the process to complete the sale.

2. Selling is a mental act.  Perhaps the  most important aspect of professional selling is having the right mental attitude. Having a positive mental attitude and keeping a fresh open mind in all aspects of the potential client, will result in a transference of “energy” between the professional sales person and the potential client.  This energy is very instrumental in the sales process.  People like being around positive energy and positive people, so that is why it is critical for the professional salesperson to always demonstrate positive energy.

3. Selling is a spiritual act.  Selling involves two or more individuals coming together in a connection of spirits.  Ideas, inspiration and energy all are part of an individuals spirit.  A professional salesperson must be trained to know and identify with different types of individual spirits.  One of the most difficult parts of professional selling is understanding and having compassion for another person’s behavior that is manifested through their spirit.

Remember that professional selling is actually helping the buyer to say YES and that is what buyers get paid to do!