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1-Page Summary of The Sales Bible
Overview
What makes a great salesperson? Some people seem to have the ability to sell anything, while others are not so good at it.
No one is born a good salesperson. It takes the right attitude, communication skills and solid product knowledge to be successful in this field. Selling guru Jeffrey Gitomer gave us his insights into sales when The Sales Bible was first published 20 years ago. These key points about selling will help you understand how to turn a “no” into a confident “yes,” why customer complaints are actually great leads for making more money, and what you can learn from test driving cars at an automobile dealership.
Big Idea #1: Success in sales starts with a positive attitude. Make it a goal to sell with a smile.
In the book, The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale he states that we become what we think about.
Your thoughts create your attitude. It’s not what you say or do, but how you think about it that matters. Salespeople with a bad attitude don’t sell as well as those who are positive and optimistic.
One study shows that poor attitudes can be the reason why sales deals fail. This is followed by bad communication skills, management issues and training problems. These statistics imply that a change in attitude alone can dramatically improve your sales success rate. But how do you turn your frown upside down?
Changing your attitude is a matter of discipline. You must develop the habit of being positive, and not just think about it casually.
A way to make this more tangible is to write down a mission statement that incorporates your goals and ideas or anything else you feel is important. It doesn’t have to be long, just something short and catchy that motivates you.
Big Idea #2: Friends like to buy from friends. Creating relationships outside the office will help you sell more!
Children are told to be nice and make friends. This is good advice because it helps them in life, not just on the playground.
In sales, friendship is important. Friends like to buy from friends. There’s an old business adage that goes, “All things being equal, people want to do business with their friends. And all things being not so equal, people still want to do business with their friends.”
Many salespeople believe that they are successful because of the superiority of their product or service, but it’s actually due to a good relationship with their client.
Friendly relationships with customers are advantageous because you don’t need to use fancy sales techniques. You can expect your friends to give you honest feedback, and there is little competition. To build a friendship with a customer, start by showing that you care about them as people. This means getting out of the office and spending time together.
Many salespeople believe that any interaction with a customer outside of the office is a waste of time. However, having friendly relationships with customers can bring big opportunities for you in the future. So if possible, try to meet your clients somewhere other than work and do something that isn’t related to business. Be genuine about it—show them that you are interested in getting to know the person behind their wallet!
Not only will having a good relationship with your customers increase sales, but it will also make your job more satisfying.
Big Idea #3: Channel the “WOW-factor” to distinguish yourself and your product from everyone else.
There are many salespeople trying to get your attention. So, how do you stand out to win a sale? Use the WOW-factor!
The WOW factor is what makes someone or something stand out. For example, a person who is memorable will be the first one you think about when you hear their name. A good sales presentation should have the WOW factor because it makes your product stick in people’s minds and gives them an impression of your product that they can’t forget. To make a great sales presentation, you must prepare by thinking of everything that could go wrong and fixing those problems beforehand so that the audience has nothing to criticize about your idea.
