By Brian Barfield
Many years ago, our forefathers laid a foundation to find true and lasting success. This foundation was built on conducting business with the core principles of trust, honesty, and integrity. The processes of a sale in those days were simple and painless. There were no sales tactics needed to manipulate or deceive a customer into purchasing. It is a belief in those values that today creates a unique bond of trust between sales associates and their clients.
Some would argue that we, as an industry, have strayed from the path set before us. As the demands of the times created new stresses and issues, we did not even notice that greed and selfishness had become a part of our sales environment. Thus, we entered the era of bad sales tactics, with the sole purpose of making money. Our focus turned away from serving our customers, while profits became the main focal point of our businesses.
Our success as an industry was originally based on serving our customers, meeting their needs, and looking out for their best interest. Yet, take a moment and think about the methods we use to train our young sales associates. Some training is based on ways to manipulate and trick clients into buying a product. No longer do we talk of ways to impact their lives in a meaningful way. The sale has become more about us and less about them.
As a new era begins, we find ourselves in a world of chaos we created. Greed has severed the bond of trust built between sales associate and client. The customer who enters your store for the first time simply does not trust you. This has made the sales floor a much tougher environment to find success. Many sales associates find themselves leading unfulfilling careers with no true happiness. Take a moment and ask yourself, “Are you really happy with your career?” Many may appear to be successful, but they are not truly satisfied within.
Over the next six articles, I will provide a new road map to find true and lasting success. These truths can allow you to reconnect with your customers in a unique way by re-establishing the bond of trust; they are a conduit to conducting business with integrity and to be very successful. Just look at my career as a yearly million-dollar sales professional. It was not until I discovered these truths and implemented them that my career became satisfying, as well as successful. I feel it is my duty to help each and every sales associate reach their true potential.
Today, I will share the first insight to help you find true success. We will start by focusing on the sales tactics you use when selling. There are good sales tactics and bad ones. The question is, which are you using? Do the methods you use to conduct business leave you feeling satisfied and energized? Are you truly looking out for your customer’s best interest or are you focused on commission dollars? These are the questions you must ask in order to determine what type of sales tactics you are using.
A good sales tactics can be easily recognized based on two main principles. First, does it benefit your customer? If it does, it is a good sales tactic. If it doesn’t, I assure you greed is present and at work. Secondly, do you feel good about yourself after using the sales tactic? If it’s one that benefits your customer, there is a sense of satisfaction afterward. Whenever you conduct business with a mindset of greed, there is never lasting satisfaction in what you have achieved—guilt is greed’s friend and it is poised to remind you of your actions.
Today, I challenge you to examine the use of your sales tactics. Look within yourself and ask the tough questions to help expose your true intentions. I then encourage you to implement good sales tactics in your sales presentation. When you do, I promise you will find a richer and more rewarding life as a sales professional. When you do things the right way, true lasting success is in your future. To those of you who have already discovered this truth, I commend and encourage you to share your success with those around you—impact your environment in a powerful way that will bring change to the sales floor.
Next time, we will uncover topic number two that will lead you to true success. It centres on understanding how fear operates and how to overcome your fears. You will not want to miss it.
This article is based on the book, “Modern Day Selling: Unlocking your Hidden Potential,” by Brian Barfield. For more information, visit his website at www.moderndayselling.com or e-mail him at brian@moderndayselling.com.
