Advertisement Ideas: Forget The Salesman Approach!!!

              

When discussing sales people I often hear they are pushy, full of themselves, and will say anything to make the sale. This perception has led to many people programming themselves to say I am not interested from the first interaction. Sales is an integral part of  any business be it a sole proprietorship or a large corporation  a brick and mortar business or a home based business and mastering sales is a key to success. I have found that over the years it is important to overcome the perception of being a salesman because of the misconceived notion that sales people are sleazy and out for themselves. The best way to avoid being perceived in a negative way is to forget the salesman approach and become more interested in the people you are interacting with.

 The first thing you are instructed to do in sales is to make cold calls. I believe this is the wrong approach as you can see from the chart that most people are not receptive to cold calls. Cold calls can be a part of the process, however there is an art to the cold call. In my 20 plus years of experience in the for profit and non-profit sectors I have found that when cold calling it is best to simply do your research and find out who the decision maker is, this can be easily done by google searches or using sources like The Hoover’s Guide To American Businesses.  Many times know who to ask for will get you past the gate-keeper. I also suggest you get the gate keepers name and make friends with him or her so next time you call they will put you through.  After you get to the decision maker do not begin your pitch right away tell them that you chose to contact them as you are looking to assist businesses like theirs and would like to set up an appointment to show them what you are offering. The appointment can be done via phone or in person if they are local. The key is to begin a relationship as we all know people will do business with those they know, like, and trust.

Many times cold calls get results, however they would not be my first choice to do business. Cold calls are necessary and once you master the art of making the call you will begin to see better results. My recommendation is before you pick up the phone, leave the salesman approach attitude behind and move into relationship building mode. Do your homework, research a little about the company so you will be prepared to build the person on the other end of the phone up.

 Do not be this guy the over aggressive pushy guy.  I have found that when you tome down your approach you tend to get better results. For example about 3 weeks ago I walked into a business to ask for support of The American Cancer Society Relay For Life of West Boca Raton. The gentleman behind the counter said what are you selling in a loud manner that could be perceived as rude. I stated hi how are you waiting for an answer and then stated great as for your question I am not selling anything I am promoting The American Cancer Society Relay For Life of West Boca Raton, would you be the person to discuss the benefits of your business being involved. I was told no I just work here and if you’re not buying anything you have to leave. I then asked if there was a number to call to find the information I needed I again was told no I am not interested. I walked out of this establishment and then realized why they may not be getting more business.  I will not be going to or recommending this business to anyone in the near future.  The moral here is to forget the salesman approach and be careful of who you choose to represent your company.

 I saw this photo and thought you will buy from me and you will like it. Ask yourself when you or those you have chosen to represent you what image are we giving off?  I have learned over the years that it is important to not to be perceived as the pushy salesman but rather as the person whose talents can help others to achieve their business goals and objectives.  I am reminded of the way I became the announcer of The Lauderhill Broncos of The Pop Warner Youth Football League. I was driving by the park on a Saturday saw a football game going on stopped in went to the press box and introduced myself and offered my services as an announcer for free was told I had to speak to the V.P. of the league which I did and he said go ahead and I did the game and since that day have been their announcer. The other night I was doing a game and one of the referees asked me to be the emcee for an event he is putting together and asked for my business card, I handed him my card and he said he would call. The moral here is to be out and do what you do as you never know who you might meet. By not being the salesman I have gotten more paying gigs. I use the approach of some will, some won’t, some waiting, so what next.

 More and more we are seeing this sign as people have forgotten that the more interaction you have with people the better your chances for success.  This is another reason to forget the salesman approach. Become a sharer of information and build relationships. Many times it is a simple hello I am _______________________ and I am getting to know the business people in the area so as to get to know about their products and services.  Sometimes I call them on the sign and say I noticed the sign on your door and was curious as to what made you put it up as I am doing some research on how having a no soliciting sign has affected businesses in the area.

Advertisement Ideas: Tools To Help Forget The Salesman Approach

         

The people above all have one thing in common they have built a large following and continue to increase their brand awareness and their revenue simply by forgetting the traditional salesman approach and finding ways to be relevant, entertaining, and resonating with those they are selling to.

 I chose to use this as a closing song simply for entertainment purposes and to reinforce the idea that to make money today you will need to forget the salesman approach.