It has been a continuous learning curve for me over the last 23 years since I started my Sales and Marketing career. Every step daily as the day dawned , what next was a question always on my mind. Until this day, I look at every day as a new beginning ,with a whole lot of new opportunities waiting to be tapped. I have always received and read Sales tips from the point of external behavioral Characteristics or Skill sets which tells you what to do. For e.g.: Be well groomed, Improve communication skills, Sales Etiquettes, Identifying, Prospecting, Sales pitch, Closing etc. This I personally , feel can be learnt and developed by all in Sales practiced over a period of time. These and many more skills are essential to function effectively. I call them as the branches of a Tree. But in my work-life what I experienced are that the Roots and Trunk of the Tree are invaluable, which are the internal characteristic and are the foundation on which the branches are grown. I will be touching on what would be the internal strong points needed in Sales, here below.

So my first learning was:
Keep an openmind.
It is important in life and in any field you choose to keep an open mind. Let the day dawn with fresh thoughts to flow. As you keep your mind uncluttered, you have the calmness to approach things rationally and with a practical approach with no preconceived notions. This then gives you the ability to Think, Plan, Conceive and Achieve your sales or any Goals for that matter. Being open minded as well gives you the ability to accept others ideas, point of views which will help you in your progress. Working for an MNC and seeing many people in my consultancy life, Accepting others views, I find is the single biggest challenge by individuals in any organization.

Hence my 2nd Learning:
Sublimate your Ego.
In today’s fast pace world of the internet , most of us come with the attitude “I Know it all”. This attitude then becomes a stumbling block for individual progress. Once you think you know it all ,you pull up your shields and close yourself to others advise and points of view. Sales as a function, you are needed to constantly interact with people with an objective to offer them your products to satisfy their needs. Listening skill is a key attribute required towards achieving your Sales goals. Empathy, understanding the Buyers needs & feelings and then presenting your suitable offer can only happen, if you Listen to them, accept their point of view (Needs) and then present your Products as a sales pitch. If you think you know more than your customer, you have not understood him and this could lead to disastrous results. It is always advantageous to have a balanced approach and keep a level playing field between a Seller and the Buyer. This in fact is applicable to any relationship at home or office, which will give us a WIN-WIN result.

This lead to my 3rd Learning
Trust your self and Trust others.
Without Trust there is no relationship. All Sales relationships are partnerships garnered for long term relationship. This is applicable for any line of business whether it is Consumer goods, Industrial, Retailing, internet based sales etc. Tenets of all partnership is trust in ones abilities to offer honestly and have confidence

in thy self, and trust your Buyers that they are genuine and will be honestly paying the value your products demand. Any sort of mistrust will lead to short term sales, one off sales, loss in customers who them move to another brand whom they trust and or trusts them. You must have heard the famous line in sales “It costs much less to retain a customer than prospect for a new one”.

My 4th Learning
Be Patient, you will have your day.
I have seen Sales Gurus say be aggressive, sell, sell, sell!!!Bosses say the same thing day in and day out. It becomes a number crunching exercise. It is true that no company can exist without numbers and hence it become imperative to get them. I have seen in my training sessions that sales people just want to aimlessly run to get the numbers , without giving a thought to the “How to do it?“ thinking all customers will buy when they come to sell. My Physics professor used to tell us in college “Don’t run in a running train”. This thought has stuck with me since then. It is important to work smartly then hard. Due diligence is required with proper planning to achieve your sales goals. Once you have your right sales strategy , you will achieve the desired results. But the outcome will take its time it could be in a day or more than that. Patience is a key attribute required. It is like sowing the seeds, you have watered it, the manure is added and now you nurture to get the crops. Impatience in sales to close too quick, will only make you do the wrong moves, concede more, lose your negotiation line and lower profits. As a flower will bloom at the right time, so will your Sales be achieved when the right environment is created for sales closure. You have to wait for that Moment of Truth, as I call it. Just a word of caution, be alert for that moment of truth and do not let it slip you. Hence the old adage” Out of sight out of mind” is what one buyer told me early in my career. Be in the moment with your customer and you will have your day.

My 5th and concluding learning in this series is;
Learn from your Disappointment sand becomestronger .
“True winner is one who Learns from his mistakes so that he does not repeat the same”. There are times we are unsuccessful in convincing our customers. I have seen sales people giving up easily or go into a negative state of mind once you lose a sale. The blame game starts and sometimes the unprofessional sales person reverses all the efforts he has done up to this stage with the buyer. Many a times the relationship is strained between the buyer and seller. It is important to understand that the buyer has not brought your product or service , because someone else has satisfied his needs better than you. He has nothing personal with you. If this point is understood, a salesperson can rationally evaluate the loss of sales and live to fight another day. Buyers are always eager to help an honest salesmen with their valued feedback. Please ask for it. Be positive and understand that you cannot win them all. Once you do get into a positive frame of mind, I have seen in my career very few disappointments and only seen success by building stronger bonds with my customers for everlasting, long term partnerships.

Hope this works for you as well!!!
Hence change inside out is my Mantra!!!