Max Bottaro

The fact is, everyone is in sales. Whatever area you work in, you do have clients and you do need to sell.
-Jay Abraham

Selling-in the purest sense-is the art of causing people to willingly part with their cash. A good salesperson will make this process as painless as possible. The best compliment you can get as a salesperson is “You weren’t a good salesperson; I just really wanted the product”.

In my limited experience in sales, there are 2 major reasons people decide to buy products. The first is the costumer really “needs” the product. I say “needs” because this is a perceptual shift that often must to take place before a costumer is sold. A lot of people want certain products, but they will only be bothered to pay if they feel like they need it. As a salesman, it is your job to show the costumer why they need the product. The second reason people buy is they like you, the salesperson. In direct sales, a decision to buy is often a combination of these two factors: the prospect likes you, and they like the product.

I don’t care if you sell fast cars or candy bars, certain sales principles will be applicable across different scenarios. The art of selling is practical in almost any walk of life; you sell yourself in a job interview, you sell your opinions when you argue, and you sell your value when you pursue relationships. The roots of any business are based on sales. I don’t care if you have the best product in the world, if you can’t sell it effectively you don’t have a business. Conversely, if you knew how to market and sell a product well, why you could probably bottle water turn it into a million dollar industry.

Here are some gems of wisdom I’ve picked up along the way- mostly from more experienced and profitable salespeople. I suggest looking for the underlying thought process, attitude, and belief system vs. actual words. Pick up lines won’t get you girls, and canned sales pitches don’t make sales. But if your belief system and attitude is right, it doesn’t really matter what you say. It’s how you say it that communicates with power.