Your Selling Platform

As a professional salesperson, it is almost entirely taken for granted that you will have the confidence to present your products and services in a manner that demonstrates your deep belief in their value to the customer. Isn’t that the definition of being a professional?

This belief in your company, their support systems, their competitiveness, and the actual product itself are some of the keys to your ability to display the personal confidence required to win new business in the marketplace. (There may be more issues related to a personal self-image that would require an entirely separate discourse to discuss.)

Unless you have a badly scarred conscience, your confidence can be destroyed by your lack of faith that the products and services offered by your employer are substandard and consequently not competitive in the marketplace.

Please be aware that you can set your standard far to high. There will not be perfection in everything you promote. However, it does need to perform and compete very well in the class of products where you content.

My first experience in a professional selling job was with a major industrial and consumer products company that everyone would immediately recognize. The division that I was hired to sell for was out of their area of expertise. There were some poor decisions made regarding placing the company name on an inferior imported product.

 Even as a rookie salesperson, it did not take long to discover that not only were we not competitive from a features standpoint, but we were also badly overpriced as well. My confidence and morale were damaged to the point of draining energy from my selling efforts. I left for another sales position as soon as possible and learned a few years later that the division was sold to someone in the primary business we were attempting to enter. This new salesperson came very close to getting out of the selling profession based on my experiences and lack of faith in the products.

Here are some recommended steps to insure your “product confidence” stays high.

§  Know your products and your competition very well

§  Keep a competitive file so you can objectively evaluate your competitor’s strengths, weaknesses, and performance claims

§  Keep a record of your wins in the marketplace

§  Capture third party references for your own sake and your prospect’s possible review

§  Practice your presentation with a mentor or manager and video the demonstration for evaluation’s sake

§  Seek constant improvement in your sales presentation and your product confidence

§  Personally use your own product if possible or watch it perform in person

And the last comment on this topic is; There is no excuse for bending the truth in your sales role. Falsehood and cover ups will not last in the marketplace.

Good Selling