800-CEO-READ Blog

Ask questions....lots and lots of them

I asked Johnny about the “sales environment�. He said, “like anywhere, a lot of tension between sales and marketing, and sales and development. Everyone thinks you’re always selling them something�. He reminded me of a phrase Mahan Khalsa once wrote, “…Sales is the second oldest profession, often confused with the first.�

I think I am offended by this. If the world didn’t have sales professionals the economy would probably come to a halt. Think about it, if every American didn’t buy any goods or services for a week, the economy would fall apart. In fact the world economy would likely crash too. It is critical to your success as a sales professional to shift the paradigm from the negative connotation of sales person, to one of trusted advisor or consultative sales professional. How? It is not that difficult really.

Learn to do your homework up front –use tools like their Annual report or 10K, or sign up for Harris InfoSearch, Jigsaw, Bitpipe.com or First Research to get a better understanding of your prospect. Then ask questions…lots and lots of questions. My father always told me…�God gave you one mouth and two ears, use them in that proportion!�