I can teach people new to the sales profession how to sell, and I can teach veteran sales peeps how to sell more. After all, I'm a sales trainer, and that's what I do and that's what thousands of others do every day. If an individual is willing to understand the "how" as well as the "why" of selling, to listen to what I have to say, and to put some new behaviors in place, I can show virtually anybody to make a lot more money at selling than they do now.
But one thing I cannot teach someone is an instinct for selling. The "sales instinct" is something that is the by-product of a group of traits, the combination of which is greater than the sum of its individual parts. These traits which work in concert to provide the salesperson with tools that provide them with a substantial advantage over others who do not possess the sales instinct.
When I refer to "selling instinct," I'm talking about six factors:
1. Quickness.
Salespeople with sales instincts act quickly. They pick things up quickly. They quickly connect the dots between "what is" and "what is possible" quickly. They work think quickly and work quickly. If there was such a thing as a "quickness meter," readings for those who possess sales instincts would be dangerously high.
2. Strategy.
Sales peeps with sales instincts know how to get where they want to be. They plan ahead and they work their plan. They are not only focused on the individual sale and the individual prospect, but they're also big picture thinkers who can see paths to success that others miss. They can see the trees and the forest. They instinctively know the best route that is mostly likely to get them from point A to point B.
3. Flexibility.
Sales professionals with sales instincts weave in and out of various diverse sales situations with ease. They have a knack for successfully working with many types of individuals who have many types of needs, desires goals, and perspectives in many types of circumstances. Their personal elasticity is much greater than those who do not possess the sales instinct.
4. Nuance.
Salespeople with sales instincts understand the many small unique details and subtleties of any situation, and also understand how minute adjustments can affect outcomes.
5.Promotion.
People with sales instinct have a natural bent for promotion of all types: self-promotion, product promotion, company promotion; All have their roots in her desire to bring customers into her fold, or to introduce her products and services to the world (or at least their marketplace).
6. Magnetism.
The sales-instinctive salesperson has a magnetic field which help him to draw people in, to give him the benefit of the doubt, and to give him a chance to be heard. This magnetism doesn't just apply to himself, but also to the products and services he sells; he infuses most everything he touches with a veil of attractiveness to others.
If you like this post (or don't) please leave a comment. Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies and individuals who sell to consumers in B2C, retail, in-home selling, and the financial, real estate, and insurance markets.
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