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Ours is an extremely complex
business. It is not so much complex from the viewpoint of product knowledge, but from the
tact that we are constantly dealing with human beings-that most complex of organisms. Looked at from a purely academic
viewpoint, the job is awesome! You must be able to communicate effectively. You have to
continuously work at developing your skills in both verbal and non-verbal communications.
In reality! however, you have been developing these selling skills since birth, and the
measure of your success in any endeavor to date is the test of the extent to which you
have sold parents, teachers, spouses, bosses! etc. on your concepts and desires. So you
are not starting from "ground zero." This has its good and bad points. You have
developed good skills and bad habits. Again, transferable techniques and organized
procedures can help overcome bad habits and reinforce existing skills. Let's consider your
prospects and how you "get through" to them. Prospects are human How can you get people to like
you? Why don't all prospects act logically? How can you change unfavorable attitudes?
These and many similar problems are encountered almost daily by sales representatives. To
answer questions like these you must first realize that your prospects are not just
prospects. They are human beings whose behavior is determined by the process of human
motivation. Since effective selling must be based on personal motivation, let's take a
careful look at motives. Motives and motivation Motives cause prospects to take
action. Every action by prospects is motivated by their desire to accomplish some
objective. You must first "define the problem" before attempting to "sell
the solution." From your prospects' point of view, their actions are always
reasonable, logical, and consistent. To you, your prospects' behavior may appear
unreasonable, but this is only because you do not see things the way they do. Thus, in any
sales situation you will be wise to make a real effort to seethe over all problem from
your prospects' point of view. Action is usually the result of
not just one motive, but the result of many motives. Since prospects can seldom satisfy
all of their needs, their more powerful motives will move them to act. Values The values a prospect places on different things are a most important part of motivation. It is the relative value a prospect puts on the various possible motives that determines which motives will be acted upon. In any society there are standards which determine those things that are considered desirable by that society. To be an accepted member of a society an individual must in general, comply with its standards. Since no two persons are exactly alike, individuals eventually develop their own personal values which are, in effect, modifications of the values set by society What can I do to improve? TOP
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