Is it luck? But no one gets lucky all the time the way they do. Is it connection? Maybe. But how do I get myself to increase my own network too? There must be something behind it. And so the question pops out in your mind. “How do these people continue to make six or seven figures and here I am struggling month by month just to reach my quota and make ends meet?”

I have been in the human potential development for so long I see things in common among all successful performers whether they be people in sales or in any field of business.

First of all, successful professionals see themselves as who and what they really are. They are professionals and they hold their craft. They have confidence and they know they can achieve greater things.

Secondly, these giants of the industry continue to learn and stretch themselves. They network with people. They serve in their community. They join service clubs, they serve in church and the more they are in touch with people the more they build their network of friends who may just become their clients one day.

I have handled sales people, I have a network of people who are in sales. And it’s extremely rare for me to find person in this chosen field to actually read a lot of books. Rarer still do I find sales people who would invest in attending non-company sponsored seminars. And in many occasion, the same people who do not perform well are the same people who complain that their companies are not providing them support. Amateurs carry this kind of mindset. They have mastered the art of blamestorming.

Not so the giants because they are professionals. Professionals are of a different breed. They’ve got classy upbringing because they bring themselves up. (pun intended) Sales professionals invest in knowledge, they read magazines, they can’t get enough of web portals dedicated to sales and they do invest in attending seminars and conferences. They buy books and they actually read them. And then a wonderful thing happens. They sell more, they earn more and they are more fulfilled. Here’s the common thread woven in the fabric of the professional’s success journey. They work harder on themselves than they do on their jobs. The hungrier you are for knowledge, the wiser you become. Your self-respect increases, your confidence built and opportunities come by your door waiting for you to open.

Your desire to be successful has to be bigger than a 9-5 job. Giants begin with baby steps and you should begin right now. Invest in knowledge; put the seeds in the small steps and continue to water your skills with actual experiences and information you seek. And when the time of harvesting comes, you will have the fruits of your efforts in front of you. Do not waste time. Always find something to do that would add value to what you want to achieve in life. Whatsoever you sow, you shall reap. This is Scripture Truth that continues to operate everyday of our lives.

Never forget. The road to success is marked with many tempting parking places. Say this to yourself all the time: “NO PARKING!”

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Krish and Anthony flew to Cebu and did the same thing there today to an audience of 200 plus and I was informed that it turned out very well too! For those who attended, it would be cool to see your comments so please feel free to send them in. Thank you for attending and hope you learned and enjoyed the sessions.

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If his eyes don’t flutter, say, ‘For the frames. The lenses will be P3,500.00.’

If his eyes still don’t flutter, you add ‘Each.’

Boy… oh… boy. This is not customer service… this is a rip off.

This is no way to make a sale.

“Hi… how are you doing?”

“Do you need any help? Well if you do just call me… I’ll be around.”

These are the same words I hear from sales people every time I enter a shop or a boutique in America .

A lot of emphasis is given on customer service.

Businesses know that the only element that maintains business and carries the possibility to make it grow is not the brilliance of their finance people, not the charisma of their CEO and it’s not even the products and services they churn out everyday. The only element for business survival and growth is to create satisfied and loyal customers.

What does it take to be an excellent sales person?

This is the question.

Here is a list of things that make an excellent sales person. As customers we long to see this in our service providers no matter what the industry is. Now you will be amazed that all the sales people we admire exhibit most of the qualities I will be talking about. And you can use this list as a way to hire excellent salespeople–or as a way to improve your own skills:

1. An Excellent Salesperson Is A Sight For Sore Eyes.

Excellent sales people make good first impressions. They are genuine, pleasant, and easy to talk with and they take care of how they look. The best salespeople have a neat and well-groomed look about them. Their clothes and accessories may not have to be expensive but they must be appropriate for the occasion. Here’s a tip: their shoes are always a good indicator: ‘Not too new (with the price tag still on…) but freshly “shined” is what you want to look for.

An excellent salesperson knows that he never gets a second chance to create a first impression.

2. An Excellent Salesperson Loves To Be With People.

One indication you see is that excellent salespeople need to be liked.

They want to please their customers and prospects. They go the extra mile, learn customers’ preferences, and work to educate their customers and keep them informed. And so in relation to this…..

3. An Excellent Salesperson Is A Good Listener.

One thing I noticed with excellent sales people is that they gently probe with questions carefully listening to what their prospects are saying and then the brilliance is that they do not sell but they lead the customers to buy. They are patient with prospects–not pushy. They understand the most important key to successful selling: The sale today is not as important as the relationship tomorrow.

4. An Excellent Salesperson Behaves Professionally

I always admire sales people who do not bad mouth their competitors. They will always point to their product pluses and advantages they offer but they will not verbally tear down others.

Another thing is that excellent salespeople leave their problems at home. Everybody has problems – health, family, financial, personal but excellent sales people never bring these problems to work with them and let them affect their attitudes.

5. An Excellent Salesperson Is An Expert With His Products Or Services.

Great salespeople know their products inside and out. They are fanatical with details. They embrace non-stop learning. They can answer even the most complicated questions from customers without having to refer them to someone else at the company. This is why you will never see a great salesperson who is sloppy and careless.

6. An Excellent Salesperson Is Driven To Succeed.

There are 2 important qualities excellent sales people exhibit; their creativity and assertiveness. They are energetic and they have a very strong work ethic and you see them putting in more hours than their co-workers because they are extremely competitive. They do not compete against others but they compete against themselves. Learning more, doing more and producing more.

7. An Excellent Salesperson Has A Service Mentality.

One thing that distinguishes great sales people is that they are able to step outside of themselves and see things from the customer’s point of view. They do not focus on their benefits or commissions but they focus on meeting all the customer’s needs.

There is a great difference between sales people who are average and those who are excellent. Excellent salespeople never stop improving on themselves. They always strive to be better. They read books, they listen to tapes, they attend non-company sponsored seminars and they read columns just like this one. (Serious!)

But above all, they are good servants because they exhibit what Scriptures say…you know…the part that says something about “doing to others what you want others to do unto you…”

So happy selling.

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And so the CEO is retiring and the buzz in the work place is that the most senior staying executive might take over his place. A consultant was brought in. The senior exec talked to him and wanted to get his personal opinion about the matter. The consultant was a frank, brutal-to-the-truth kind of man who looked at him and said, “Frankly, I don’t think you will be chosen by the board to head this organization.” The senior exec was devastated. He said, “But I have the seniority, I have the skills, I have the qualifications and I have the experience and it’s a logical choice that I will be the next CEO of this company.”

The business consultant turned confidant with a serious look on his face said, “Yes, my friend there is no doubt about that but…you just don’t have the CEO walk!”

The moment I came across this story I knew what that means.

What’s a CEO Walk? What it means is that the way you look and the way you package yourself all says a lot about you. People see you and make snap judgments about you and this is why the way you look really matter especially in business.

People are way more critical than you think – don’t give them fuel for the fire!

First impressions are lasting impressions. But if you’re like most people, you probably can’t see the first impressions you’re making.

Now some people do not like this. They claim that what they are in the inside matters more than what they look like on the outside. True. No argument there but how many people do you know have the luxury of telling people, “Don’t judge me with how I look, I am really a better person from the inside…” People might say, ‘What are you smoking?”

Here’s what you can do. Ask one or more of your close friends if you are guilty of any of the following image deficiencies below. If so, thank your friends for their honesty, and don’t take it against them but immediately do something to correct your deficiencies! Create an impression you want to last by being conscious of the following:

1. Your Handshake

Some people shake hands with a limp wrist dead fish handshake and they think they are conveying humility by doing so. For a man this is a sign of weakness or disinterest for a woman a sign that she lacks confidence. Shake hands with confidence.

2. Your Clothes

I hear consultants say, “Your clothes do not have to be expensive…” Now coming from years of the garments industry background allow me to tell you that it is extremely difficult to get good, respectable and decent business clothes from 168 boutiques. Just like every good thing in life you need to invest in quality. And quality costs money. Good clothes last longer and turn out to be more economical when used for the long haul.

3. Your Words

Now we’re moving into the less visible qualities that define your personhood. If you have a weak vocabulary then you would not be able to express your ideas very well and worst, people would not understand you well enough to respect you. Avoid mannerisms like “ah” and “um” and using slang and cuss words are simply not cool! I have also heard young women use words like, “Super,” “Awesome,” “Cool…” but they do not add value to your career development.

4. Your Grooming

Long hair, sideburns, three-day stubble, bad makeup job, un-tucked shirt or blouse, unpolished shoes – Says to people: “Can’t be left alone for a second with prospective clients” – also a sign of intellectual sloppiness!

5. Your Hygiene

Foul body odor, dirty fingernails, chronic bad breath – One of those things you want to ask your most trusted best friend about because (1) chances are, you can’t notice it, and (2) some people won’t want to hurt your feelings.

6. Your Posture

People notice the way you enter a room, the way you carry yourself. Take a few deep breaths to collect yourself. Stand tall and hold your head up high. Walk with purpose and direction.

7. Your Character

While it is difficult to assess the worthiness of a person’s character it its first and few encounters people could sense whether the person exhibits nobility by the way they speak and most especially by the way they treat those who are below them.

First impressions do last and you never get a second chance to create a first impression.

But one thing we need to remember is this. The Bible says human beings look at the outside appearance, God looks at the heart. This is why we have to make sure that the inside is clean first and the outside will take care of itself.

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I don’t know who came up with this material but I am sure he is a marketing genius. The material is entitled: Marketing 101 made simple.

Figure this out.

• You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say, “I am very rich. Marry me!” That’s Direct Marketing.
• You’re at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl. One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says, “He’s very rich. Marry him.” That’s Advertising.
• You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and get her telephone number. The next day you call and say, “Hi, I’m very rich. Marry me.” That’s Telemarketing.
• You’re at a party and see a gorgeous girl. You get up and straighten your tie, you walk up to her and pour her a drink. You open the door for her, pick up her bag after she drops it, and offer her a ride, and then say, “By the way, I’m very rich. Will you marry me?” That’s Public Relations.
• You’re at a party and see a gorgeous girl. She walks up to you and says, “You are very rich. I want to marry you” That’s Brand Recognition.
• You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say, “I’m rich. Marry me.” She gives you a nice hard slap on your face. That’s Customer Feedback!

The last one is really the punch line.

Now here is the key.

The best form of advertising and the most effective one at that is called Viral Marketing or better known as “Word of Mouth” advertising. It’s when people begin to talk about your product or services in a very positive way and word goes around. When this happens, you know you have achieved a certain level of success. Now let’s talk about this concept and see how it applies to your life and mine.

There are people who make a career out of advertising themselves.

They love the spot light. They donate money to charity, they do good works but they expect a lot of returns in form of public acknowledgement and recognition. And the moment you fail to do so you incur their rage and wrath. I know a couple of people like that. Pretty soon, the respect they want dissipates as word of mouth travels and they travel fast.

Some people worry too much about their reputation but they never take the time to develop their character. They key is to understand that all we need to do is to work on our character and our reputation will take care of itself. Viral marketing takes care of this.

Here is a worthy reminder. If you have to tell people who you are… then you’re not!

There are those who stand behind the microphone and speak passionately against sin and unrighteousness but they lie, slander, deceive and cheat and though they may be able to fool some people some of the time, eventually what they truly are will be found out. Again, word of mouth or viral marketing makes this happen.

And then there is the rare breed of people who do good works out of love. They have a sense of mission and an intense desire to make a difference in the lives of others. These are the people we truly admire. They don’t want the applause. They feel uncomfortable when they are publicly recognized. But they cannot hide this from the world. They cannot remain anonymous forever because viral marketing or word of mouth makes reveals who they are and what they have done. Let their tribe increase. We need more people like these in our country.

Suppose you have been doing well but your good deeds are not recognized nor is it appreciated. Don’t feel bad. Remember that there will always be at least One who sees you and knows what you are doing. Words of wisdom: “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

If it’s good products and services, you need to advertise but if it’s all about you…let others do the talking.

Remember this: When you talk about yourself that’s bragging. But when others talk about you now that’s a fact!

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