It’s fair to say that sales training has had a significant impact upon my life over the last 18 months and I have come to realise that the ability to sell is an essential life skill that should be taught and practiced from an early age. Furthermore, a thorough understanding of the sales process is essential when considering your online marketing strategy.
When you think of a sales person, many people will conjure up an image in their mind of the slippery salesman with the gift of the gab pressurising people into a purchase they don’t want to make, often in a dishonest way. I don’t mind admitting, that exact image formed in my mind and, because I did not want to be that person, I failed to see how sales was really relevant to me and my career.
So what changed?
The biggest change was a decision to purchase and listen to an audiobook called “Sell or be Sold” by 
He then went on to describe the sales process in detail and emphasise the need to “practice, drill and rehearse” in order to perfect your craft. Most importantly, he led me to the understanding that high quality sales skills can be developed and nurtured and that professional sales people always take the time to understand the customer and their needs so that they can hopefully advise them on the most suitable product or service for them and then go on to close the deal.
There is an abundance of information out there
I then followed his advise and started to consume as much information on the subject and related to the subject as I could. I read books, listened to audio-books and on my father’s advice attended some in-person sales training.
Two stand out books are:
Life’s a Pitch by Philip Delves Broughton
Bounce by Matthew Syed
Life’s a Pitch endorses the importance of sales skills to success in all areas of our life. Broughton writes, “master the art of the sale and you will master the art of life”. Bounce is a book with the subtitle “How Champions are Made” and it is primarily concerned with sporting excellence and how the idea of God-given talent is a myth. Purposeful practice, attitude and consistency are the real keys to greatness. Whilst it’s essentially about sport, Syed is keen to emphasise that his assertion can be applied to all walks of life.
Hopefully you can see how all of these things combined to confirm that good sales skills can be learned and that good sales people are professional and obsessed with meeting their customers needs. The exact opposite of the caricature I described at the start of this article.
Did this new found knowledge translate into greater success?
Within two months of reading Sell or be Sold I closed three agreements that would prove to be sizeable accounts for my former employer and what’s more I only paid £8.99 for the book!
With this knowledge, I felt confident to push on with new goals and began the process that would lead me to this moment; writing this article as I look to establish myself as a photographer, videographer and drone pilot with a unique understanding of how good content can transform your online marketing.
How does this translate into my online and social media marketing?
If you understand the sales process and are deeply attuned to your customers needs you are far better placed to produce and publish content that adds value to their daily lives. This results in greater engagement and ultimately leads to more sales. My advice? Make sales training and purposful practice a part of your regular routine.
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