When customers come into your sights, whether it is a retail store, at an exhibition or in any other environment, they will be sending you signals.

The signals that they send will include:

* I am just wandering around with no real interest in products and intention to buy.
* I am interested in this product, but am not currently anxious to buy.
* I am very interested in this and might well buy it if you can answer a few questions.
* I want to buy this, now!

Source

According to an article by Shamus Brown, the top five characteristics of great salespeople are: results focused; courageous; high energy; knows people; and committed to growth. Being in sales gives them a great amount of freedom and discretion in using their time. To achieve the best result they focus their energy on the big picture, not letting anything interfere along the way. Fear does not affect their decisions, or even think of failures. They’re always looking for ways to improve themselves in attitude as well as techniques. The ability to build and maintain rapport is a very powerful skill that a salesperson can develop.

To have the passion for a product or to be familiar with the industry is not enough. As in all businesses, you have to study it, research about it, and assess your competition.

The point here is that you must know who your market will be. You don’t need to be a scientist to research your market and you won’t even need to hire a market researcher whom you’ll end up paying thousands just for that simple task. For the most part, all you have to do is talk to your friends and they’ll talk to their relatives. Chat up with your relatives and have their friends come over as well. You can also simply ask some random person on the street. Engage in small talks in the supermarkets or malls, as all the potential target consumers are all in those kinds of places. Ask them general questions that you can relate to the product you have in mind. It might be too informal to record but the spontaneity is what gives it its validity. Simple, but reliable research is what you have!

Management of overall sales functions includes analysis of competitive products and selling techniques, reviewing research, and working with budgets and quotas. Sales managers set pricing policies, select distribution channels, determine territories, decide which conventions to participate in and set entertainment policies. They are the authority in determining how incentive programs can be used to support these and other sales functions.

Other responsibilities in directing the sales force include staff recruitment and training, performance evaluation, monitoring daily sales activities, and dealing with customer service. A combination of sound management and people skills ensures a sales force that develops accounts and satisfies customers effectively.

There are two ways wherein you can become optimistic in your job and put your conviction at work. One way is to visualize a job greater than what you have. While you may not be a CEO or not even a manager, imagine yourself to be at least a team leader. How would you settle possible problems that your company may encounter? It’s not so much of having an illusion of being THE top man but it’s more of putting yourself in a bigger responsibility in order to train yourself for the actual sense of duty that you will meet later on. Having this self-commitment to undertake a greater role, you will be able to open up a panorama of brilliant business ideas that are sure to contribute to your company’s success.

The other way to put your commitment to work is through sharing of your imagination. Most of us are afraid to be deemed as eccentric or foolish upon having images in our heads. But little do we know that these kept images can be the genius that will change things positively. You just might have a “business intuition” that not anyone can realize in himself. Every company needs a business “artist” and eccentricity can be the key. Don’t be afraid to share your vision/s. As long as you know that you can make it work, hinting your associates about what you see can start things to get moving. Think of yourself as a “mission maker” – both to yourself and to your colleagues.

To be effective in our communication, we could learn about the basics of communication. Let’s study the principles, the concepts, the parts and the processes because the more we understand it, the more we can control it. After gathering information, we must apply that knowledge in our everyday living. In doing so, we gain skills that we can use anytime you need to. But of course, we must have resolve in continuing to practice what we learned while keeping in mind that we must adapt to the different challenges that come our way. And of course, let’s take the focus off ourselves. Not only that it increases our self-esteem, it also enhances our communication with others.

Sometimes we wonder what really drives us to do better, or at least what makes us do the things we do. There are a lot of reasons, but behind these reasons, there are always principles that determine the way we carry out our actions. It is very important that we know our values and that we are not uncertain to enact them. We may have all the goals in mind but if we don’t put value first, the end result won’t be what we expect. Putting value in everything that we do, especially in our work, would prove that there is more to just living life in the economic sense. Upholding values proves that we answer to a calling of survival and success that will last a lifetime.

Some questions to ask yourself, especially when you feel your motivation is slipping:

1. What is my meaningful motive? Am I focused?
2. Have I tapped my inner resources? What actions do I have to take to overcome this obstacle?
3. What’s driving me now to do this? Am I afraid or do I believe that I am capable of doing it?
4. Are my expectations high? Is there enough challenge for me or is it too much and unachievable?
5. What is my purpose? Have I set my goal, what do I want to achieve, what to contribute and to whom?

The following quotations are taken from a collection of motivational and inspirational quotes on Sales.*

William Faulkner: The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.

Henry Boyle: The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people half way.

Jim Rohn: The most important question to ask on the job is not “what am I getting?” The most important question to ask is “What am I becoming?”

*Sales Motivation Quotes, Simran Khurana, “Your Guide to Quotations” (About.Com:Quotations)

Napoleon Hill: The jack of all trades seldom is good at any. Concentrate all of your efforts on one definite chief aim.

William A. Ward: The mediocre teacher tells.

We believe that if we wish to succeed, we should be responsible for our choices and actions. We set goals but our thinking and belief in ourselves prevent us from achieving the best.

The best plan would be to do our best regardless of the circumstances. Focus on what is important, make the best choices, deal the best hands, and make the most of the hands you are dealt with. Use your talents, resources, work, relationships, everything that you have on hand and suppress negative thoughts.

By doing this your motivation is permanent and maximized, and external incentives are secondary.