Sometimes it seems like you just can’t catch a break. No matter how hard you work, how well you pitch your product, you simply can’t generate a sale. You can’t let this rut frighten or discourage you. What you need to do is take a deep breath and turn to Thomas Edison and look at his creative process. When you do so, you’ll learn whole new ways to sell more creatively and hone your creative skills, using them to help you generate more sales.

Edison knew how to listen. Part of this was because he was genuinely interested in people and enjoyed hearing their stories. Another reason he was such an astute listener was because he learned that by listening to others, it would often trigger an idea. By listening to the stories your prospective clients tell, you just might pick up on something that will help you quickly create a pitch that’s bound to work. A genuine personality and respect will get you further in the conversations with clients.

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Edison had fantastic people skills. It didn’t matter if he was with someone one on one, or if he was hanging out with a group of talented individuals, he knew how to connect with everyone he met. You can do the same thing. The next time you’re with a group of people take a few moments to observe them. At this point you should assume the role of the leader. Make it a point to draw each person into the group and identify the unique talents they’re contribution ads. You’re going to find this trait makes you stand out from your associates, putting you in a position to take on bigger accounts.

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In addition to acknowledging the talents of your other sales associates, you need to be willing to take a step back and let them shine once in a while. For example if you have an account you can’t seem to connect with, see if someone else might be better suited for the task. After all you’re supposed to be working as a team.

The next time you meet someone force yourself to keep an open mind. Assume nothing. This was a skill Edison used to his advantage. By not making assumptions your body language won’t accidentally tell a potential customer anything that could cause them to want to take their money elsewhere.

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A last piece of advice is to always try to be as humble as possible when you are out on a sales call. Read a book or two about body language and mannerisms. This investment will pay dividends!

Related Article: Stop Pitching & Start Solving Client Problems

Personal Growth from SelfGrowth.com: http://www.selfgrowth.com

SelfGrowth.com is the most complete guide to information about Self -Improvement, Personal Growth and Self Help on the Internet. It is designed to be an organized directory, with articles and references to thousands of other Web Sites on the World Wide Web.

Sell To The Decision Maker

Ask any sales coach and they will tell you, when selling, it is important not to waste much time on a prospective buyer that has no real influence over purchase decisions. If you need to, spend some time with this person to make sure you get your chance to talk with the decision maker. You need to make your way to the decision maker eventually if you expect to make a sale. Ask up front if you are speaking to the decision maker. This will make your life a whole lot easier, and you will be using your time wisely.

Spot the Stringers

There are a couple of types of buyers that will keep you dangling on a string in the sales process. The first type may be the decision maker. They don’t want to tell you no, but they don’t want to tell you yes either. A vital aspect of your sales effort when dealing with this type of customer is to utilize your time accordingly. Spending time with this type of buyer will take your time away from other sales efforts that may be more important. The second type of stringer is the one that loves your product, but they can’t make a decision without talking to one of their superiors first. This is not such a bad thing, because they will be pitch your product for you and may have a close relationship with the decision maker. However, it is important that you ask to speak to the decision maker immediately once contact is made, so that you aren’t running around in circles trying to make a sale.

Meet with the Decision Maker

Successful selling is often determined by the amount of time that you actually get to spend with the people who make the decisions. You can spend a ton of time with a non-decision maker, but it won’t make much of an impact on your bottom line. You might as well be pushing paper behind a desk. It is often difficult to get in front of the people who are in charge, but you need to make every effort that you possibly can if you expect to see good results. If you are having trouble with this, consult a sales trainer or sales coach who will provide you with insights, tips and training on how to get in front of the decision maker. Receptionists may hold you back, but you must devise a strategy to get in front of the people who really matter. Try making an appointment to see the person in charge, instead of going back and forth with someone who has minimal authority.

Happy Selling!

From your Sales Coach 🙂

If you hope to succeed in the world of sales, you must have a skilled sales team in place. Personal selling is a thing of the past, because it does not even come close to driving the same level of results as what teams accomplish. When teams collaborate for the good of the company as a whole, rather than to meet individual goals, great things can happen. Not only do you have to engage your team in sales training and add new sales personnel often to succeed, you have to offer continual training for your sales employees that already exist as well. This is the only way to ensure that your sales employees are up to date on the latest sales strategies and trends.

Personal Selling vs. Team Selling

Companies that work on a sales team model, instead of personal selling, find that employees are much happier overall, their mental attitudes are much more positive, and they perform greater than those who work alone to reach their sales quotas or goals. Productivity is the ultimate goal. If your sales staff works alone, it is unlikely they will have the same level of motivation that they would have in working as part of a team. The important thing to do is to evaluate your sales force, to determine where things need to be improved. To evaluate your team effectively, try using a sales skills index assessment. If you expect your sales teams to achieve success, then you absolutely must listen to their input. If they feel as if they are part of the solution, then they will be inspired to reach for new heights.

Sales Teams and Productivity

Sales productivity can be tricky. Companies have found that working with sales teams can improve their sales long-term. Companies that do not use teams find that although their sales figures may look good on paper, they could suffer in the long run if sales members are offering subpar service. Individual sales members just do not have the same level of knowledge as teams do. When great minds collaborate together, overall sales are greatly improved. It is clear that teams are the way to go when companies are building their sales forces. Having a solid sales force can mean the difference between soaring profits and negative balance sheets. Spend the time to make your sales staff great.

Start doing more with sales teams that you manage!

Happy Selling!

Doug Dvorak attended the Integrity Executive Coaching Certification in Scottsdale, AZ. Doug now joins the “Elite Ranks” as a Certified Executive Coach.

Integrity Coaching® is a developmental process that equips managers with the knowledge, skills, and tools to improve sales performance and develop people to their highest potential. It is based on the belief that coaching begins with building people.

Integrity Coaching Includes:

• A simple 5-step coaching system
• Strategies for coaching different Behavioral Styles
• An eight-week follow-up course with accountability for application
• A leadership model that focuses on achieving a balance between developing people and reaching goals
• Strategies for breaking the Law of Limited Performance

Sales Leaders who participate in Integrity Coaching will:

1. Develop stronger coaching skills
2. Build performance through building people
3. Empower people to solve problems and make decisions
4. Keep people from plateauing
5. Help people develop strong goal clarity

Integrity Coaching Principles

Integrity Coaching is based on the fundamental beliefs that coaching is:

• Building people and helping them build your team and organization
• Identifying potential in people
• Helping people set goals and accomplish them
• Believing in someone at a greater level than they believe in themselves
• Equipping people to become self-sufficient in their growth
• Sincerely caring about the success of others and investing time and energy to promote that success
• Helping others develop a sense of purpose and vision for their professional and personal life
• Working with someone to identify meaningful, tangible, and attainable goals

Timeline for Behavior Change

The objective to Integrity Coaching is to support the consistent application of new coaching behaviors. Coaching processes and tools are introduced in highly interactive one-day seminar.

Skills are reinforced during a structured eight-week follow-up course where participants practice developmental coaching, report on progress, and learn from coaching experiences of their peers. These one-hour follow-up modules can be delivered through classroom, teleconference, or webinar.