THE BENEFITS OF BEING A PROFESSIONAL SALESPERSON

1. Increased sales result from a better understanding of your job, making you a more valuable asset to your company and yourself.

2. Being a professional gives you increased job satisfaction because you are more successful.

3. As a professional, you will become more organised, more efficient, and better prepared. This gives you the increased confidence of knowing that you are prepared to handle any situation relating to your job that may arise.

4. The more professional you become, the more goal-oriented you will be. This is a tremendous benefit because goal-oriented people are more successful than those who do not set goals.

5. A professional is people-oriented, making it easier to relate to and understand the needs of your clients.

6. When you have the respect of your peers, it is easy to stay self-motivated and maintain a positive mental attitude. You will earn this respect by being a professional salesperson.

7. As a professional, you will improve yourself through constant learning to help you to keep abreast of changes in techniques, products and competition.

Your self-image will improve when you become more success-oriented. In time, your self-image and the professional image you project will become one and the same.

HOW TO BECOME A PROFESSIONAL SALESPERSON

1. Learn about yourself and your work by reading books, listening to tapes, taking courses and brainstorming with your associates.

2. Learn all you can about your competition and be aware of it at all times so you can better discuss the benefits of your product and services.

3. Keep up with changes in the economic and business world, especially as they affect your product or services.

4. Maintain a positive mental attitude about being a professional salesperson. The stronger your belief, the more pride you’ll have in your work.

5. Be positive and self-motivated. Love what you’re doing so you want to go to work each day.

6. Handle your clients more effectively by believing in your company and your product. This allows your clients to know they are going to benefit from your services.

7. Be goal-oriented. Establish goals on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis.

8. Do your job to the best of your ability.

9. Develop good work habits and make them second nature. The better your work habits, the more effective and productive are your efforts.

10. Spend a few moments each day reviewing all of the above, and use your daily planner to manage your time more effectively.

11. Be prepared for your clients. Organise your material so it’s ready when the need arises.

12. Feel confident with your professional sales presentation. You’ll be able to systematically present material to your client in an intelligent manner.

13. Become a good listener. Remember, people buy for their reasons, not yours. Listening to your clients at all times helps you better understand their needs and desires.

14. Service clients to the best of your ability. Remember, clients must know and believe you are acting in their best interest.

15. Take a sincere interest in your clients so they feel confident you are servicing them as you would like to be serviced yourself.

16. Before seeing clients, check your appearance. You have only one chance to make a good first impression.

THE BENEFITS OF A PROFESSIONAL SALES PRESENTATION

1. The biggest benefit of a professional sales presentation is increased sales. Your sales presentation can ensure continued success in selling if all of the other components of professionalism are followed.

2. You have a tremendous advantage over your clients. You are prepared to give a professional sales presentation. You know what you are going to say, they don’t.

3. You project professionalism to your clients. You are organised in your presentation and you thoroughly explain the benefits of your product.

4. You are better able to anticipate and handle objections before they arise.

5. A professional sales presentation allows you to concentrate more on your clients’ needs rather than on what you are going to say. You become a better listener and can ask more meaningful questions.

6. A professional sales presentation is a confidence builder. It is easier to stay self-motivated and maintain a positive mental attitude about your job.

7. You gain better control of sales situations because you know what you want to say and in what order. Examples of this are: know when you want to talk benefits of your product, when to ask questions, or when to listen.

8. A person who has a successful sales presentation will be more successful than one who does not. You will always have complete control over the situation. A properly organised sales presentation allows you to have a valuable check and balance system for monitoring your work.

HOW TO DEVELOP A PROFESSIONAL SALES PRESENTATION

1. Your goal should be to make your clients’ decision as easy as possible by having a logical, orderly sales presentation to follow.

2. Gather as much information as you can about your product and your competition.

3. Write down all of the information you wish to cover. Arrange this information by topics in their order of importance.

4. Be prepared to document the information you give your client, in the form of collateral material. This makes it easier for your client to believe what you are saying.

5. Know the benefits of your product so that you can readily refer to them.

6. Keep your sales presentation as short as your product allows, so that you can spend more time on closing the sale.

7. Allow enough time in your sales presentation for questions and answers. This allows you to better understand your clients.

8. Make sure you state the benefits of your product throughout your sales presentation. After you make a statement, give the benefits of your product and then ask your clients if they understand and agree with what you have just said.

9. Be proud of your sales presentation. The more pride you take in giving your presentation, the more you will strive to improve it.

10. Give the most professional sales presentation about your company and your product so that you can build value in what you are saying.

11. Ask questions in such a way to get your clients used to saying “yes”. Then when you ask for the order, this will make it easier to close the sale because your client is programmed into saying “yes” to you.

12. Make your presentation flexible enough to adjust to each clients’ decisionmaking process.

13. Before you meet with your client, visualise yourself closing the sale. This gives you added self-confidence.

14. Strive to get and maintain your clients’ undivided attention. Periodic questions can test if your client is listening.

15. During your sales presentation, accomplish these objectives: gain trust, be believable, create needs and solve problems, create urgency and put in added value to your product and services.

16. Periodically, it is important to have brainstorming sessions with your colleagues about their sales presentations. You can always learn from others.

THE IMPORTANCE OF DEMONSTRATING THE BENEFITS OF YOUR PRODUCT

1. It is important to realise that the more you demonstrate the benefits of your product, the easier it will be to ask your client to buy from you – now, or in the future.

2. Your clients always want to know what is in it for them by buying your product. Properly demonstrating the benefits of your product will achieve this.

3. Make it easier for your clients to want to listen and pay attention to your sales presentation.

4. Make your clients understand your product and services relative to your competition. You accomplish this by demonstrating the benefits of your product.

5. It is important to do your job as effectively as you possibly can. Demonstrating the benefits of your product helps make your job of selling much easier.

6. Your competition is selling benefits of their product and services to your customer. If you don’t demonstrate the benefits of your product, you will have a more difficult time competing.

7. Features are hard to sell. It is important to sell benefits, benefits, benefits.

8. Demonstrate all the benefits of your product. You should assume that your clients do not know and understand all the benefits of your product.

HOW TO DEMONSTRATE THE BENEFITS OF YOUR PRODUCT

1. Learn everything you can about your product, competition and clients.

2. List the benefits of your product before seeing your clients. This is a very effective way to illustrate your product’s benefits.

3. Believe in your product so you are believable to your clients.

4. Remember, a benefit is a claim you are making, so be prepared to validate what you’ve said.

5. Emphasise the value of your product, because the more value, the greater the benefits of owning your product.

6. Use the word “benefits” in your sales presentation.

7. Benefits sell your product, so be very deliberate in demonstrating the benefits so your clients understand what you’re saying.

8. Make your clients aware of the benefits of your product as soon as possible.

9. Describe your product’s benefits positively so clients are enthusiastic about you and your products.

10. Ask questions and listen so you can express benefits to clients in terms of their dominant buying motives.

11. Make sure your clients understand all aspects of your product.

12. Use supporting material to demonstrate the benefits of your product. This makes it easier to believe and understand what you’ve said.

13. Demonstrating the benefits of your product makes it easier for your clients to buy. Repeat the benefits as often as necessary to help close the sale.

14. Help your clients visualise owning your product and reaping the benefits of ownership.

15. After explaining your product’s benefits, ask questions to gain client agreement. Without agreement, your sales presentation cannot lead to a successful conclusion, so determine what the objections are and overcome them – now or later.

16. Make certain that your clients realise the benefit they have in buying your product, is dealing with a successful, professional salesperson they can trust and depend upon – you!