How to become a successful salesman

Accordingly, in order to understand whether it will be possible to sell a particular person a product or not, it is necessary to learn more about his needs and financial capabilities. It is also necessary to take into account his individuality: to identify the distinctive features of his beliefs and views on the world, to understand how he identifies himself in society, whether he attributes himself to a particular nation, culture, class. After all, his model of behavior will be based on these factors.

So, to be a successful salesman and sell a lot, you need to understand who is in front of you. After all, it is obvious that for a person from an average family the main factor in the choice is «price-quality», and for a person with more financial resources – external beauty, uniqueness, and often the history of origin of the goods.

Some people buy things just to emphasize their VIP status. Some people buy things because of their religious beliefs. Someone – solely on recommendations. And someone – to be like everyone else. Therefore, the expression «For every product there is a buyer» is one hundred percent true.

To understand what kind of person is standing in front of you, you can, of course, look at how he looks. But I would not recommend relying on this factor, because appearances are often deceiving. I have met many times with the inconsistency of a person’s image with typical templates. So the main thing is to listen, ask leading questions and, based on the answers, draw conclusions about the person.

In his time, the famous American psychologist Abraham Maslow drew up the well-known pyramid of needs, on which he showed that each person, based on his position in society, has certain needs. It is very easy to understand the drawing. Its meaning goes back to our distant past and is based on simple instincts.

The point is that man has had needs since antiquity, but they were primitive. He needed to survive, and for this he needed food and protection from predators, enemy tribes, weather, etc. He also had and need for continuation of the species. And when the basic needs were satisfied, the following needs appeared – love, family, friendship, social relations. And after that the need for self-expression, manifestation of one’s «I», self-improvement and learning came to the forefront.

THE PYRAMID OF NEEDS (Abraham Maslow)

You can read more about his theory if you wish, but I have given you the basic gist of it.

The fact is that nothing has changed in the many centuries of humanity’s existence. Just like in the past, we still need food, protection, communication, etc. In my opinion, the only changes have occurred in the social and personal aspects – they have become a bit more complex.

Based on all this, it becomes clear: in order to sell a sausage or a loaf of bread, you do not need to be a super-salesman and use complex sales techniques. Hunger itself will make people buy food. That’s why this field is so vast, and grocery stores are becoming more and more numerous every year.

But to sell a fur coat, a car, a boat, a house, building and finishing materials, etc. – this requires a special approach. After all, for example, when choosing a fur coat, a person is not based on basic needs. He makes a choice based on aesthetic appearance, fashion, social belonging, wants to emphasize his individuality and indicate the presence of taste.

So in such cases, you have to take everything into account and try to understand what is paramount for a person: what he or she relies on when choosing a product, what really drives him or her – what feeling, desire, need. Maybe it’s a childhood dream? If you understand this, you will definitely offer something that he will not be able to refuse. In such cases, the buyer usually says, «Yes, that’s exactly what I wanted!» and then thanks you for helping him understand his desires.

I’m sure someone can and does intuitively understand how and what to say and show. Many salespeople don’t even think about their actions, but they often use this very technique. The only problem is that when it happens spontaneously and unconsciously, you have no control over it and it depends on your mood, inner feelings, external factors, etc.

So I suggest you make a rule. It doesn’t matter what mood you’re in or what you’ve got going on. If you’re out at work and you’re going to sell people products, you just have to leave all the bad stuff at the door. Nothing should distract you. The moment you talk to a person, you should be open, friendly and able to hear to understand their needs and capabilities. And in time you will begin to understand people, as psychologists do. If you stay with a person for five minutes, you will be able to make him feel at ease, find out about his needs and possibilities, find out the reason why he came to you, etc. All this will happen, don’t worry! Everything will happen if you work on yourself and analyze your actions.

So, I propose to deal with the main questions of this chapter. What are buyers like? How do you understand what a buyer wants? How to recognize what class he belongs to? And what do you need to do to sell him a product?

First, to get clear, let’s understand the classes of buyers. I wonder if you recognize yourself in any of them? Once I tried to define myself to a certain class, but I could not make a clear choice. Then I decided that I am a mixture of everything in me, but I still liked the economy class the most from the list.

The point is that when we analyze ourselves, we have a lot more information at our disposal. And given that I have spent my life selling people products and studying their behavior, it was not so easy for me to evaluate myself as a customer. It’s like solving an equation: the fewer variables, the simpler the equation, and the more variables, the more complex. So when I asked an acquaintance to define me to a particular class, he did it in five seconds. It’s not for nothing that they say it’s easier to judge from the outside.

Why do I sympathize with the economy class? Because it is the people who belong to it who analyze the necessity of the purchase before buying. They are more rational in their choice. They need a good product for which they will not overpay. It is also important for them that it should be reliable, fashionable and modern. But this is personally my subjective view. And I do not urge you to judge by the categories of «good» or «bad». After all, all people have different angles of vision. And the main difference between them is the amount of money.

This resource affects the thought process and people think in different categories. There will always be rich and poor. But to treat them based on their material status I think is absolutely wrong and ignorant. Every person is defined by his deeds. But that’s not the point now – we can talk about it for a long time.

But before we get to the class breakdown, I want you to remember the main point. Never evaluate a person solely on the basis of his appearance. And you should not be prejudiced against the economy class or, on the contrary, kiss the elite’s ass, prostrating yourself in front of them. You should be a specialist, equally friendly and sincere with any person. This position will protect you from unwanted mistakes. Stick to it!

So, let’s talk about classes:

1) Economy class. You need to be inexpensive and good, that is, so that the price equals the quality. If a customer is looking for an inexpensive product, there is no point in telling him about an exclusive collection or a premium segment. In no case should you allow him to feel like a beggar. Talk to him as if he is buying an expensive car. Give him attention and offer the kind of product he can actually buy. And never tell him that the item he is interested in is of poor quality or economical. Do not label him as poor. And believe me, the buyer will appreciate it, and you will hear from him words of gratitude. He will recommend you to friends and leave positive reviews on the Internet. That’s what it means to treat a person well.

2) The middle class is the most harmful. As a rule, its representatives are not very rich yet, but they are already trying to point out their financial well-being with all their appearance. They need to be different from everyone else – they try to stand out in society. Therefore, one of their main arguments when choosing a product will be accents on exclusivity, luxury, fashion and modernity.

Of course, in every rule there is an exception. And among the representatives of this class there are pleasant and good people. But, based on my practice, I can safely say that it is these people who are the most problematic. They take a very long time to choose – they check prices on the Internet, ask for a discount, haggle, at the last stage they can take and start all over again.

Here, to sell, you really need to work hard. It is necessary to understand what the buyer really wants and what he can count on. If you do everything right, you will soon make friends with him and he will listen to your opinion.

3) Premium class. As a rule, it includes people who have already self-actualized in life. They do not need to jump out of their pants to be recognized. They are self-confident and have the easiest attitude to shopping. You can spend thirty minutes with them and get a deal. They are always ready to get involved. What matters to them is the place where they order and your competence. To sell them something, you have to be highly qualified in their eyes. The buyer must feel that he has turned to a real professional and it is he who will offer him what he really needs – an option that is time-tested, has a history, and, accordingly, quality and reliability. They also perceive expensive classics well. They like classic and traditional styles. They realize that fashion comes and goes, but classics are eternal.

These are the main basic categories that I decided to highlight so that I can form sales principles for a specific group of people. I think that many of you who have been in sales for a long time have noticed similar behavior in certain categories of citizens. And you have automatically used worked out techniques. And for someone who is just now embarking on this path and has no experience yet, this information is extremely important and necessary for successful work.

In order to better understand the psychology of the customer, you need to constantly analyze cause-and-effect relationships. Why did he choose your store? Why is this particular product, in his opinion, more suitable for him? And so on. To begin with, you can practice on acquaintances and relatives. Ask them when they last bought any thing and what moved them at each stage: from choosing a store to buying goods. How did they perceive the seller at the time of consultation? Did they like it in the store? What, in their opinion, played a key role in the choice of goods? And so on. Practice analyzing and drawing conclusions.

Here is an example of a standard, in my opinion, analysis. Let me remind you that no one is restricting you – you can analyze deeper and on a larger scale.

My buddy bought a new pair of shoes the other day. I questioned him.

– Why did you decide to buy a new pair of shoes? You seem to have plenty of them already.

– I recently bought new pants and then realized I needed dark shoes or sneakers to go with them, and my similar ones are just about worn out.

– Why did you choose this particular shoe store?

– It’s near my house and I’ve bought shoes there once before. And in addition, I have a discount card that they gave me last time.

– Why did you choose these sneakers? And not the usual black shoes?

– I purposely didn’t buy ordinary shoes – I was already tired of them. I wanted something new. And when I tried on these sneakers, I felt comfortable in them and also imagined how well they would go with my clothes.

– How did you feel about the cost of these sneakers? How much did you pay for them?

– Can you imagine, I was so surprised when I found out their price! It was much less than I expected. And when I showed my card at the register, they gave me another 10% off. I was thrilled! I was very lucky! I was willing to pay three times as much for them because I really liked them. When I found out the price, I even thought about buying two pairs at once. But then, of course, I thought about it and decided that I didn’t need two identical sneakers. I’d rather buy something else.

– Did you like the way the salesperson consulted you?

– I didn’t consult with anyone. There were a lot of people on the sales floor and the salesman was busy. I wasn’t going to consult. I think it’s pretty self-explanatory. I liked the shoes – I tried them on and went to the checkout.

– Will you come back to this store again?

– Absolutely! It has a constantly updated assortment and nice prices.

– Would you be willing to recommend this store to friends?

– Of course! I’m willing to give them my discount card. Especially since the discount is cumulative.

Based on these questions and answers, certain conclusions can be drawn.

1) A person made a purchase because he had a need for the product.

2) The store was chosen for two reasons: convenient location and past experience of visiting it. And in addition – the availability of a discount card. But the latter did not play a key role. The choice of the product was made on the basis of its appearance and comfort.

3) The cost of the product pleasantly surprised and increased the desire to buy it. To be more precise, this fact even prompted the thought of buying two identical things.

4) The role of the sales consultant was absent – the product sold itself.

5) After some time, the customer will come to this store again for new shoes.