Mastering the Art of Selling in 2008

I read a great article in the WSJ about selling in today's market. It was well done and a few thoughts crossed my mind when I read it. Here is the link to the article. It was an interview with Ram Charan. 

What hasn't changed in selling throughout the ages?

- Passion for what you sell. There is no way you can promote and sell what you don't believe in for any length of time unless you believe in what you sell. Your customer demands that they work with someone who knows what it is they are talking about. that is if you want a repeat customer.

- The harder you try the luckier you get. IE. The more people you talk to the more sales you make. The unfortunate part of selling is to get your product in front of as many people as possible. How you do that is another subject altogether.

- The best salesperson is the one who learns to develop a system and/or a method to his madness and can train that method to his own personal power selling teams. A team member should always double or triple your productivity. 

 

Some of Ram Charan's tips for better sales in 2008. I like his ideas. Much can be discussed.

1. Know how the customer makes money. 

2. Learn the customer's decision making process.

3. Build many relationships with the customer, not just through sales.

4. Focus on the customer's needs, not product features or price (Yeah...)

5. Show how your offerings meet customers needs.

Let me know what you think?

SN