Your appearance as a salesman is of no concern to anyone but you

But to you IT IS VITAL.

If your appearance is wrong you place yourself under an immediate handicap.

I know some salesmen who sell successfully despite their appearance but how much does the wrong appearance cost you? You will never know.

Your prospect will not tell you he doesn't like your style of haircut, your suit or tie, or your kinky boots. But it registers, it creates an emotional resistance to you and consequently to your product.

Your product may be good enough to overcome this resistance, but why fight the fight with one hand tied behind your back. How should you dress then?

That is difficult to answer, but there are important guidelines that can safely be offered: -

1) Dress as though you already are the successful person you wish to become, with emphasis on quality rather than flamboyancy.


2) Dress with the other fellow in mind. How would he expect to see a successful person like you dressed? Bear in mind the majority of people who are running a business i.e. people you are selling to, usually reach their positions in their mid or late forties, by which time their tastes are more conservative.

These are the people who will give you the success you deserve, so avoid insulting their sense of propriety.

Do this without sacrificing your individuality or personality, which is a dynamic force in selling.

Boundless Enthusiasm

To become enthusiastic, force yourself to act enthusiastically.

If you are excited, the listener will become enthusiastic even if you present your ideas poorly. You should use all the enthusiasm you can muster until you become consumed with enthusiasm - then nothing can stop you.

Some people know enough about their product to write a book - yet they fail to earn their living selling it.

Others have only a fraction of this knowledge and yet make a fortune through selling it.

The vital factor is enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is the highest paid quality on earth, probably because it is one of the rarest. But it is the most contagious. Resolve to develop it and spread it as far as possible.




Build Your Self Esteem

As a salesman you must develop your self-esteem in order to deal with the inevitable lost sales.
They must never be allowed to undermine your own feelings of confidence. You must be aggressive in your attitude and have an overwhelming urge to succeed.

There are a number of things that you can do in practical terms to achieve your overall goals on a day by day basis: -

1) Make more presentations


2) Keep a record of your achievements and try to improve your performance in relation to the number of calls you make and the number of sales that result.


3) Make a positive target of increasing the value of each sale.


4) Make better use of time that is not spent in face to face presentations. Use this time learning sales skills, and in study groups.


5) Actively build your own enthusiasm - keep smiling, keep trying and keep success in mind, keep believing the next call will be the best call you ever made. Enthusiasm is infectious but it is prone to dilution!

Selling is the easiest job in the world if you work at it hard, but the hardest job in the world if you try to work it easy. Remember you can’t collect the bonus until you make the sale. You can’t make the sale until you make the presentation. You can’t make the presentation until an appointment has been made. You can’t make the appointment until you make the call.

“The whole foundation of selling is calls”. Remember the bee that gets the honey doesn’t hang around the hive.

Always be prepared to Go the Extra Mile


“You can help people most in this world by making the most of yourself.”