While at the gas station yesterday a gentleman struck up a conversation with me. He was admiring my car and asked what I did for a living. He said that he would do what ever it takes if it meant he could drive a BMW like mine. I thanked him for the compliment as I chuckled, then I told him I was in sales. He proceeded to inquire about how I got started in sales and what products I sold. I told him that I started 8 years ago by selling pizza coupons door to door. His jaw dropped to the floor! He said "No Way Really?? I could never do that!"
Just 15 seconds earlier he was willing to do anything to own a car like mine but now, all of a sudden he's freaked out because I said "Door to Door sales" I asked him why he felt that way and he said he just couldn't muster up the courage to approach a stranger and strike up a conversation. Obviously my response to that was... "Where have we met again?" He laughed and said "I get your point."
The fact is that we sell ourselves everyday. We talk to strangers everyday and we influence other peoples decisions everyday. These things are a part of life but when the average person contemplates doing it for a living, the fear of failure sets in. People are inherently afraid of rejection and failure and that fear usually precludes them from ever getting ahead in life. It prevents them from ever following their dreams. It sadly traps them in a daily rut and as years pass them by they end up envying those of us that were willing to do what the average person wasn't.
I noticed that the young man was wearing a wedding band on his finger and I mentioned "I see that you're married..." He said he's been married for 2 years. I then said "See, you are a salesman after all, you got her to marry you!" He smiled, agreed and then drove off as he waived good bye.
Anyone can learn to be an expert sales person if they have a coach or mentor and put in the time and effort. There is only one prerequisite.... You Must Have A Good Attitude.
Does that sound corny? It may, but it is a fact! Here's the deal... I can teach you the 5 steps to a sale, I can teach you the factors of impulse. I can tech you how to MAKE your prospects buy. I can teach you how to close the deal. I can teach you how to rehash, how to smother your territory and how to build a huge sales team. I can even tech you how to maintain a positive attitude when your having a bad day.
Want to know what I can't teach you? It's how to HAVE a positive attitude. Notice I used the word HAVE. Many people out there have written books on how you should "fake it to make it" and essentially how you should "pretend" to be a positive person. I don't mean to burst your bubble but, Attitude Is Not A Light Switch! You can't just turn it on and off when you please.
To be successful at sales all you need is a positive frame of mind and an optimistic attitude! "When you fix whats on the inside... everything on the outside gets better." Your attitude boils down to a simple choice: Do you want to be a positive person or a negative person? Make the decision and follow through. Your positivity will be contagious and it will attract more positive people. These are the people that will like you, trust you and BUY FROM YOU with just a simple nudge in the right direction!
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Omar Martin is an expert sales trainer online marketer and eBook author. He is dedicated to training and developing high performance sales leaders in every industry. He posts free sales advice and products on: http://www.omar-martin.com
http://www.HighPerformanceSalesSecrets.com