Superior Lamp Sales Tips- "The Last Straw"

THE LAST STRAW

Situations that arise sometimes invoke idioms or old sayings that bring that idiom into clear focus. “The Last Straw” is an old Mid-Eastern phrase that was derived from overloading a camel with that one ‘last straw’ that broke the beast’s back.

Each of us carries the burdens of everyday life with us on a regular basis; the house payment, the car, the back to school, Johnny’s braces, and oh yeah… my sons’ texting bills. Whew! Will it ever stop? The answer is probably not. So how do we juggle all these concerns and still focus on the task at hand, selling?

Well the good news is that you are not alone. All of us that enter our chosen profession encounter the same burdens as the camel. While continuing to balance our heavy loads, the desert that we, as sales people, have to cross each day is a different than other professions’. To be effective in our daily production, we have to project a persona that exhibits confidence and a positive attitude. To get to the next ‘oasis’ or sale we have to have the ability to reach down inside and motivate ourselves to remain positive.

I want to share a couple of secrets with you that have helped me walk the hot sands and remain positive. I have an old, stained and dog eared 3 x 5 card in my car, affixed to my sun visor that simply reads, “Fake it till you make it”. One of my morning rituals includes looking up at that card and reading it. Sounds simple, right? If I concentrate on all my troubles, the accounts that I call on will see that frustration and dismiss me. Believe me, they are carrying their own burdens and are not interested in experiencing mine. So I simply force or ‘fake’ a smile and low and behold the smile is contagious. I am not capable of brain surgery, but a 3 x 5 card is a tool I can handle.

The next tool I utilize has helped many sales professionals out when they were feeling the heat of the desert starting to get to them. This excellent tool is motivational books. Now if you are like most people, the thought of sitting down and completely reading a book, cover to cover, is as foreign as putting catsup on ice cream. Well the good news here is that opening just one of the many covers, and reading just a couple of pages, will help. I find that getting started down this road is best in small bites. The reason that these authors sell thousands of books each year is that they help the readers to clear their minds and receive positive clues on how to get up mentally and approach situations with a positive attitude. To discover one of these fantastic tools, just Google “motivational writers” and you’re off. Many of these books are available at your local library. (That’s the building down by the post office…just kidding.) Want different results? Try something different. These two tools have helped many camels dance across the hot sands.

Good selling

Tom Mosher
Executive Staff

SUPERIOR LAMP SALES TIP: "DO YOU BELIEVE?"

DO YOU BELIEVE?

Everyday we are bombarded with information from more and more available sources. The information age is turning into the “overload age”. If you and I are experiencing this glut of supposed facts, then you can be pretty sure your customers are receiving the same overabundance of information on a daily basis. In the end, what it comes down to is that we are all looking for the right answers but there are so many choices. The ‘he said’ or ‘she said’ can present a mind numbing situation that makes the decision making process very complicated. This is where the conviction or belief that we show in our own products and services can make the difference in closing a sale.

In my last communication, I mentioned that we would be reviewing the tools you have available in your toolbox. There is a strong tool in the box that helps the buyer make his decision: The Order Blank Close. This technique has been around the sales profession for many decades, and there is good reason that this tool has survived over the years …. IT WORKS!!!

Most accounts you call on are making decisions based, not only on the information they receive via the demonstration or your presentation, but also the conviction you demonstrate when closing. They are looking for the salesperson that believes in their product and who will be around in the future to service their account. One of the strongest statements you can make is to assume the sale. When you put your head down and start to write, it shows you are expecting a ‘yes’, and it is just a natural continuation of the sale. Yes, conviction turns lookers into buyers.

Will you get objections after you begin to write on the order pad? You should expect them and be ready to follow up with the appropriate rebuttal, then return to the order pad and write up the order. If you hesitate to write on the pad, it shows the buyer that you don’t believe and conversely, why should they? The Order Blank Close and the conviction with which you proceed will instill confidence in the buyer that they are making the right decision.

…..DO YOU BELIEVE…..!!!!


Tom Mosher
Executive Staff