Everybody does. Everybody knows how to sell. You’ve known how since you were a toddler. You might not like doing it but you know how.
If you’ve ever been on a date, you sold something. If you ever got permission to visit a friend, you made a sale. If you convinced your parents to let a friend visit, you were selling. You know what it is. You just don’t know that you know.
I’ve sat through at least 600 hours of sales training. I’ve listened to “experts” from every business sector. I’ve heard gurus turn real simple stuff into meticulous projects where every syllable has to be studied, dissected and spoken in a precise cadence. From where I sit, they cloak selling in mystery and formulas. It’s the same with marketing.
Selling isn’t any of that magic stuff. Selling is: Who do you want to do business with? Where will you find them? What can you learn? What motivates them? How does my stuff help their company/organization? What examples can I share? Make contact. Try again. Follow up. Win a shot. Do what you say. Follow up more and never stop asking questions.
Selling isn’t any more complicated than that. Selling is like diet and exercise. It’s simple. It’s discipline. It takes commitment. It takes daily effort. It’s hard but it isn’t brain surgery.
I learned everything I needed to know to succeed in selling from my mother. I didn’t know that’s what she was teaching me. She didn’t either. Mom was actually concerned when I quit my buying job to try sales in 1978.
But she taught me about people. She said, “being popular is about others. It isn’t about you. The more you care about others the more they will want you around.”
She also taught me about being responsible. It was my job to stay out of trouble. When I started the first grade she said, “be sure you behave. I’m going to always believe the teacher. Don’t even look like you’re acting up.”
Now, I’ll freely confess to spending my share of time in detention hall. I learned what I could get away with at school and at home. But I wasn’t confused about right and wrong. I knew when I was acting up. As I say every week, you get what you get when you do what you do. This goes for selling and every other life path.
She also taught me about being honest. She said, “if you want people to trust you tell the truth. If you bend the facts that will become your reputation. People won’t listen to you when it matters most.”
I plan to talk about her sales tips in the weeks ahead. Maybe I’ll call it “My Momma Said.” I haven’t decided.
But trust me on this. I’m not confused about sales. I’m crystal clear on what works, what matters and what stuff you can kick to the curb. My blogs with Printing Impressions have one goal. That’s to help you sell more stuff.
I’ll be back Monday with My Momma Said #1.
The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions. Artificial Intelligence may have been used in part to create or edit this content.
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Bill Gillespie has been in the printing business for 49 years and has been in sales and marketing since 1978. He was formerly the COO of National Color Graphics, an internationally recognized commercial printer and EVP of Brown Industries, an international POP company. Bill has enjoyed business relationships with flagship brands including, but not limited to, Apple, Microsoft, Coca Cola, American Express, Nike, MGM, Home Depot, and Berkshire Hathaway. He is an expert in printing sales, having written more than $100,000,000 in personal business during his career. Currently, Bill consults with printing companies, equipment manufacturers, and software firms. He can be reached by email (bill@bill-gillespie.com) or by phone (770-757-5464).