There’s not a salesperson or sales manager reading this blog that will ever admit that they give the impression that they are an amateur in sales, as opposed to a professional salesperson. Not a chance. But some of you do.
Amateur: a person who goes from place to place hoping to make a sale.
Professional Salesperson: a person who solves problems & offers solutions.
You’ve gotta be saying right now, Yep, that’s me… professional salesperson. I’m good…. just ask me.
No need to argue with you on that. Let’s just go ahead & take a little survey. Here are 14 items that separate the Peddler from the Pro. If you can be ridiculously honest with yourself as you go down the list, we won’t ever tell anyone (they already know).
| Amateur | Pro |
| Thinks “curious” is a buying signal | Hears the word curious & knows it’s time to go to work |
| Tries to make a sale (convinces) | Tries to understand the problem & develop a solution |
| Handles objections (canned) | Brings up common objections & builds credibility |
| Stereotypes the prospect (prequalifies) | Never pre-qualifies – but gets to reality quickly |
| Gives the same “sales pitch” to every prospect | Treats every prospect differently & customizes solutions |
| Believes it when prospects say TIO (think it over) | Realizes TIO means NO most of the time |
| Stresses Features & Benefits | Stresses qualifying questions |
| Sees prospect as an “opponent” – wants the “Win” | Sees prospects as eventual partners (everybody Wins) |
| Views price as the main issue | Views total cost as key (sells the value) |
| Does 70% + of the talking | Does 70% + of the listening |
| Does bids, quotes & proposals (to everyone) | Offers quotes & proposals to qualified opportunities |
| Tries hard to “Close” business | Concentrates on opening business properly |
| Dumps information in the prospects lap | Asks good (sometimes tough) questions |
| Chases prospects for decisions | Sets expectations for when decisions will be made |
Definition of Professional Selling:
Your solution, your price, your terms – BOTH SIDES HAPPY
