Disclaimer – If you read this post and apply what I say you will have more sales than you can deal with!

My sales experience started when I left the Army and got my first “real” job working in a computer reseller.  I was an account manager working with some major brands.

Basically I took orders over the phone and put them into an ordering system.  Not much selling there then!  But I did learn about what selling is and how to do it badly.

When I realised that in order to make a lot of money at this company you had to be the CEO I left and looked for a new job.  It didn’t really matter that I left before I had a new job as I was still living at home!

So, after going to many interviews I met this guy who was starting up an office in London for an American startup business.  They had some cool new software that was in the Portal market.  At the time when you said “We develop portal” software investors gave you money.

The Manager who was starting London had done a couple of years in the Royal Artillery so we had something to talk about and I think he thought I must have been OK as I had been the in Army also.  Something I don’t tell anyone is that I did take and pass some of the MCSC exams (techie) when I left the Army.  I think he also like that!

For some reason he hired me on as a Junior Account manager to support the clients we had in London and Europe.  During this time I also made tea, managed clients, wired up the office network and basically did everything he couldn’t do.

The strange thing was I had another boss in the States.  Her name was Max, she was head of client support.  I didn’t learn that much from Max about selling (mainly because that wasn’t her role) but I did learn about managing clients and supporting them.  Really she is still the best person I know for this.  What she taught me was that you have to work above and beyond the clients need all the time.

So what about the sales?

Well it was a few months after I was hired that the manager hired in a “big gun” sales guy.  He was considered to be “proper” salesman who would go out and get the “big deals” and close business.

This is really where my sales training started.

Keith was a great salesman.  Completely different to what I thought he would be.   He didn’t go into meetings doing some big presentation.  Instead he sit down and draw things out on bits paper over a tea or coffee.  He was intense but friendly and would rather listen than talk.

How different from my perception of what a good salesman should be!

The funny thing is I only had to look to my mother to know what a good salesperson is….more on that below!

Keith and I sold software all over Europe together.  Mainly me sitting in the meetings listening to what was going on and doing some demonstrations when Keith needed it.  Over time he let me speak more and I started to sell.

Not only did he teach me about selling to customers he also taught me about selling to your own company.  I remember once Keith said that before you go into a meeting for a review for pay always have an industry magazine open on your desk at the recruitment section…just so your boss thinks you are always looking at better jobs!

Was Keith the best?  He was good.  Do I sell like him?  No not really but he taught me the basics of selling that I will always use.  He was a great salesman and a good guy.

So forward 10 years and I have sold many different products and services.  I have sold products, software, services and ideas.  Over this period my style has changed completely.  I am not sure I even “sell” anymore.  At least I don’t even think about it.

How do we sell today?

Today selling is different.  Gone are the days when you went to a potential client and did some amazing presentation and just kept on going until they final bought what you have.  That still goes on but it’s not what the great salespeople are doing.

Great salespeople and successful business people know that you have to give people what they want.  Zig Ziglar said “If you give enough people what they want you will get anything you want”

That’a a great saying.

Just think about that.  If you can find out what people want then you can provide that and sell.

It’s a simple concept and many people will know this already.  You might be reading this post thinking “Yeah Matt, I know this already, it’s in so many of the book and courses I have read and been on”

Yes that is true. This is not a secret.  Even big companies teach this now to thier salespeople that it’s become annoying.  Instead of selling they just want to help, to ask questions and basically piss you off!

And this is the key to all of this!

We might know some method of selling that we have been taught in a course or book or CD but that is useless if we don’t know how to communicate with people.  If you can’t build a realaltionship with them then it doesn’t matter what you know.

The best people I know in business and life have the best personal development skills.  They can communicate with people and make other people feel comfortable and relaxed.

That’s what Keith did.  He made people feel like they were just having a chat and once you get them to that then they are open to looking at your product.  Remember if you are selling then people naturally don’t want to buy.

They might want the product but they don’t want to buy.

I am not saying that you need to be a question machine – Don’t start asking loads of questions.  You need to just build a relationship with people and let them come to you.

So do I always just stand back and let them do all the work?

NO! NO! NO! NO!

Actually I am fairly direct and like to get to the bit about what they want.  But I do listen and I come from a position of understanding their problem. I am open, relaxed and direct about what I can do and how I can help.

Should I read Sales books then?

Yeah why not.  It’s not a bad idea to learn some of these methods.  But what is really going to change your selling is reading Personal Development books.

Reading Personal Development books will change the way you sell.  You will also change your life in so many ways but I don’t want to talk about that.

The more you read of these books the more you will learn how to relate to people.  As I said, this isn’t about being some weird question robot that is trying to build a relationship.  It’s about really being comfortable and making the other person feel relaxed with you.

Don’t try hard! If you are trying you have probably missed the point.

If you can only read one Personal Dev book then read How to Win Friends and Influence people.

If you can read more take a look at my list here.  Top 10 Personal Development Books.

I know that there are many people who say that you need to learn Spin Selling and other methods but really you don’t.  You just need to have a natural want to help people.

My mother is one of those people.  She is one of the best sales people I know.   Yet if you met her you would think she is just a really pleasant person.  She isn’t pushy or over friendly but she can sell.  Why?  Because she knows how to make people feel comfortable, she can get you to feel relaxed and relates to you.

If you can do this you can sell.

Don’t worry about selling, just focus being relatable and helpful.

Matt