Sales & the Constant Struggle.....

The Struggles of a Sales Person…. Choosing a career in sales for the majority of salespeople was not even a consideration when they left school.  However, somewhere along the way they answered an advertisement for a salesperson and found ourselves in new and unchartered territory.

If you were like me, you would have thought that ‘Selling’ would be easy; just be nice, courteous, offer an excellent customer service & experience and the ‘sales’ would just flow in as a result!    

“How hard could selling possibly be”?

How naive - I discovered I could not have been more wrong.  I also discovered that many employers showed a significant amount of ruthlessness when it came to employing salespeople.  If the sales person did not perform as to expectation they were gone, fired! It was simply a case of ‘next’.  And, the sad fact is that employers seemed to have the attitude that salespeople are like buses and trains, when one goes, another one will come along soon.  The old story, if you throw enough mud on the wall, some of it will stick.

But don’t get me wrong, selling can be a fantastic profession, you can earn enormous money and be exalted as a hero.  Good salespeople are in demand and they command big dollars!

“Unfortunately, few who enter the selling industry actually achieve sales success”.

If you are anything like me, in my early days.  I came to believe that sales people were born, not made.  I went to many sales training courses, yet I could not get past mediocre at best.   

Let me explain what my life was like when I was a mediocre salesperson.

I found myself under constant pressure to perform.  At the end of each month, I was publically (within the business) compared to other salespeople on the performer's list, being at or close to the bottom was embarrassing.  I was closely managed while others seem to have an easy ride (they were the performers).  My income was low in comparison to the top achievers.  I constantly lived with the fear of dismissal unless I achieved minimum targets.  The truth is, I started to hate the ‘Sales’ industry!  My feelings of self-worth and my self-esteem dropped, which created a whole new set of issues.  Can you relate to this?

Let’s not beat around the bush here, as I said, ‘Selling’ can be a fantastic profession, but it can also be the most soul-destroying profession on the planet!  The world is littered with failed sales people, each of these people did not just lose their job, they also lost a bit of themselves. Not one of these people set out to fail.  Sound familiar?

So, what about the ruthless employer, why are they so tough on salespeople?  That is easy, the salesperson has a huge responsibility, in business, everything depends on the ‘Sale’.  No sales, no revenue, no business; everyone loses their job!  An employer needs to be ruthless to stay in business.

The employer also has a significant challenge, how do they hire salespeople who actually ARE salespeople?  How do they help salespeople to improve their performance?  How do the mentor salespeople to become top achievers?  The reality is they simply do not know the answer to these questions, they turn to external sales training organisations for help, just like my early employers.  Unfortunately, in the majority of cases, external sales training courses do not work! This is due to being taught loads of sales theory, but the salesperson does not know how to apply the theory.  Hiring salespeople who then fail is extremely expensive for employers and creates a huge risk and strain on their business.

I have painted a picture of doom and gloom for both salespeople and employers. This is based on my experience as a salesperson (35+ years), sales manager, branch manager and sales development specialist (having worked with SME’s and Sales Managers around the World since 2002). I know what both sides face. 

Simply Selling can change the whole dynamic for both Salespeople, Sales Managers and Employers! 

For salespeople Simply Selling can transform your life, it can make you ‘Number 1’ in your organisation!  It did for me as I increased my conversion ratios on quotes from 30% to just over 80%!  I went from underperformer to top performer in little over a month.  If I can do it, why can’t you?  Just think of where sales success can lead you? The power you would possess, the income you could command, plus the lifestyle which comes with this success!

“Success in Sales is Everything”!!

For companies Simply Selling gives you the control, not some external sales training organisation.  You can train your own people, have the ability to coach and mentor your team.  You will avoid the huge cost of hiring underperformers, you will know if they have the ability, have an open mind for learning, and you will have greater control.  Just like I did as a Sales Manager when I hired my own sales team.

Selling is a profession and like any profession, selling is a skill that can be taught to almost anyone.  Yes, I grant you there are the naturals, however, most salespeople do not fall into that category. 

Simply Selling is a structured Sales Selling System! The system and skills within the system ARE easily transferable!! 

The question you should ask yourself is this, what am I willing to invest to increase my sales success?  

A recent client (a Plumbing Company having implemented the Simply Selling Sales System) invested $2,500 in learning the Simply Selling system!  Previously they could not win large $20,000+ renovation jobs, they always lost to other companies!  Just a couple of months after training, I received a letter proudly stating how they had won 5 sales in a row and increased one sale from $20,000 to $40,000, that is a total of $100,000.  The GP was 40%, that means the company made $40,000 and as this was extra profit over normal business activity it went straight to Nett Profit and the bottom-line!

Ask yourself is, earning $40,000 in profit a good ROI of $2,500? Of course, it is, but this is not where it stops.  This Plumbing Business is still selling more and higher value business, thanks to the Simply Selling Sales System!  

Here is an extract from an additional client’s feedback…

“Prior to doing so (Simply Selling), it was a complete mystery as to how to influence a sale or to think there was a system to it”.

The Simply Selling Online Program can change your life for what can only be described as a very small investment.  An investment which has the potential to provide an awesome rate of return through increased sales conversion ratio’s.

If Selling and Sales are important to you, then the Simply Selling Sales System training is: -

I am Fred Steensma, Managing Director of Simply Selling International.  I have accumulated a wealth of experience in the area of Sales, sales training and customer service development.  I am very passionate about helping you, the Sales Professional and Business Owner achieve your sales & revenue targets, career ambitions and sales skills development.  

View our ‘Sales Selling System On-Line Training’ here

Check our range of Sales Training Product’s at our ‘Online Shop’

For further information visit our website @: -

www.simplysellinginternational.com

Or email me direct @: -

fred.s@simplysellinginternational.com

If we are not already connected on LinkedIn - let's connect ....

PS: In addition to our online sales system course, we also provide sales training manuals, sales coaching and sales mentoring.  Indeed, we work with companies to revamp or install a practical Sales Selling System.