Sometimes people ask me what is most important in my job. I answer that question with another question:

„What can I do for you?”

Because these six words express the key element of a successful sale: To understand the real desires, the most important demands of your counterpart.

Understanding a prospect’s requirements and offering a suitable solution, is what counts if you want to be successful in sales. To distinguish between the main priorities and additional “nice-to-haves”. Additionally, a professional sales person must always be present with all her/his senses, has to be attentive throughout the whole conversation and needs to understand the nonverbal signals of the communication. Therefore, a sales expert not only must be good at selling a product or service and knowing the products in every detail. She or he must also be an excellent listener and consultant, and sometimes find new ways together with the counterpart. It does not necessarily mean that you should always give in to one’s request. Sometimes saying “No” is the right and better way to be taken seriously and to build trust.

Even after you have been successful in your negotiations with your customers and both sides are satisfied after a deal, your job is yet far from being completed. You always want to aim for a long-term relationship. That cannot be achieved with one or several meetings and sales talks. It is rather a continuous series of contacts that you should never allow to break off.

Of course e-mail, fax, phone and social media are wonderful communication tools to maintain these relationships. The personal contact is still irreplaceable. Not only because of the nonverbal means of communication mentioned above, but also because it is a very important way of showing your customer appreciation and allowing for a stronger and more interpersonal relationship.

A good sales person needs to have conversational and negotiation skills, but also show the characteristics of flexibility and a confident manner. One should be open, flexible and active. An engaged sales person might come across sometimes as a “lonely fighter”, nevertheless she or he is also a team worker. Without the team in the background and a harmonic cooperation with an inside team, sales would be impossible to be successful.

If you have any more questions, please contact me. I am happy to ask you “What else can I do for you?”