Ye Saali Internship 2: 10 Things every salesman should know!

One month. It has been one month since I started with Yeh Saali Internship.  One month of Hardcore Sales, in the shining sun and accompanying loo. The journey has been quite a learning experience. And no matter how much I crib, or curse it, it has put in a lot of lessons inside my head.

And yes, there has been respite from the heat from the past week. Rain has what brought about this particular change and yep, the happiness is visible across all faces. Work, of late has made me get used to it. Now, even the irritating customers, do get a trademark smile in return for their frown. The art of smiling back even in the worst of cases (of whatever I’ve faced till now) is now what I have gained control of.

Learning the tricks of the trade is confusing, especially here in Sales. Reason being, although all these customers use the same product, might have the same problems as well, their solutions vary to a great extent. You just cannot generalize among your clients and that is something that I’m getting used to.

There is a lot to learn that I got through this one month of Yeh Saali Internship as a Salesman.

10 things that every salesman should always keep in mind:

1. Talk to your immediate boss, regularly. To the extent of telling him each and everything that you do during the working hours. It would be great to take him in confidence and even show-off a little of your skills to impress him. Always laugh at your boss’ joke, no matter how bad it may be.
2. Don’t tell your products’ price upfront. Talk through the benefits, the customers’ requirement, problems, etc and then bring in your price. The moment you say the price, the customer starts making the decision to buy or not to buy. If he didn’t like the price, he won’t properly listen to what you say afterwards.
3. Pay special attention to his problems, even though how idiotic they may sound. When you listen, they will listen to you.
4. There are many customers’ who won’t have any product knowledge, but will have lots of reasons of blaming you or your products. Explain them, politely. And never ridicule them when they throw any baseless criticism, tackle them calmly.
5. Have detailed knowledge about the products you sell, price, warranty/guarantee, after sales service, bulk-discounts, etc are must.
6. Know what all things your competitors’ product range lacks or has more than your products. Will keep you grounded when it comes to exaggeration and also will help tackle loyal customers of competitor.
7. Never be hesitant to pitch your products, there are opportunities everywhere.
8. Distributors’ or retail outlets having products similar to yours’ are hotspots where you can convert prospects into your customers. Can also be used to clear doubts regarding your products.
9. Always end a conversation with a handshake and do put on a smile. It does work wonders, on your second call, your chance of selling increases. And always be ready to visit/call the prospect regularly.
10. And last, but not the least. Enjoy selling.

PS, there are plenty more things that a salesman needs to do. These were the ones that came to my mind, feel free to share tips in the comment section.

Happy selling!! 🙂