Salespeople have an incredibly mixed reputation. On the one hand, they are the people who make the world go round – selling products and services for businesses that benefit consumers and help the economy to function.
Without them, there would be no modern way of life, and society would quickly come to a stuttering halt. After all, sales are the bedrock of persuasion and influence – a skill used by everyone from politicians to parents to trigger other people into taking a particular action.
However, there can be no doubt that salespeople are also (perhaps unfairly) cast into the role of being glorified scammers, snake oil salesmen, or people with selfish disregard for other people’s time or money.
Therefore, if you want to become a salesperson, you may find these reputational extremities to be unhelpful baggage and actually prevent you from succeeding as a salesperson.
There may also be a few aspects of sales that you have overlooked – such as commission rights – which can leave you exposed to opportunistic business owners looking to exploit your services.
To help you become a successful salesperson, here are three things you need to remember:
You need to know your employment rights
Firstly, if you want to become a prosperous salesperson in the long run, then you need to know how to earn and (more importantly) keep your money.
There are many different ways of becoming a salesperson. You could, for instance, sell products and services on behalf of businesses on a commission-led basis. This means that you won’t be paid for hours, but you will win big if you manage to sell a product.
This will help put pressure on you to sell more products and, therefore, become a more effective salesperson. However, you need to make sure you get paid fairly, which is why you should research Colorado Earned Commissions law.
By doing this, you will better understand what you are entitled to with regard to commission payments and prevent yourself from being ripped off for your time and effort.
You need to be good with people
Arguably the bedrock of great salesmanship is the ability to be good with people. If you don’t have an innate ability to communicate with people on their own level and in their own language, then you are never going to be able to persuade them to buy anything.
Ultimately, selling is about sparking emotions in the person you are selling to, and you can only do this when you empathize and understand them. Therefore, invest a great deal of time into sharpening your people skills and always look to understand your prospects.
Develop a deep understanding of the product you are selling
While having a good way with people is vital if you want to become a successful salesperson, you also need a strong understanding of what it is you are selling.
Far too many salespeople make the mistake of believing they can ‘sell anything’, which is what gives sales such a bad reputation. If you want to sell anything well, then you need to understand the product itself extremely well and exactly why the prospect will benefit from it.
