{"id":43795,"date":"2021-07-20T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-20T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=43795"},"modified":"2025-09-03T15:57:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T19:57:22","slug":"successful-salesman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/successful-salesman\/","title":{"rendered":"Becoming a Successful Salesman: 5 Helpful Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What distinguishes a successful salesman from an average one? How do some salespeople manage to consistently close sale after sale, cashing in commissions, while others struggle to hit their minimum?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many salespeople, especially at the beginning of their career, erroneously think that pushing the prospect to buy is the best way to clinch the deal. And while the aggressive approach might work from time to time, it&#8217;s not going to bring you consistent sales. Rather than pushing the customer to buy what you have, your job as a salesperson is capitalizing on the desire to buy\u2014that is, making the customer <em>want<\/em> to buy your product.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, we&#8217;ll discuss a few tips on how to do just that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p><em>Editor\u2019s note: This article is part of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/hub\/professional\/success-guide\/\">Shortform\u2019s guide to success<\/a>. If you like what you read here, there\u2019s plenty more to check out in the guide!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-understanding-the-psychology-of-selling\">Understanding the Psychology of Selling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many salesmen think that pushing prospects to buy their product is the way to go. But manipulation won&#8217;t get you very far in your sales career. To become successful at sales, you must learn how to capitalize on the desire to buy, and that requires an understanding of the reasons people buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You may think you already understand <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-people-buy\/\">why people buy<\/a>, but you don\u2019t if you\u2019re experiencing any of the following in your sales process:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Customers object to your price.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They request that you provide a bid or proposal.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They won\u2019t return your calls.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They say they\u2019re satisfied with their current vendor.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You think sales are slow because the economy\u2019s slow.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>All of these experiences indicate you haven\u2019t created an atmosphere conducive to buying by focusing on the reasons people buy. For example, <strong>if you\u2019re wrangling over price, you\u2019ve failed to convince the customer of your product\u2019s value and fit for her,<\/strong> which are among the reasons people buy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Here are the top reasons why people buy:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They like the salesperson. Further, they trust, believe in, have confidence in, and feel comfortable with the sales rep. (The sales cycle starts with the customer liking and trusting the salesperson, proceeds to buying, and continues with an ongoing relationship.)\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They view the salesperson and company as different from competitors.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They see the salesperson as a resource and as someone who\u2019s trying to help them.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They see value in the product or service they\u2019re buying; they believe it will increase their productivity and profit.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The product or service fits their needs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They view the price as fair for the value they\u2019re getting, although it may not be the lowest available.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>To find out specifically why your customers buy from you, ask them.<strong> The following sales tips will help you build on customers\u2019 existing buying reasons to create an atmosphere conducive to buying.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tip-1-develop-your-brand\">Tip 1: <strong>Develop Your Brand<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Potential customers \u201cbuy\u201d the salesperson first, then buy what you\u2019re selling. <\/strong>They buy your knowledge and expertise, the value you provide, your character, integrity, trustworthiness, and so on. To establish your knowledge and value and make them widely known, you need to develop a strong personal brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you have a strong brand, customers are loyal to you, prospects call <em>you<\/em>, you get appointments with higher-ups more easily, and you get more \u201cyeses\u201d to meetings and sales than your competitors do. You <em>attract<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/sales-success\/\">sales success<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Personal branding isn\u2019t difficult, although training classes often make it seem that way\u2014it just takes hard work. <strong>Branding is increasing people\u2019s awareness of you and your strengths. It encompasses putting your name on everything you do<\/strong>, with the goals of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Establishing yourself as an expert, resource, and innovator in your field<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Earning a positive reputation in the business community that accrues to your company and product<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Being seen as a leader in your field and the community<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Differentiating yourself from others in your field<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Creating demand indirectly for your product or service<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tip-2-use-humor\"><strong>Tip 2: Use Humor<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Making people laugh relaxes them and creates an atmosphere conducive to buying.<strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/advantages-of-laughing\/\">Laughing<\/a> together is a form of agreement or approval, and agreement is a step toward selling.<\/strong> Besides helping you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-a-sale-2\/\">make the sale<\/a>, humor builds customer relationships by facilitating friendship and respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>To improve your humor, study humor, especially if you aren\u2019t naturally funny.<\/strong> Here are some ways to learn to be funnier:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Pay attention to what happens to you so you can reference funny events in jokes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Watch comedians on TV. Study their delivery and the audience\u2019s reaction.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Read joke books.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Listen to children, who are naturally funny.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Practice jokes with family and friends.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Safe topics to joke about include things kids say and do, traffic, and lines from television shows. In general, pick something that\u2019s:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Funny to you, so your joke is natural rather than forced.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Personal: Poke fun at one of your personal qualities or features, but never make fun of others.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Clean: Never make crude, ethnic, or gender jokes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tip-3-be-creativ-e\"><strong>Tip 3: Be Creativ<\/strong>e<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Along with humor, <strong>creativity will make you and your sales pitch stand out and be remembered.<\/strong> Here are four ways in which creativity can get a client\u2019s attention:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1) <strong>At the start of a sales call, ask a smart, unexpected question<\/strong> instead of blathering on about your company and product. For example, ask: \u201cHow much does a lost hour of productivity cost your company?\u201d or \u201cHow would you know whether you were overpaying for printing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2)<strong> Identify your customer contact points and change them so they\u2019re distinctive<\/strong>\u2014including the voicemails you leave, your cover letter, your phone greeting or voicemail message, your business cards, and so on. Fixing your voicemail message is the most important task because it can help you get new customers and act as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/word-of-mouth-marketing-strategy-3\/\">word-of-mouth advertising<\/a> (if you have a unique message, people tell others about it). Here are some ways to create a memorable message:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use a thought-provoking quote (change it daily)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Record a message from one of your kids (\u201cHi, I\u2019m Josh. Dad is out earning my college tuition\u2026\u201d)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make a joke. (\u201cYou\u2019ve reached Tom at Premier Pest Control. Please tell us what\u2019s bugging you&#8230;\u201d)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Record a testimonial from a customer. (\u201cI\u2019m Dave. I\u2019ve been pain-free for five years, thanks to Wilson Chiropractic\u2014I hope you\u2019ll let them help you too.\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>3) <strong>Use creative follow-up methods to stay in front of the customer after a meeting<\/strong>\u2014for instance, email a weekly tip, share useful information and testimonials, or send a newsletter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>4)<strong> Respond creatively to buyer objections<\/strong>. For example, when a prospect tells you she\u2019s satisfied with her current supplier or product, you might respond: \u201cProspective clients often claim they\u2019re satisfied with what they have\u2014however, <em>our<\/em> customers tell us they\u2019re <em>thrilled<\/em> with our product. Wouldn\u2019t you rather be thrilled than just satisfied?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-cultivate-creativity\">How to Cultivate Creativity<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>You can develop creativity by studying and practicing it. Here are some ways to do this:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Write down ideas: Creative ideas pop into your head quickly, then just as quickly vanish. So anytime you get an idea, write it down, and try to elaborate on it while it\u2019s fresh.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Find creative mentors who support and inspire your creativity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Read creative writers and books about how others have developed creativity.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Be willing to risk failure: Failure is part of the creative process\u2014it teaches you how to improve your ideas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tip-4-ask-the-right-questions\"><strong>Tip 4:  Ask the Right Questions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Most salespeople ask the <\/strong><strong><em>wrong<\/em><\/strong><strong> questions and therefore don\u2019t get the answer they want (a \u201cyes\u201d to the sale).<\/strong> Usually, they\u2019re questions aimed at getting the buyer to switch from a current supplier to your company. They encourage a focus on price rather than value. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How much are you currently paying for delivery? If I could save you some money, would you switch\u2026?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What would it take for me to earn your business?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In contrast, a successful salesman asks the <em>right<\/em> questions that help the buyer think about your product or service in terms of how it solves her problems or achieves her goals.<strong> <\/strong>They\u2019re specific questions that uncover her frustrations, concerns, and needs, so you can show how your product will make her life easier\u2014and she\u2019ll conclude that she needs it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Develop a dozen basic questions that you can adapt to uncover each customer\u2019s needs, concerns, and frustrations. Some useful introductory phrases include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What do you look for in choosing a\u2026?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How do you determine\u2026?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What\u2019s been your experience with\u2026?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What would you change\u2026?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What\u2019s your biggest hurdle to\u2026?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What frustrates you the most about\u2026?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll differentiate yourself by getting your prospect to think in new ways. A sign of success is when the customer remarks that no one ever asked her that question before\u2014and her answer convinces her to buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tip-5-eliminate-the-buyer-s-risk\"><strong>Tip 5: Eliminate the Buyer\u2019s Risk<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The biggest hurdle to a sale is the risk the customer believes he\u2019d take in buying your product. <\/strong>You must eliminate the risk to get the customer to buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A risk is anything that makes a customer hesitate to buy.<\/strong> It can be difficult to identify the risk standing in the way of a sale because what seems risky to the customer may seem trivial to the salesperson. Common concerns or risks to the customer are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Am I making a mistake and not getting my money\u2019s worth?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Will I look bad or get into trouble for making a poor decision?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do I really need it? I might regret buying it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Can I get it cheaper elsewhere or get something better?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Will it work? What if it doesn\u2019t? Will it soon become obsolete?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These concerns indicate the customer lacks confidence in the product, company, salesperson, or their own judgment. Here are some ways to effectively counter customer concerns:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1) <strong>Prepare for risk hurdles by identifying the customer\u2019s potential risks<\/strong>\u2014for example, by considering how the customer has reacted to your sales pitch in the past or how other customers have reacted.<strong> Prepare responses<\/strong> <strong>or preemptive statements that eliminate these risks.<\/strong> Practice the responses until you master them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2) <strong>Determine the customer\u2019s risk tolerance<\/strong>\u2014ask about previous purchases they\u2019ve made and how those turned out. What were their concerns prior to those purchases and how did they overcome them? Then, address those risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3) <strong>Ask the customer, \u201cWhat\u2019s the risk of buying?\u201d<\/strong> <strong>Then ask, \u201cWhat\u2019s the reward?\u201d <\/strong>Then help her see how the reward outweighs the concern and the value more than meets the need. When the risk is low and the reward is high, customers will buy. When the risk is price, counter it with the reward of value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>4) <strong>Suggest a few concerns that might be bothering the customer and answer them<\/strong>\u2014for example: \u201cIf you\u2019re concerned that it might not work for you, remember that you can always return it.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What distinguishes a successful salesman from an average one? How do some salespeople manage to consistently close sale after sale, cashing in commissions, while others struggle to hit their minimum? Many salespeople, especially at the beginning of their career, erroneously think that pushing the prospect to buy is the best way to clinch the deal. And while the aggressive approach might work from time to time, it&#8217;s not going to bring you consistent sales. Rather than pushing the customer to buy what you have, your job as a salesperson is capitalizing on the desire to buy\u2014that is, making the customer<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":26505,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,34,103],"tags":[442],"class_list":["post-43795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career","category-communication","category-sales","tag-little-red-book-of-selling","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Becoming a Successful Salesman: 5 Helpful Tips - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"According to sales coach Jeffrey Gitomer, a successful salesman doesn&#039;t push the prospect to buy. Instead, he imbues him with a desire to buy.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/successful-salesman\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Becoming a Successful Salesman: 5 Helpful Tips\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"According to sales coach Jeffrey Gitomer, a successful salesman doesn&#039;t push the prospect to buy. Instead, he imbues him with a desire to buy.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/successful-salesman\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-07-20T15:30:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-03T19:57:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/salesman_in_suit.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1143\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"744\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Darya Sinusoid\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Darya Sinusoid\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/successful-salesman\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/successful-salesman\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Darya Sinusoid\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0421cce75bc249b11e2517b3a91f9c46\"},\"headline\":\"Becoming a Successful Salesman: 5 Helpful Tips\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-07-20T15:30:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-03T19:57:22+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/successful-salesman\/\"},\"wordCount\":1828,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/successful-salesman\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/salesman_in_suit.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Little Red Book of Selling\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Career\",\"Communication\",\"Sales\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/successful-salesman\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/successful-salesman\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/successful-salesman\/\",\"name\":\"Becoming a Successful Salesman: 5 Helpful Tips - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/successful-salesman\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/successful-salesman\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/salesman_in_suit.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-07-20T15:30:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-03T19:57:22+00:00\",\"description\":\"According to sales coach Jeffrey Gitomer, a successful salesman doesn't push the prospect to buy. 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