How to be a great Retail Sales Person and have a Career

1. The 10 Secrets of a Successful Salesperson
I’ve written the 10 secrets of a Successful Salesperson for people who are currently in sales or wish
to take on a sales role. I’m sure you will find them helpful. If you find what we have to say here very
exciting and you would like to know more please contact us at admin@trainthem.com.au or visit our
website http://www.trainthem.com.au leave us your details and we will help you take the next step
in your Sales Career no matter where you live or what product you sell or service you provide.
Remember our catch phase. “Today is a new beginning, yesterday was Simply a Lesson”
At Trainthem we understand no major University or College in Australia teaches Sales as part of the
Curriculum. Yet many of the available roles for graduates involve sales as part of the job; some
roles are totally sales focused. This gap in education is not just restricted to Australian Universities
it’s pretty much the same all over the world. Although there are a number of Sales Training
providers in the private sector many of these programs are very expensive and often too specific in
nature to appeal to a wide cross section of people. Many are not designed to be used by people
entering the industry. Our Sell and Profit Program is a complete Sales Program that can be used as
a base for a large industry cross section. Our program suite currently includes our exciting Wake Up
to Life tailored for Personal and Professional Development and Sell and Profit including Customer
Service and our latest program Create the Opportunity.
Secret no 1: CONFIDENCE: True confidence comes from within, if you know that you look good,
smell good, know your product and represent yourself the way you would if you were meeting the boss
for the first time you have it made. Good sales people stand tall. Maintain eye contact as much as
possible. Walk with purpose and speak clearly. We introduce this concept in our Wake Up to Life
Professional Development Program. When people come into a showroom to make a purchase or get a
feel for what’s out there in the marketplace they have an expectation of knowledge and confidence
from the Sales Person, it takes 30 seconds or less to size the sales person up. The sales person will only
get one chance to make a good first impression. The old expression, Fake it till you Make it has never
been truer.
Secret no 2: PREPARATION: A good Salesperson is always prepared. They have everything they
need to do a presentation with them at all times. It really doesn’t matter what you sell or how it’s sold. If
you are not prepared you will not be successful. Showrooms should be fully equipped, business to
business salespeople should always have plenty of samples and brochures of the products they sell. The
customer should always be made to feel special no matter who they are. Most companies spend a lot of
money attracting the right customer; a poorly organized salesperson can ruin that good work in an

2. instant. Surveys constantly remind us, that very few people buy on price but buy because they found
the salesperson more likeable than the competitors.
Secret no 3: APPEARANCE: A good Salesperson is always well groomed. Picture this. A
prospective customer drives to a store. They get out of the car, the first view they have is of a well
presented building in a popular shopping strip, they walk into the showroom and it’s immaculate.
Products are well chosen and displayed. They are well priced and well lit. So far so good, they wonder
around for a few moments looking for a salesperson. They see someone at the desk, they go over to the
salesperson to discover s/he is wearing dirty clothes, hasn’t combed their hair and has enough piercing’s
to make it into the Guinness Book of Records. Is it an extreme situation? I wish that it was. Clean hair,
clean nails, natural looking make up for ladies, clean and tidy clothes for everyone. This is a must in any
area of customer service. You don’t have to be designer from head to toe but if you think your mother
would have something to say about what you are wearing it to work, then you probably should
reconsider your choice. Definitely clean shoes, men - collar on your shirt please and long pants, no
runners unless this suits your industry; ladies – suitable length and tightness of dresses/skirts. The reality
in showrooms is that you may have to do a bit of lifting and shifting and Business to Business
salespeople are in and out of cars all day. Make sure you have deodorant and freshen up during the day
especially in summer. We are human we perspire. Make sure you spend some time in the bathroom
during the day to make yourself smell and look better.
Secret no 4: GOOD LISTENING SKILLS: How often have you lost a sale not because of price
but because you didn’t really understand what the customer wanted. Even when a customer comes in
asking for your best price on a particular product complete with serial number. Take a step back, think.
Why are they doing that? What don’t you know and what, if anything lead them to believe that this is
the best product for their needs.” You may assume that they have done heaps of research and have
looked at all models and have after great consideration, decided that this is the one for them when in
reality their neighbour has one and they just want to keep up with the “Jones”.
Whilst this is a complex issue and I can’t go into all of it now, here is one solid gold nugget for all
Salespeople. Ask questions, make conversation don’t be afraid to show some of your personality. If they
feel comfortable they will certainly give you the answers but you have to listen. If you do this well you
will find the whole process just flows. Most people are resistant to sales techniques so don’t learn any.
The way we used to sell will not work in the current market. People will not buy from you if they do not
like you. If they like you they will let everyone know just how good you are. Giving people a price and
nothing else is not sales. Giving people knowledge, outstanding service and a good price: Is Sales! If
you learn to do this well and naturally you will be very successful.

3. Secret no 5: SENSE OF PURPOSE: What this means is simple when you move, do it with a sense
of purpose, walk with a sense of purpose. Colour and movement are very important. Stand tall, speak
with a sense of authority and always give people the impression that you are the expert in your field, the
go to person and you are there to help with whatever problem they need solved. That’s what you’re
there for, this is your job and you need to enjoy doing your job. Remember it is important to act like the
Industry Professional you are, not just a Sales Person.
Secret no 6: OPENING THE SALE IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS CLOSING THE SALE: A
good salesperson knows that opening the sale is just as important as closing the sale. A poor opening
will always limit your opportunities to close the sale. Read the Customer!!! Don’t just ramble along with
the same spiel time after time. It’s not the nineteen - fifties, we are not going door to door with our
wares. The owners of the company you work for will have spent a lot of money setting up the
showroom, getting the right mix of product and advertising to get the customer through the door. The
customer you have in front of you is more educated, has more disposable income and more choice than
ever before. The value of their property and the amount they need to spend to keep them maintained
has also never been higher. The value of the car they drive will be more than ever before. They will in
many instances be women, and the chance of them being of a different ethnic background than your
own, no matter what that may be, is higher than ever before. Be respectful. They are there to be served
and you have the power to take them out of the market place i.e. make the sale. You need to build
rapport by asking the right questions and speaking in a friendly and professional manner. Answer the
concerns they have with ease and professionalism. Really answer their questions. The ones they actually
have, not the ones you thought they had. Watch their body language especially if they are in a group or
a couple. Make sure you know what the obstacles to getting the sale really are. If you do this well you
will always be in the best position to close all sales. The single most important thing when doing a full
presentation with a customer is to know when to do one. If you get the qualifying process right, you will
save yourself and your prospective customer time. And you will also have a much greater chance of
offering the right solution for the customer. It is entirely likely, that if you ask the right questions and
get the right answer that you will have no trouble to asking for the sale. They will be so bowled over by
the professionalism which they haven’t received at the last 10 showrooms they have visited; they will
just buy from you!
Secret no 7: GET AGREEMENT IN THE EARLY STAGES: It is a skill to get agreement in the
early stages of a presentation. If you get a whole lot of yeses during the opening of the presentation, it’s
much easier to get a signature and a deposit at the end of the presentation. There is a skill in getting the
customer to say yes in a presentation. Whilst time prohibits me to going into the whole process here in
this E book; it is something that we can teach you very simply when you take our Sell and Profit training
course. However here in this small space the key thing to remember is: Asked the preliminary questions

4. before you decide to do a full blown presentation. Make sure you are speaking to all the key decision
makers. It is just a waste of your time to try and make a sale if all key people are not in the room. Make
a time for everyone to be together and then you will be speaking to all the right people and decisions
can be made.
This is one of the fundamental mistakes I see a Sales Person make and even business owner’s, they fail
to realize this you cannot close a Sale without the key people being present, it’s just wasting every ones
time and time is money. You are the professional, control the sale and be treated as one. If you give the
appearance of being way above your competitors you will be treated as the professional you are.
Instead of having nothing but lower prices and bigger discounts to compete against, you will have your
professionalism and knowledge, your likeability and integrity to combat all the others that just compete
on price. We are living in the age of the smart phone, people can scan a barcode in store and they will,
to compare price. Technology has made it easy to check online for the cheapest price. They don’t need
a salesperson for that. What they do need is your expertise and professionalism to make them feel that
they have made a secure purchase. People still baulk at making big purchases on the internet they do
however use it to do their research but in the end they prefer dealing with a trusted brand and known
face.
Secret no 8: KNOW YOUR BUSINESS: Better than your Customer Does. The biggest change in
the marketplace is the internet. No other single invention has changed the way we do business quite so
dramatically. However, the volume of internet sales in most categories is still very small. The bigger the
purchase the less likely they will buy on the internet. But boy do they do their research, make sure you
do yours. Know the differences, not every customer will ask, many will not. But you need to know.
Whatever you do be very careful, when comparing products or retailers never bag the competition.
Sales people who tell lies or give opinion that cannot be verified have been sued. Show your skill and
don’t resort to gutter tactics. It’s pretty simple, people will not deal with those they do not like and do
not trust. It’s an oldie but a goodie - People buy you first and then they buy what you are selling. No
amount of changes in the marketplace will change that basic principle.
Make sure you know more about your business than the customer does. This may sound pretty basic,
and it is. The internet has made research online as simple as a Google search. An hour or so on the
internet and the customer will know specs, will have read revues and will be pretty conversant with just
about any product they could ever hope to buy. They will also have been able to read blogs about the
product and all too often bad reviews about people and companies that are selling these products. You
better be sure you are reading them too. You don’t have to bring it up if the customer hasn’t, but you
do need to know. So when they do, you are prepared and can speak knowledgeably about the subject.
It also is important for you to know, Fact from Fiction. Just because it is on the internet doesn’t make it
right. People will appreciate your honesty. If you have an opinion, are sure of your facts and can back it
up then say it. You are in a position of power, you are the expert. Your business is X - misinformation is
just as common as information. As long as you are not bagging the opposition let the customer in on
your knowledge. Don’t just give them a blurb off the facts sheet, if it is something you can demonstrate.
Do it. A picture paints a thousand words.

5. Secret No 9: TELLING NOT SELLING: The day of when the customer believed everything the
Salesperson said is long gone. This really gets back to knowing your product. Demonstrate; show;
advise; Control the Sale. Find out what the customer values, whatever it is that you feel is the right way
to go with this particular customer. One size does not fit all. People have different buying styles. Ask
the questions, find out what it is the customer is really looking to achieve. We all want to save money
but price may not be the customer’s biggest concern. Most people only buy certain items a few times in
their life. You may have been selling this product for a short time and only be aware of recent
developments. It may well have been over 10 years since the last time this customer bought this
particular product. Give them the right information; make sure you are giving them the right advice;
treat them as a friend. They are entrusting you with a lot of money, potentially.
Of course they are nervous. Of course they are hoping to get it right. Make them feel at ease; spend the
time with them; let them know about the after sales service. Give them a bit of history about the
company. People are social, they like to belong. Even when we use the internet we like to get other
people’s opinions. Every person who you come into contact with has a circle of influence. At Train
Them we teach you how to Influence People and Create the Opportunity to make more sales and make
a difference in people’s lives. If you learn to use your knowledge to influence the person in front of you
correctly and with good intentions you will potentially be able to influence hundreds of people. We can
also teach you how to guarantee a consistent income for years to come. Most employers know one
good salesperson can keep the company going. What most people don’t know is how easy it is to
become a good sales person. Please contact us at Trainthem to find out more.
Secret No 10: KNOWING WHEN TO CLOSE THE SALE: If you get all the earlier points right
the rest is easy, it’s called closing the Sale, because it’s the last step. Name; address; telephone
numbers; Email address; delivery details; deposit - easy. I know of very few people who have so much
time to waste that they will give you the opportunity to go through this procedure unless they are in the
market to buy what you are selling. In this busy age in which we live, who will spend more than a few
minutes with a salesperson in a store if they are not going to buy? There are exceptions to this rule, we
call them Scouts. We can teach you how to treat this customer in our Sell and Profit Program and to
learn this is gold.
You are the expert, spending this much time and energy is what it’s takes to be professional. I know a
lot of companies that spend thousands and thousands of dollars on reports and programs to tell them
what their staff’s closing ratio is; dollars per sale; door counts. Almost every report a manager or
business owner could ever want is at their fingertips yet they still really don’t know why it is that some
salespeople will do double and triple the sales of their other staff.

6. The last Secret is of course what many people concentrate on when they are teaching people to sell. It is
the last and is at the end for a very good reason. You will not consistently achieve a high closing ratio
unless you follow all of the earlier steps.
Thanks for taking the time to download and read our 10 Secrets of Successful Sales Person Ebook, I hope
you have received some great insights into the Sales Process. I have really enjoyed writing this E book
and am very passionate about our business Trainthem. If you have been on our website
http://www.trainthem.com.au you will see that I was in Sales for many years, as was my business
partner Joe Teagh. During those years of Sales and Management I had been consistently very successful
and had been asked to train my staff and staff from associated businesses due to my success. The
problem then was that there was very little useful information available in the market. Very few busy
Sales Managers have the time or the expertise to write training packages. Joe Teagh saw a gap in the
market many years ago and had huge success recruiting and training people for the Motor Dealer Trade.
Even 26 years ago the demand for qualified sales people was there but no formal training was being
offered. People were and still are, constantly confusing product knowledge training with Sales Training -
they are both necessary, however they are in no way the same thing.
Even more confusing for people is that you may have great qualifications for your particular industry.
However no degree is going to teach you how to sell. That’s where Trainthem comes in. We are
providing Industry Specific Gap Training for everyone is Sales and Customer Service, which product or
service is not important, we are giving you the skills and confidence to be great Sales and Customer
Service Experts so that you can produce the Results you want. It is not important whether you are a
Business or Individual. You may even be looking for a road into Sales and a better paid career. There are
no unemployed good Sales People. Currently there are many employed poor Sales People. We have the
answer to so many of these problems. Please give us a call on 07 38466602 or email us at
admin@trainthem.com.au You will be surprised just how affordable our training answers really are. Jan-
neil Dull Director for Trainthem.