Sales Professionalism
So, I was asked to facilitate a small virtual training session for team leaders of partnership development for AIESEC* in Nigeria and I have decided to share the notes I made for it here 👇
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Topic: Sales Professionalism
What is sales professionalism?
Sales professionalism refers to the commonly expected behaviors, etiquette and mannerisms for sales professionals. Sales people increasingly rely on personal and professional attributes to build long-term rapport with customers. Combining professionalism with effective interpersonal skills and persuasive communication abilities typically leads to a strong selling performance.
Here are a few points to note while striving to be a sales professional
ATTITUDE
Attitude is everything (or at least the most important). When you sell, a customer not only buys your product, but he also buys into a relationship with you as his contact person. For a customer to believe in what you are selling. You gotta believe in it yourself. Before you can believe in something, you have to understand it. A professional salesperson should know his 'stuff'.
Knowledge of your product will give you an honest confidence which will in turn reflect a positive attitude towards whoever you are selling to and what you are selling.
FLEXIBILITY
As a salesperson, be prepared to get a lot of “no” more than you will hear “yes”. In fact, even the people who would eventually agree may say "no" a couple of times. A sales professional doesn’t get easily frustrated and show his negative emotions to a prospect.
Customers may also change their minds and ask for modifications to solutions after an agreement. Be wise to identify standards that can't be compromised and the ones that are up for modification/negotiation. Flexibility and self-control helps in solving customer problems and building strong relationships.
COMMUNICATION
Nonverbal communications are just as important as verbal communication. You project much of your professionalism through nonverbal factors. The way you dress and groom yourself contributes mightily to sales professionalism.
A straight posture, firm handshake and friendly facial expressions all help to put customers at ease and make them confident in your abilities.
SOCIABILITY
A top sales professional doesn't just talk a lot, he has strong social skills. Building initial rapport by finding talking points, such as mutual interests, compliments and here and now topics, is key in making sales. Your social skills help to get prospects to let their guard down and assist you in maintaining relationships.
To be a sales professional, you have to be very social. Put yourself out there. Attend as many networking events as possible. Your customer could be anywhere. Make sure your social media profiles (especially LinkedIn) are up to date and professional and ensure you maximize that platform. Be willing and open to make contacts.
ORGANISATION
Organizational skills and focus help professional salespeople efficiently and effectively serve their prospects' needs. Focus and attentiveness during sales meetings gives customers the impression that you are genuinely interested in helping them than just trying to “do your job”.
Always always do your homework before any sales meeting. Research, read about and understand your customer's brand and how your product aligns with it.
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While preparing for this session, I stumbled across the best description of professionalism I have ever read which I will also be sharing below👇
Professionalism is different from being a part of a profession. Professionalism can be practiced by anyone, regardless of the job, formal education, or ability to “pass tests.” We can see great professionalism from a janitor, a housekeeper, a receptionist, a waiter or a laborer.
Professionalism is internally driven, we can’t be educated, tested, or examined to be more professional. Professionalism is a never ending journey, demanding a commitment to continual learning and improvement.
Professionalism is rooted in a value system and beliefs that are inviolable. Professionalism is constantly seeking to achieve the highest levels of performance. Professionalism is about obsessive learning and relentless execution.
Professionalism, isn’t about not making mistakes or errors, but it’s about learning from them, improving, growing and moving on. It’s also about acknowledging those mistakes and errors to those who are impacted. We shouldn’t mistake professionalism for perfectionism.
Professionalism is about having the highest personal standards of one’s own performance, and having high expectations of the performance of everyone else. But it’s also forgiving, recognizing we sometimes fail, but need to pick ourselves up and get going again.
Professionalism is immediately recognizable by the performance itself and the example the professional sets. It needs no plaque, certificate, or framed document on a wall. It is immediately obvious to everyone who sees it. Yet, ironically, those who are the most unprofessional, never seem to recognize what professionalism is.
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*AIESEC is the world’s largest non-profit student-run organization. It is an international non-governmental not-for-profit organization that provides young people with leadership development and cross-cultural global internship and volunteer exchange experiences across the globe, with a focus to empower young people so they can make a positive impact on society.References:
http://partnersinexcellenceblog.com/sales-profession-or-professionalism/http://work.chron.com/characteristics-sales-professionalism-21895.html
I hope someone can find this useful
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