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Writer's pictureDr Praveen Srivastava

9 Sales Tips from Dale Carnegie

Dear Sales Professional,


Sales people have one of the toughest jobs in the world today. It gets tougher every year. The competition is fierce, the prospects’ available selections are greater, and price wars continue.

So what’s the solution?

It’s to become an exceptional sales person.

When you become an exceptional sales person, you develop the skills you need to write your own ticket—to get more prospects, close more sales, and make more money.


Did you know that small differences in ability, in certain areas, can translate to large differences in results in those areas?

Selling isn’t easy. In fact, especially in today’s economy, it’s a dog-eat-dog world, and it takes courage and guts to get out there every day. And to succeed—to boost your closing rate, boost your income and enjoy success—takes more than guts. It takes knowledge, training and expertise.

Despite the level of difficulty in the field of sales, our entire world economy depends on it. If we didn’t have sales people, we wouldn’t have sales. Nobody would be making any money.

That’s probably why there’s so much advice out there.

So how do you succeed?

How do you confidently prospect for qualified customers, hold effective meetings, and then close the sale—again and again—so you can boost your income?

You become a High Performance Seller.


I am enclosing few tips for Sales person.


Tip 1: Smile. Carnegie called it “a simple way to make a good first impression.” Every business encounter — across the desk, at the customer’s front door, and even on the telephone — should begin with a smile. “Actions,” Carnegie noted, “speak louder than words. And a smile says, ‘I like you.’”

Tip 2: Listen. Customers and clients want to hear what you have to say, but they want you to hear what they have to say first. Beyond that, consider this: How can you, as a sales rep, know what customers need if you don’t give them chance to tell you?

Tip 3: Arouse an “eager want.” It almost sounds poetic. Carnegie cited Harry A. Overstreet as the originator of this idea. Overstreet said, “Action springs from what we fundamentally desire.” If you own a bait store, understand that customers do not desire night crawlers; they desire catching fish. Pitch accordingly.

Tip 4: Use names. Learn the names of your employees, your customers, and your prospects as they enter your sphere of business. After you learn those names, use them. Carnegie’s principle here is simple: A person’s name is, to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language.

Tip 5: Avoid arguments. This would seem to be almost a “given,” but far too many salespeople, perhaps in their zeal, engage in arguments with a customer who shows resistance or says he or she likes another brand. Carnegie said, “The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.” Be respectful of the customer’s opinion. Do not argue, criticize, or condemn. You will have an opportunity to brag about your offering soon enough.

Tip 6: If appropriate, apologize. If, at any point in a sales transaction or pitch, you discover you have made an error, don’t make excuses. Say you are sorry and do so emphatically, Carnegie said. Then move on. You may be surprised at how quickly the whole incident is forgotten. If you insist on building a case for why you erred, you’ll only drag things out.

Tip 7: Let customers sell to themselves. In general, people do not like to be told what to do or what to buy. Provide information and be helpful, but let customers make the decision. You do this by asking questions and steering the conversation until customers realize that your product or service is the solution they’ve been looking for.

Tip 8: Ask what’s in it for customers. When discussing your product, put it in terms that speak to your customers’ interests. You may have the biggest, fastest, and most reliable product on the market, but unless customers see how it benefits them, you won’t make sales.

Tip 9: Dramatize your ideas. This has less to do with human interaction and more to do with a flair for the dramatic. Do not be afraid to engage in a little showmanship, as long as it is honest and doesn’t mislead people. For example, Carnegie tells the story of a cash-register salesman who told a grocer that the registers his store was using were so old that he was literally throwing money away. With that, the salesman threw a handful of coins on the floor. He got the sale.

The Bottom Line

Ultimately, a sales transaction is a conversation between two people — whether in person, on the phone, or online. One person wants to buy; the other wants to sell. The conversation is the bridge that makes it all happen.

Join my Selling Skill Program.


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