You’re probably a voracious reader, aren’t you – no, not of stuffy, boring novels but of sales books, and probably you’ve read hundreds. Some of them may have been up there with the classics, while others may have made you question whether this guy (i.e. the author) can even sell a heater to an Eskimo.

Notice how everybody seems to return to the rudiments when things don’t appear to be going their way, regardless of what they do in life. A great chef, master carpenter or champion athlete always seems to have a mastery of the basics. Let us now expand on what this means to you as a salesperson or sales manager.

Number One. Sales is a two-way process where customer and salesperson interact with one another. The customer is communicating their needs, wants and results required. The sales person is trying to understand these so the issue can be solved by their product or service. Customer and salesperson bond together through sales transactions, to meet the ultimate goal of making each other’s life easier.

Second. Customers purchase products and services for the results they provide. This can be a real challenge for sales people that have been indoctrinated that sales are all about their product. This means saving time and money, preventing problems, solving problems or creating opportunities; that’s what the customer is looking for. Your product or service is simply a way or method to get the results, so salespeople need to communicate these results to customers instead of the product.

Third Tip. Think of it as two people communicating with one another – this is the best way to describe the foundation of dealing with accounts in sales, may they be new or existing. This simply means speaking in terms that are none too florid, terms that can be understood by the common man and imparting the right message whenever you are involving yourself in a new account. Selling involves a lot of listening, a lot of probing questions asked and sharing the results in a way that could be understood. When servicing an account, you want to communicate the results being presently achieved and the results that should be achieved in the future.

Number Four. Get your thinking caps ready because here’s a good one – what does one end up with if the word “selling” is not associated with selling, if the word “objection” is not associated with fielding objections and “presentation” not associated with presenting? Simple – “selling” becomes the act of day-to-day communication. “Objection” would thus become a means of resolving conflicts, while “presentation” would involve basic story telling skills.

If you think of sales using this paradigm, think of what it could do to your productivity. Ask yourself what the potential results of your product could be from your customer’s perspective. Now think about how that could best be communicated to your customers.

Learn about employee training methods that can help your staff clearly understand your expectations and develop skills.