Ever since the first communities were built there has been trade, and if noone manages to establish a utopian society where money does not exist anymore, there will be people who sell something and others that buy.
The concept of selling is quite simple, one side of the equation has something to sell and the other side is willing to pay to have it. Anyone who has tried to sell something knows that it is easier said than done. Theoretically anyone can sell something, we are all constantly trying to sell something, in some way or the other, even if it is just a sense of confidence, trust, friendship or competence. But being a real salesperson, one who can sell a fridge to an eskimo, is not everyone’s destiny.
In the old days a salesperson had the advantage of knowledge, they knew something that the customer didn’t, giving them a strong sales tool. In the age of information, a customer hardly comes to a salesperson to learn something new, making a salesperson’s product knowledge practically redundant.
The age of the internet and the abundance of information does not make salespeople superfluous. On the contrary, there are new challenges that have to be addressed and the competition does not sleep. Shopping habits have changed, with consumers turning more often to online shopping instead of going to the traditional brick and mortar shop, but the job of a salesperson has not changed that much, they still have to get the product off the shelves. The task is the same, only the tools are different.
If you have a product that can be sold, but it is not selling, there is only one reason why – you are doing something wrong. The selling rules that apply to a brick and mortar shop also apply to an online shop. You have to get the customer in and not let them leave without buying something. You should be passionate about your product, convinced of its quality, determined to sell it and understand what your customer needs and wants.
A good website, an appealing design and a functional SEO is one side of the coin, but at the end of the day it all is not worth much unless you manage to sell your product, and a developer can’t do that for you.
Below is an interesting infographic that summarizes what you need to be a successful salesperson.
Provided by Salestrong
