THE BASICS OF THE BASICS

Looking back over the past 25 years, there really are not a lot of things that we can honestly say haven’t changed. However I know one thing that hasn’t, THE BASICS OF SALES!

I’m sure there are people that would say that sales have changed totally over the past 25 years. They would talk about consumers being smarter, information being more available, prices going sky high, government regulations, the green movement, the list could be endless.

My answer to all of these people would be, all the outside influences have changed, but the pure act of selling really hasn’t changed.

The basics of selling have always been the same and are the same today. People buy from people they like and trust. The sales reps that do the best job for their customers will have the longest relationships with these customers. Sales reps that fill the customer’s needs before their own pockets are going to be the biggest winners.

These basics hold true for selling bubble gum at the local convenience store or selling stocks and bonds on Wall Street. (Well no one really trusts Wall Street anymore) The problem is too many sales reps have gotten so far off track that the line between what is right and wrong in sales has become blurred.

If your line is not as sharp as it should be, get back to the basics. It isn’t too late for anyone to start changing what they are doing today and start doing things as they know they should be done. If you work for a company that intentionally keeps the line blurred, you either need to get to work clearing things up within the company or start looking for a company that has a crystal clear vision of what is right and what isn’t. Now I am not telling anyone to leave a position today without having another position to go to, that’s just crazy in this job market. But you can start looking now.

It isn’t going to be long before this economy turns around fully. The United States will come out of this recession a leaner meaner country positioned better to compete on the world market. The companies and the sales reps that have set themselves up as world class in every way will be the companies and sales reps that will become the greatest successes.

Get back to the basics and back to doing what we all know is the right thing to do for all parties involved.

Lorin