We all need to be able to sell, persuade, negotiate, and convince in life, and at any moment, we need to be able to call on those skills to help us get what we want. Whether you are looking to start a constructive conversation, get someone to support your ideas, start your own business, or just get along with people, selling is an art you need to master. There is always something to be gained from knowing how to sell yourself, your skills, and your ideas, and what you get in return does not necessarily have to be money. You might gather supporters, friends, or recognition, but basically, the more you cultivate your sales skills, the more advantages life will open up for you.
Developing these skills is even more useful for professional salespeople, who play a key role in the dynamics of any economy. Without them, industry would literally collapse, because the world's economic engine is based precisely on the ability of sellers to put products into consumers’ hands. As a salesperson, learning to communicate effectively with others is an absolute must: the goal is to get people to agree with you, and understand that what you sell is the solution to their problems. There are millions of salespeople in the world, but most of them are mediocre. If you want to be a great salesperson, you must put a lot of effort into your profession, and you should always be willing to learn.
The first attribute that will guarantee your place in the arena of great sellers is commitment; this means being completely dedicated to your chosen profession. Selling must become your life, nothing else counts. Commitment is the essential prerequisite to achieving positive and lasting results in life; it is something that must be declared right now, not in the future, and which you must strive to cultivate every day. Another important prerequisite is knowledge, which will also help you develop a love for what you do: when you don't know what you are doing, you are not in control, and this never feels good. With a perfect understanding of your environment and what you have to do, you won't need to rely on luck: your own skills will lead you to success.
Finally, as well as being committed and knowledgeable, a great salesman should also be armed with the ability to forecast. Think of it like driving a car: not only do you have to be a good driver yourself, but you also need a degree of foresight to anticipate what the other drivers are going to do, so that you can avoid an accident. You can start to develop your forecasting ability by observing what happens as you work and as your selling skills evolve: how do you behave? How do you react? What do the people you try to sell to, say and do? Film yourself while you work, and then take note of your facial expressions, words, various tones of voice, and gestures… All this will help you to create an infinite number of model scenarios, which in turn will help you predict future situations more and more accurately.
