It is always funny when I hear someone say they hate sales. Often they think of sales in terms of business development or products, but the truth is people conduct sales everyday.

When you first move into a neighborhood, you don't necessarily know anyone. You have to establish some form of relationship with your neighbors, good or bad. Of course, this is based on appearances. For example, I knew a family that moved into an upper tier neighborhood. The parents were covered in tattoos and rode Harleys, what do you think their neighbors first thoughts were. The husband ran a successful business himself, so he knew what most of his neighbors would think. Rather than pull into the neighborhood on his chopper, he opted to let everyone see him pull in in his Jaguar. When he first visited his new home, he wore an Armani suit and covered his tattoos. He still sported extremely long hair, but he had it tied into a pigtail. He also featured a beard, but kept it trimmed. He knew this would appease his new neighbors, allowing them to make ascertain their own opinion on his initial appearance.

This is exactly how people are selling themselves on a daily basis. Most people probably don't even think about it, but it's true. When you are applying for a job, you are essentially selling yourself. Once again, this happens on a daily basis.

How many times have you tried something that tastes phenomenal? You tell your friends and co-workers about this phenomenal item. Once again, you are closing sales on a daily basis, simply by referring people to something you tried out. You are consulting people on a daily basis and don't even realize you are closing sales for businesses every day.

So why are sales so difficult, as a profession? The answer really is pretty simple. With a sales career, people are focused on making money. They forget how to incorporate their daily lives into their sales profession, thus putting themselves in a huge pressure cooker.

There are no reasons to put that much pressure on yourself. If you are being true to yourself, then you are being true to your clients. They don't want the phony sales, they want to believe you are helping their best interests. If they see you wavering, then they will find someone else who isn't. It's all about confidence and conviction. If you don't believe in something you are selling, then you need to find something you do believe in.

Obviously, if you are just getting into a new sales career. The most important thing you need to do is to acquaint yourself with your company and their products. Your products need to be second nature, just like the back of your hand. This will give you all the confidence you need to succeed. Don't ever try to short cut your product training. That's the biggest mistake a new salesperson makes. They are so concerned about making money, they just want to get on the floor. Then they are trying so desperately to make money, they leave themselves vulnerable to lost sales. People aren't dummies, they will sense desperation and frustration. So product knowledge is essential.

Another common mistake an inexperienced salesperson will make is knowing when to keep their mouths shut and ears open. You have to listen to your clients. They will provide you with vital information, but you have to know what they are looking for. What you are really listening for is a chance to find an opening. The opening is called an open ended question.

Open ended questions are those questions that are digging for a little more information. These questions will never have a yes or no answer. The more details you get the easier the sale will be.

If you do fall into a yes or no situation, make sure it benefits you.

For example, "We don't want a leaky faucet that we're going to have to repair every year, do we?"

When you ask that question, always make sure you are shaking your head.

Following that question, you want to immediately lead in with, "so you definitely want to save yourself time and money making the right decision, right?"

This time you are nodding as you are saying this. A little persuasion goes a long way. As soon as they say yes, you can lead into your close.

When you close, you want to close with the most expensive product you have available(knowing you have several more affordable options waiting in the wings.....product knowledge equals power).

Here's an example of a close to your yes answer. "So, how would you like to pay for this? Cash or credit?"

Your are leaving them their payment options. Obviously, if they answer either cash or credit, then you have closed your sale.

Now what happens if they say, "We just can't afford that, right now."?

This is where keeping your ears opened earlier will pay off. They will have told you earlier about their reasoning for looking and how soon they needed to take care of their situation. So they mentioned earlier about needing a new faucet immediately. You know they need something now, so you know from their response that you need to find an affordable solution. Many times, you will know how much they can afford because they will have mentioned it earlier. However, with this example let's pretend we don't have a clue about their budget.

With this scenario, you obviously wil have a portfolio open in front of them. So, you would simply flip to the next page and try the next product or simply show them all their different options.

What you are doing is building repertoire and confidence with the client. You didn't push the issue with the most expensive product, instead you were bright enough to walk them through their options and help them out. You weren't pushy and ultimately built yourself clientelle. They will remember how you helped them out.

Remember what I said earlier about tasting something phenomenal? That's right, you are the new flavor of the month. They will send their friends and co-workers to you. So, you may have given up a couple of dollars in that sale, but you have made yourself more money by simply being kind and courteous.

In sales, you have to remember people are programmed to say no. No, isn't the end of the world people. It's just a stone in your path. You won't turn around just because you come across a stone in your path. No, you look for a way around it. The key to every sale is your ability to get around that little stone, otherwise called an objection.

Ever watch Law and Order? In a court room, the defense or prosecution presents an objection. The judge acknowledges the objection, so they have to find another way to get their information presented. The more information an attorney can provide a jury will help them make the best decision.

The best sales professionals know their clients will walk themselves into the close. All they are doing is taking their hand and guiding them along. Just like parenting, leading by example.