How to Succeed at Sales
I saw the following post on a Facebook sales group, and quite frankly was shocked by what I read:
“If you waste another’s salespersons day and you don’t buy from them, assuming they did their job, TIP THEM. I do this myself, wasted a guys time unintentionally and ended up buying a different brand of side by side, not because of something he did wrong so I tipped him $50. We each know how much it sucks to spend a lot of time and effort on a deal and not get it!”
I find this ridiculous. Successful salespeople know that most of the time we spend with customers won’t result in a sale. That’s how sales work. A sale is where need meets solution meets timing. If a customer had ever tried to tip me as a “participation trophy” after I didn’t get a sale, words cannot express how insulted I would have felt.
How to succeed at sales for the long term
A sales call that doesn’t result in a sale is not a “waste of time”. If you 
think it is, perhaps a professional selling career isn’t for you. To be successful in sales, a sales call that doesn’t end in a sale is an opportunity to:
- Initiate a relationship that might benefit you later.
- Sharpen your skills and learn more about yourself and the potential customer.
- Make a positive marketing impression for yourself and your company.
- An opportunity. Period.
And a salesperson who thinks an “opportunity” is a waste of time is a salesperson who is only chasing the almighty buck – and isn’t fit for a professional sales job.
To be successful in sales, you must love the ACTIVITY, not just the result.
