Description
One definition of salesman-ship is as follows: “It's the abil-ity to present an idea, product or service accurately, attrac-tively, and convincingly. Let’s take a look at each of these in more detail.
Are salespeople born or made?
P
r
o
f
e
s
s
i
o
n
a
l
S
e
l
l
i
n
g
I once met a car dealer who told
me when he was born, the doctor
held him up in front of his mother
and proclaimed, “Congratulations,
you have given birth to a sales-
man.”
Many people believe there are a
few individuals who were
‘born’ to be salesmen. What
about you? Do you think
salesmanship is an in-
born gift? Or do you believe
we acquire the skills to be effective
salespeople, over time?
There’s no doubt all of us are born
with personality characteristics which
may contribute to our success in dif-
ferent careers. However, most attrib-
utes required to be effective in selling
are ‘learned.’
Here are a few comments from
farm producers and agri-salespeople
concerning the question “Are sales
people born or made?”
Ed Silba, a consultant from Ashe-
ville, N.C., observes: “There seem to
be people who are just naturally easy
to get along with. They are easy to
communicate with and easy to
listen to.”
Joe Stewart of Stewart Farms, Inc.,
Nampa, ID., agrees. He says, “Some
salesmen are very personable. They
don’t talk your head off and they
know their product well. I can ask
questions, and they are able to pro-
vide good answers. They let me talk
and explain my situation. They dis-
cuss their products in ways
that fit my farm. That type of
personality is good to work
with.”
Dairy producer Jim
Wilson, of Tillamook,
OR., adds, “I believe
some people have the
gift to sell. They believe
in their product. They are
enthused and excited about
what they have to offer and they are
always ‘pumped up.’ That makes me
want to do business with them.”
Yes, some people are outgoing and
enthusiastic and appear to have natu-
ral selling skills. However, most of the
key attributes of effective salesman-
ship, i.e. questioning and listening
skills, product knowledge, and enthu-
siasm, are developed over time.
Silba continues, “Some of the
things about selling are naturally in-
born. But I think the majority of
salespeople ‘learn’ what they need to
do to be successful.
“A salesperson who has learned
true salesmanship will be able to more
easily adapt and adjust to different
individuals and situations within the
market place.”
© 2006 JG Henion; REV 4/2013
The Sales Profession
Salesmanship - What is it?
# 63
Page 2
One definition of salesman-
ship is as follows: “It's the abil-
ity to present an idea, product
or service accurately, attrac-
tively, and convincingly. Let’s
take a look at each of these in
more detail.
Present your ideas, prod-
ucts, and services ACCU-
RATELY. Jesse Koopman,
West Point Farms, Wendell,
ID, tells us, “Some salesmen
do not have credible informa-
tion to back up what they are
saying. They tell us, ‘Trust me,
it will work out.’
“That’s not enough today.
We like to see the references.
We like to see studies that took
place before the product was
presented to us.”
Joe Stewart, Nampa, ID,
agrees. “When a salesman
comes to me, he has to be ac-
curate about his product. If I
get interested and then find
out the product isn’t what he
portrayed it to be, I’m going to
be upset because the product
will not do what I was told it
would do.”
Ken Grube, a salesman
from Mohnton, PA., adds,
“Agriculture today is driven by
details. As a result, there is
simply no room in salesman-
ship for grey areas. True sales-
manship involves developing
the reputation that what we
present is accurate and is going
to work to the best of our
knowledge.”
Present your ideas, prod-
ucts, and services ATTRAC-
TIVELY. Bruce Weaver, a
Regional Sales Manager from
Windber, PA., defines attrac-
tive as follows: “To me attrac-
tive is the positive attitude we
go onto each farm with and
how we respond to people.
“It’s being excited about
what we’re doing and helping
those individuals we are pre-
senting to so they will want
what we have to offer.”
Jesse Koopman adds, “An
attractive and appealing sales
approach is when a salesper-
son has things spelled out so I
can understand them. It needs
to be easy to understand; and it
needs to be short, concise, and
to the point. We want you to
have your facts and figures on
paper and in your head before
you get here.”
Mark Clark, an area sales
representative from Sumer-
duck, VA., points out, “Attrac-
tive can mean different things
to different people.” He says,
“We need to try and figure out
what is important to individual
customers so we can tailor our
approach in a way that it will
be attractive to them. We need
to know our customers’ prefer-
ences so we can tailor our ap-
proach to each situation and
each person. Part of that is
knowing which ones want to
see the flyers and the bro-
chures and which ones just
want to see the meat and pota-
toes.”
Present your ideas, prod-
ucts, and services CON-
VINCINGLY. Certainly a key
component of salesmanship is
having enthusiasm and passion
for your product and service
offerings as well as the com-
pany you represent.
Ken Grube explains, “To
be successful in sales, you have
to believe in what you sell. If
I’m not convinced myself, I
will never be able to convince
anyone else.”
So what do you do if your
company comes up with a
product, a service or an idea
you are not particularly en-
thused about?
Clark suggests, “You may
need to do some additional
study and research on your
own. In this information age,
technology is available to net-
work and communicate with
peers, company specialists or
other individuals who may
have more experience with the
new products and services.
“Do whatever it takes to get
comfortable with the products
so you can sell with enthusi-
asm and confidence.”
Characteristics of Effective Salesmanship
doc_328574348.pdf
One definition of salesman-ship is as follows: “It's the abil-ity to present an idea, product or service accurately, attrac-tively, and convincingly. Let’s take a look at each of these in more detail.
Are salespeople born or made?
P
r
o
f
e
s
s
i
o
n
a
l
S
e
l
l
i
n
g
I once met a car dealer who told
me when he was born, the doctor
held him up in front of his mother
and proclaimed, “Congratulations,
you have given birth to a sales-
man.”
Many people believe there are a
few individuals who were
‘born’ to be salesmen. What
about you? Do you think
salesmanship is an in-
born gift? Or do you believe
we acquire the skills to be effective
salespeople, over time?
There’s no doubt all of us are born
with personality characteristics which
may contribute to our success in dif-
ferent careers. However, most attrib-
utes required to be effective in selling
are ‘learned.’
Here are a few comments from
farm producers and agri-salespeople
concerning the question “Are sales
people born or made?”
Ed Silba, a consultant from Ashe-
ville, N.C., observes: “There seem to
be people who are just naturally easy
to get along with. They are easy to
communicate with and easy to
listen to.”
Joe Stewart of Stewart Farms, Inc.,
Nampa, ID., agrees. He says, “Some
salesmen are very personable. They
don’t talk your head off and they
know their product well. I can ask
questions, and they are able to pro-
vide good answers. They let me talk
and explain my situation. They dis-
cuss their products in ways
that fit my farm. That type of
personality is good to work
with.”
Dairy producer Jim
Wilson, of Tillamook,
OR., adds, “I believe
some people have the
gift to sell. They believe
in their product. They are
enthused and excited about
what they have to offer and they are
always ‘pumped up.’ That makes me
want to do business with them.”
Yes, some people are outgoing and
enthusiastic and appear to have natu-
ral selling skills. However, most of the
key attributes of effective salesman-
ship, i.e. questioning and listening
skills, product knowledge, and enthu-
siasm, are developed over time.
Silba continues, “Some of the
things about selling are naturally in-
born. But I think the majority of
salespeople ‘learn’ what they need to
do to be successful.
“A salesperson who has learned
true salesmanship will be able to more
easily adapt and adjust to different
individuals and situations within the
market place.”
© 2006 JG Henion; REV 4/2013
The Sales Profession
Salesmanship - What is it?
# 63
Page 2
One definition of salesman-
ship is as follows: “It's the abil-
ity to present an idea, product
or service accurately, attrac-
tively, and convincingly. Let’s
take a look at each of these in
more detail.
Present your ideas, prod-
ucts, and services ACCU-
RATELY. Jesse Koopman,
West Point Farms, Wendell,
ID, tells us, “Some salesmen
do not have credible informa-
tion to back up what they are
saying. They tell us, ‘Trust me,
it will work out.’
“That’s not enough today.
We like to see the references.
We like to see studies that took
place before the product was
presented to us.”
Joe Stewart, Nampa, ID,
agrees. “When a salesman
comes to me, he has to be ac-
curate about his product. If I
get interested and then find
out the product isn’t what he
portrayed it to be, I’m going to
be upset because the product
will not do what I was told it
would do.”
Ken Grube, a salesman
from Mohnton, PA., adds,
“Agriculture today is driven by
details. As a result, there is
simply no room in salesman-
ship for grey areas. True sales-
manship involves developing
the reputation that what we
present is accurate and is going
to work to the best of our
knowledge.”
Present your ideas, prod-
ucts, and services ATTRAC-
TIVELY. Bruce Weaver, a
Regional Sales Manager from
Windber, PA., defines attrac-
tive as follows: “To me attrac-
tive is the positive attitude we
go onto each farm with and
how we respond to people.
“It’s being excited about
what we’re doing and helping
those individuals we are pre-
senting to so they will want
what we have to offer.”
Jesse Koopman adds, “An
attractive and appealing sales
approach is when a salesper-
son has things spelled out so I
can understand them. It needs
to be easy to understand; and it
needs to be short, concise, and
to the point. We want you to
have your facts and figures on
paper and in your head before
you get here.”
Mark Clark, an area sales
representative from Sumer-
duck, VA., points out, “Attrac-
tive can mean different things
to different people.” He says,
“We need to try and figure out
what is important to individual
customers so we can tailor our
approach in a way that it will
be attractive to them. We need
to know our customers’ prefer-
ences so we can tailor our ap-
proach to each situation and
each person. Part of that is
knowing which ones want to
see the flyers and the bro-
chures and which ones just
want to see the meat and pota-
toes.”
Present your ideas, prod-
ucts, and services CON-
VINCINGLY. Certainly a key
component of salesmanship is
having enthusiasm and passion
for your product and service
offerings as well as the com-
pany you represent.
Ken Grube explains, “To
be successful in sales, you have
to believe in what you sell. If
I’m not convinced myself, I
will never be able to convince
anyone else.”
So what do you do if your
company comes up with a
product, a service or an idea
you are not particularly en-
thused about?
Clark suggests, “You may
need to do some additional
study and research on your
own. In this information age,
technology is available to net-
work and communicate with
peers, company specialists or
other individuals who may
have more experience with the
new products and services.
“Do whatever it takes to get
comfortable with the products
so you can sell with enthusi-
asm and confidence.”
Characteristics of Effective Salesmanship
doc_328574348.pdf