Ask any small business owner in any kind of business what is the toughest job to do and the hardest position to fill?
The most common answer is: SALES. Why else would salespeople rank among the highest earners in their organizations? Because it is the hardest job to succeed at, that's why. I know because I have been doing it for quite a while now and have had measurable success as well. In addition to requiring an abundance of energy and many "special" personality traits that make you the right candidate, a truly successful sales person will have only one quality that stands far above the rest.

Notice that I have not made this into a series of "Top 5" list or "10 common mistakes" list for a very specific reason. I am not going to fill it full of other catch phrases to surround it with either to make me sound important. The Gallion Company sales advice is about ONE simple truth that will tie all successful sales leaders together, and coincidentally, one of our favorite words in the English language: ENTHUSIASM.

Of the dozens of great books on the subject of sales and selling, none has left a greater impact on us than "The Psychology of Selling" by Brian Tracy. There are many great authors on the subject of selling but in this book, Tracy has documented the most accurate definition ever to describe a sale.

"A sale is nothing more than a transfer of enthusiasm." This is what our philosophy is all about from our actual working experience committed to selling. In any business you have to be good if not the best at what ever it is you do if you really want to succeed. The core to any marketing or sales plan is first, have great quality of the product or service you are offering. If the quality is not there then how can you truly and honestly expect to generate enthusiasm for what you offer? And where is a salesperson to get the enthusiasm from to transfer in the first place? Because in the end, you must transfer enthusiasm to the customer in order for them to buy.

Sure you can try the old school approach and get a "slick" sales professional to "put things in their best light". But we have news for you. It won't work anymore. This is the day and age of direct sources on the world wide web and good information is readily available. Sales success is now, and always has been, about honesty and transferring genuine enthusiasm about what is sold. When a sales rep knows he has the best product or service he will become unstoppable with enthusiasm. You can't fake enthusiasm because customers can see right through you. If you are honest and full of pure enthusiasm, they see it in you and they buy.

Enthusiasm, as defined on my dashboard dictionary is "Intense and eager enjoyment, interest, or approval." Sounds about right to me. But what brings it all home for me is the history behind this great word. The word enthusiasm comes from the Greek and although you may not know it, there are spiritual elements to the history behind the word. Inside the word enthusiasm is the Greek "Theos" meaning "God". Hence, the study of God is called "Theology". Entheos, the direct translation for enthusiasm means "God within."

So there you have it. Be honest and improve your product or service to the point it becomes very good, if not the best. If it is good for others you will have "God within" you. Transfer the enthusiasm you have created to your customers and they will buy. Then you will attract sales people into the mix also because they will also have enthusiasm to transfer to their clients. Your sales will improve dramatically and everyone will win.

The Gallion Company will help you transfer enthusiasm and inspire you to achieve sales optimization.

Copyright © 2008-2009. Michael Gallion. All rights reserved.