Preface: What is “Sales” ?

Webster defines sales as: 1: the act of selling; specifically: the transfer of ownership of and title to property from one person to another for a price 2 a : opportunity of selling or being sold : b : distribution by selling.

I want to look at the #2 definition “opportunity of selling or being sold”. If you look at selling as an opportunity you will become much better at your task at hand. This book is designed to help any salesperson at any level. I started a sales career very early in life at the age of twenty-one. Directly out of college I entered the sales force as an Account Executive with the second largest Music store retailer in the state of Texas. I will never forget the first day on the job; I was starting a career in sales and did not even know it at that time. I want to discuss what I have learned along the way and how it has helped me to become successful in my career. I will show you the basic “tricks” that I wish I would have known when I started. You will undertake the sales strategy from a beginner level to an advanced level. I will bring you a chance to review lost thoughts and ideas you may have once used but forgot.

To quote one of my mentors: “No magic here…just do the common things uncommonly well” Thomas Harmon. Selling is not magic it is just a way of thinking and correct presentation skills. One of the greatest salespeople was the late Elvis Presley. What you say, I never knew that Elvis sold anything? If you remember nothing else about this book other than these please remember that selling is all about presentation and selling yourself first. I keep a picture of Elvis up at my desk at all times to help me remember this. He sold himself through a series steps. He may not have even known this is what he was doing but it is what happened to make him the “King”. The product may not have been the best but his presentation and the fact that he sold himself first and his music (or product) second is what made him great. He used a sales technique that we refer to as C.A.K.E. I will go into this a lot in chapter one.
 
When you walk into a room, send an e-mail, or make the call for a sales appointment make sure you are going in to sell yourself first. People will buy from you just because they like you. Elvis may not have been the best singer but he sold himself and people liked him. He made it as easy as C.A.K.E.
 
Remember someone is going to get sold. The question is whether it will be you or the customer and to what extent. Hopefully this book will help you to be the one doing the selling. Happy reading and God Bless!