Building Your Track Record
As you grow and succeed in sales, you will build experience and meet measurable goals. You will be building a track record that you can point to as accomplishments. “I tripled sales levels within three years” isn't bragging; it's a verifiable fact that your employer and potential employers should know about you.
You can build your professional track record by keeping accurate records, winning sales awards, getting recommendations from clients and experts, and building your own self-confidence. These are important steps in selling yourself and building your sales career.
Keep Records
Learn how to establish and maintain an effective record-keeping system. Using it, you can track prospects, customers, and sales. It can give you the specifics you need to show progress and success in your career.
Your sales records also can help motivate you as you step back periodically to see what progress you've made in selling. If you're not satisfied with the results, it can motivate you to do better — and possibly suggest where to start. Building and managing your records can guide you in your long and successful sales career.
Win Awards
Salespeople love awards. In most sales organizations, sales awards are handed out frequently. The purpose isn't to embarrass those who don't win, but to recognize those who do — and to motivate all salespeople.
The greatest awards for many salespeople are cash awards or bonuses. As many sales careers are measured in dollars sold or dollars earned, bonuses can motivate people to work harder. The bonus may come with a plaque or trophy for display. In any case, win as many awards as possible — especially ones that are significant to your customers, such as Top Home Seller.
Get Recommendations
As you build your sales career, you will get recommendations from your customers. Recommendations can come in letter form or as a list of people who will be advocates for you to others. If a customer strongly compliments you for your services, ask for a letter of recommendation. If needed, you can help draft the letter for them and get the customer's staff to put it on their letterhead.
If they'd rather not write a letter, ask for approval to add the reference to a recommendation list that you give to prospects. Be certain that it is okay for others to call your reference and ask about your services. Few prospects actually make the call, but seeing a name on your list can influence their buying decision.
Like to write? Consider writing an article for publications that your customers read. If published, it adds to your credentials. Be sure to send copies to customers and prospects. In addition to offering sound advice, an article makes clear that others recognize you as an expert. Don't like to write? Hire a ghostwriter or ask a promotional or technical writer in your office to assist you.
Build Confidence
Selling yourself is about more than facts. It also is an attitude of confidence. Confidence is a condition of self-reliance; it's a belief in your powers to stay in control of yourself and your situation. You need confidence in yourself, your product, your customers, and your goals.
Confidence is based on facts. You either have reasons to be confident or you don't. Some salespeople attempt to manufacture confidence from wishes rather than facts. They want to believe in themselves in all situations, but confidence requires facts to make it true.
On the positive side, most people have good reasons to be confident of their abilities to control many situations. It's not false bravado, it's the opportunity for confidence. You can believe in future success because of prior successes. You can build self-confidence.
