Talking to people is hard. That’s exactly what I thought when I first started working as a salesman a few months ago.
I started working for Cutco Cutlery in mid-June 2020. I was plopped straight into a 3 day intensive training session. The training was the easiest part of the job. The hardest part was what came after.
I was supposed to talk to people over the phone and book appointments? Ouch.
I had previous experience working at Chick-Fil-A, but at that job customers came to me. At Cutco, I came to the customers. The most daunting part about that to me was having to convince people I’m not a telemarketer, just a kid in an old fashioned company trying to book some appointments.
Not only did I have to be a good communicator, but also a great convincer.
Becoming a Confident Convincer
That first day of calling was uncomfortable, but I maneuvered through it. Most of the people I called were family members. I booked about six appointments for my first weekend: my grandparents on both sides, a friend of my mother’s, and my own family.
Convincing some of my family members was difficult for me for two reasons. One, I haven’t directly spoken to them for a long time. Two, I was never the leading voice in most conversations.
As I continued pitching and booking appointments with new people, I found that my confidence level rose and my attitude towards the whole process changed. Taking advantage of my resources was easier now that my mentality was changed. Being confident was only going to get me so far. I had to start networking.
Knowing How to Network
This is arguably the most important and difficult part of being a good salesman. I needed plenty of good habits before I was able to network effectively. Although difficult, I was able to build up some great habits that allowed me to network properly. Some of the best habits I gained:
Paying Attention
Paying attention is the most important habit I picked up. When paying close attention to my customers, I made sure to listen to understand, not to answer. That is, when I answered, I answered in such a way that built a relationship, not just a sale. I did this in a variety of ways, like using empathy and perspective. This made me better at anticipating and solving problems.
Just Asking
Just asking was another key habit to my success. Once I built a great customer relationship full of understanding, I had to ask for referrals and purchases. If I never asked for referrals or a credit card number from my customers, the interaction was a loss. This is the only way I was able to help myself and create more opportunities and generate revenue. The life blood of my sales job is referrals and selling. Without them, I don’t have a job any more.
During one of my demonstrations, I had a customer who wasn’t saying yes to any of the knives I showed them. I decided to show them some of the other products Cutco had and kept asking if they would like to buy. They kept saying no. Eventually the end of the demonstration was coming around, so I asked one more time. They ended up buying a vegetable peeler because they felt I tried so hard. Just asking works.
Handling objections
Handling objections is the most difficult habit I had to acquire. When doing this I had to make sure I didn’t come off as insensitive to their problems. I didn’t have to sell a big ticket item, just something small. Dealing with people’s excuses was something I had to focus on. I lost plenty of small sales early on because the customer took over the conversation.
One time, I had a customer who told me over the phone, right before my demonstration, that they weren’t going to buy anything. That comment should have put me in a bad mood, but it didn’t. I did my sales pitch as usual, making sure to control the conversation. They ended up buying a vegetable peeler after all. Handling their excuses during the demonstration gave me the edge I needed to make a sale.
Taking Notes
Taking notes is an equally important habit I picked up. Documenting the most important details of customers is how I was able to make later sales and follow-ups that could lead to more clients. When people called me or I called them I had little details about them that made talking to them and landing sales much easier.
Sometimes I have people that want to rebook for a later time. One time I had a customer that wanted to rebook for about a week later. I knew a little about her from talking to her over the phone. I took some notes during the call. Once my demonstration rolled around I was able to use those notes to my advantage. She was surprised that I remembered so much about her. Her reaction to me remembering really solidified the importance of notes.
What of it?
Why does any of what I’ve learned matter? I think what I’ve learned from working as a salesman is invaluable. The uncomfortable experiences I went through not only made me a better salesman, but a better people person. Emotional intelligence skills are vital in any field. Being able to communicate, organize, and manage various variables are valuable skills I’m able to use when furthering my career. My sales experience not only prepares me for sales, but a wide variety of customer success and managerial positions.
I’m glad I put myself out there, took the chance, and made some personal progress. Now what’s next?
