It’s amazing how we get our confidence from successful to unsuccessful people, and it is taken from us from the same people. Confidence is what drives a sales person, but the customer relationship is what builds a sales person.

Sometimes we are so confident in our self and abilities we forget what really gets us to our level of success. The Customers! Without customers buying our product and paying for our services, we are Nothing!

People buy from people they Know, Like, and Trust. You should never believe that your services, product, or yourself are so needed that no one can resist; reason being because although your confidence, knowledge, and value in your product are desired, it is the feeling of value and assurance of a good and the right value that seals the deal. No matter how well rehearsed you are, how good your product is, until you can prove the value and get your customer that “Warm and Fuzzy Feeling” your not much ahead of your competition.

People no matter who they are want to feel important. People want to feel like they are in control, and when they are on the purchasing end of a transaction they are in control. People are also; although not always consciously, are nervous when it comes to making big decisions especially with money. So how does a sales professional overcome this?

By building value in your self and product and creating a relationship. You create a relationship by walking into their personal life for a minute and out of their professional life; although not completely. You don’t take the corny approach and ask about their weekend or family seconds before you try to close the deal. What you do is start a professional relationship hinting who you really are through charm and humor, just enough to keep them interested while extracting information about who they really are in the process. A customer is going to have a wall up, because they have the leverage and the money and they can get the product they need at a variety of businesses.

You find out if their a family man, a party girl, the life of the party or the one wanting to be left alone. Once you have an idea after a presentation of your product and basic relationship building you start asking questions about their plans for the weekend, thoughts on a local to you or them sports team, the weather or anything else anyone can talk about. Don’t dive your personal beliefs in to fast as you don’t want to push them away. Once you find what really drives them, feel free to massage that happiness in their life, but never in a way that seems fake or obvious.

Being a Sales Professional is not about being fake, or insincere. Being a Sales Professional is about being the best person you can to the consumer across from you , on the other line, or across the web. Being a Sales Professional is about bringing a great product to a great customer in a way viable for everyone fulfilling more than one party’s need but instead all party’s needs.

When a customer sees this is your true intention they will get that “Warm and Fuzzy Feeling” and appreciate what you did, because you have made them your friend, filled their need, and evaporated their nervousness of the transaction/sale. Congratulations your a Sales Professional. Now that confidence is well deserved.

Another motivational blog post written by Noel Walsh of NW&A “Conquer What You Chase” Sales Training & Consulting from Ann Arbor, Mi.