Professional Selling Skills Training in Malaysia | Professional vs Amateurs Salesman
Professionalism in selling has become a hot subject in the public listed leading companies.
There are three reasons:
(1) Global competition demands higher quality products and higher quality relationships;
(2) Increased professionalism can reduce costly personnel turnover;
(3) Customers buy more from professional salespeople.
According to the statistics, there are more people joining the sales force in this country. Yet in the eyes of leading sales executives, perhaps only one in 10 can be considered a true professional. Although amateurs and professionals may look alike in appearance and grooming, there are significant differences in the way they deal with their customers.
While amateurs tend to talk at the prospect, professionals listen to the prospect. Amateurs are preoccupied with price and discounts; professionals focus on customer requirements and cost-justified solutions. While amateurs leave loose ends, professionals follow up, return calls, and deliver more than they promise.
Amateurs tend to haggle over who will get the bigger slice of the pie; professionals work with the customer to find solutions that create more pie for everyone. In short, the professional salesperson is a trusted advisor who creates a win/win relationship based on competence, integrity, and mutual respect.
There are even more significant differences between amateurs and professionals when we examine their career paths in sales. While amateurs are capable of landing a big sale, their sales charts lack the sustained growth of the professional.
Amateurs tend to hop from job to job without improving their earning power; professionals seize opportunities for learning and growing within their company or their industry. Their income grows at the same steady pace as their experience in the field. While millions of amateurs pay the price of mediocrity, hundreds of thousands of sales professionals earn a very good living and find a great deal of satisfaction in their careers.
Many amateur salespeople fail to become professionals because their real career interests lie elsewhere. Just within the last two weeks I talked to a printing saleswoman who’d rather teach ballet, a software salesman hatching plans for becoming an antique dealer, and a leasing agent with dreams of becoming a writer. All these salespeople would rather be doing something “better” than selling. The sad truth is that none of them is a professional at selling or at anything else.
By now you’re probably asking yourself, “How can I move beyond amateur status?” It begins with a commitment to professionalism. Once you’ve made that decision, you can focus your energies on developing your professional skills and knowledge. Take a closer look at the sales courses offered by your local university, your industry association, your company, or professional sales training organizations.
Industry associations are now offering certification programs for salespeople, but certification is not limited to salespeople. Even sales managers and marketing managers are beginning to pursue certification. Many universities are now offering degrees in professional selling.
People tend to confuse the terms occupation and profession. Both involve work, but if you don’t approach your work with a professional attitude, you can’t expect to be successful. Professionalism requires a lifelong commitment to ongoing learning and offers as rewards personal satisfaction and attractive earnings.
