Iowa houses the headquarters of fully seven of the top revenue companies in the United States. So whether it’s a government job, the oil and gas sector, agriculture or the grocery business you’ll find plenty of job openings in Iowa for entry level positions as well as top sales executive posts.
And if you do decide to go with the latter, well there are four points to keep in mind to being successful in a sales job. They’re very simple points and not hard to implement with a little practice so go ahead and take a read-through. Ready? Okay here we go.
Sale Point 1: The Approach
A friend of mine was recently employed selling gas connections to passers-by and he didn’t get anywhere until he changed his entire approach. So you’ve got to understand – approach is everything. I’ll say it again for emphasis: approach is everything! He used the ‘hook, line and sinker’ method where you attract somebody’s attention and then walk away inducing them to follow you to a table where you can then show them the goods. But whatever the approach used make sure you cut the fluff and get to the meat of it immediately. Don’t beat around the bush, people have very limited time to hear about how you can benefit them.
Sale Point 2: The Pitch
I don’t need to tell you how vital this is right after the approach. The truth is most ordinary people do not like to be ‘sold’ stuff to – many have associations of scamming with anything being sold. So you need to get your pitch right, whether it’s the ‘buddy’ pitch, the ‘concerned fellow citizen’ pitch or any other one you use. Constantly examine and re-examine your pitch – try it out on yourself to see if you’d buy into it. This will help build your own belief in it to the point that other people start believing it too. And, of course, it goes without saying that you really need to ‘know’ your clientele inside out so you can tailor your pitch to their reality and context.
Sale Point 3: The Goal
It needs to be really clear in your head what you’re aiming for and having a goal in sight gives you that direction. Not only will this give you a clearer idea of what you need to do but also will give you satisfaction once you’ve achieved that goal. That in turn will motivate you which will provide what is most vital to being a successful sales person: intrinsic motivation. Reflect on and update your goals regularly. Aim higher if it’s getting too easy.
Sale Point 4: The ‘Most’
Days when you make every sale are rare and to be treasured. You’re going to have plenty of missed sales and you simply cannot let that bring you down. Go over each failure and think about why it didn’t work out. What can you do next time that will make it more effective? Remember, you are not your sales or your sales pitch – you are much more than that. Keeping that in mind will help you learn from experience instead of letting it get to you. So be positive, look ahead and keep learning. Make the most of it; it’s actually one of the most stimulating, fun jobs out there.
