Associated Mail & Parcel Centers Blog

How many of you have heard a store owner say, “I’m not a salesperson?” Have you said it yourself?

What do you supposed that means: to be or not to be a salesperson?

The typical picture we get of a sales person is that of the late, great pitchman Billy Mays or the Shamwow guy. Or it’s maybe the pushy credit card processing person who wants to compare your rates with his, the used car guy, the politician, the copier guy, or that person who just joined an MLM program.

Is that was salesperson means? – Aggressive, salesy, pushy, relentless, persevering, and rude? You don’t want to be like that; your family and friends don’t want you to be like that, and, yes, your customers don’t want it either. You don’t have to be like that to do very well in sales and it’s a very normal activity.

If you are in business, you are a salesperson, whether you want to be or not. You are a brand and you have to promote and sell to survive. It’s just that some store owners are better at it than others. So how does sales work? How can you do well at sales if you are what is generally perceived as a salesman?

Your mom is going to buy from you (I would hope she will). Your brother, your best friend, your in-laws, your neighbors in the strip mall, will all do business with you. They will because they know you, they like you, and they trust you. Have you ever done business with somebody you don’t know, like or trust? Except for the cable company, it’s unlikely that you have purchased more than once from an unlikable business.

So, if people know, like, and trust you, they will shop and ship with you. You’re competitive with the other stores in town, you have at least as good customer service as they do, you’re just as good, and in many ways better than the others. So, why shouldn’t people who know, like, and trust you do business with you? They should and they will. Your mom does.

Therefore, get people to know, like, and trust you and you will be a salesperson. Right? It will work. I guarantee it. The key to sales is being a nice guy, an average guy, a typical guy who likes to talk and be with people, a businessperson who enjoys giving people value for their money.