Learning Personality Styles | DAVERAMSEY.COM     The Four Steps to Successful Selling If you spent any time with Dave, you would quickly learn that he's a super salesperson. Talk to him for five minutes, and he'll have you converted to the cause. Why is he so good at it? Because Dave knows that selling is much more than having a great personality. It's a process. And if done right, a sale will follow. So if selling is so easy, why are so many people terrible at it? Because they ignore the four steps necessary for someone to make the buy. It doesn't matter if they are a salesperson selling highly sophisticated software for a mega corporation or a minister teaching someone about Jesus, the same four steps are involved. If you skip one or go out of order, you might as well call it a day, because the only thing you'll be offering is frustration. The four steps include: Qualification If there is any step that should have a complex, it's qualification. It's the most overlooked, underrated of the four. And it just happens to be one of the most powerful. If you don't believe us, try to talk an unqualified buyer into something they don't need or can't afford. You may get a black eye. Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration—we told you qualification has a complex—but when you don't pay attention to qualification, it can lead to exasperation for everyone involved. A qualified prospect must have: Money Time Need/Want Power to purchase Rapport The second step, rapport, can be summed up in two words: common ground. To make a sale, you have to find a way to connect to your customer. Do your research to find out who you're talking to and look for that common ground. When you do, it allows the buyer to trust you, your company and your product. In a retail situation, there's no time for research, but you can still connect. It can be as simple as asking where someone is from. Boston? I have a friend who lives in Framingham. Boom. In five seconds, you've made that connection. Education/Information Want to instantly annoy someone? Try selling them a product you know nothing about. Before selling anything, you have to know every little detail. And that's just the beginning. You also must love and believe in your product too. If you don't, it shows. As Dave says, "If you wouldn't want your mother to buy the item or service, then don't sell it." Close If you followed the three steps above, closing the deal is gravy—a natural part of the process. The big thing to remember here is don't try to close too early. You'll come off as pushy and lose the sale. By using the four steps above and serving your customers instead of selling them, you'll gain clients for life. Everyone is happy, and business is fun again too. It doesn't get better than that. Share this: Happening on Twitter @entreleadership: If you catch yourself stumbling on decisions that are small, relative to your world, then you need to work on this skill of being decisive. To learn more about business, team building and leadership, download our EntreLeadership podcasts, which include lessons from Dave plus interviews with key business leaders from across the nation.     Daniel Tardy VP, EntreLeadership As an entrepreneur, you may be great at sales. But eventually, you'll need to hire a sales team so you can concentrate on growing your business. Luckily, these hires are pretty easy to swallow. Salespeople only cost you money when they are making you money. At Lampo, we start a new salesperson with a salary plus commission. The salary is decent but not huge. We don't want desperate salespeople who are too pushy. Instead, we want them to make enough money to live but still be a bit hungry. Within three to six months, the salary goes away as they fill their pipeline up. Then the fun begins. Many members of our sales team make more than some of our top leaders. They have a product they are proud of and know they are serving their customers, not selling them. It's the best for everyone involved, and it's what makes our sales team love their jobs.