Amazon Connor Resource Group Connor Resource Group Category:  Self-Help Publisher: Random House ISBN-10:  0761534113 Type: Non-Fiction Pages: 284 Copyright: Jan 2001 Everything the new salesperson needs to get his or her career off to a tremendous start. Even veteran sales professionals love this book. It is straight forward, covers all of the basics and gives salespeople a framework for a successful career. -Traits of successful salespeople Successful salespeople have developed certain traits and attitudes that contribute to their success. I have been observing salespeople for over 40 years and I can tell you that they all don’t have all of the items listed below, but they are able to master those traits that are critical for their particular product/service, organizational culture, customer needs and expectations as well as competitor strengths and weaknesses. The following list is in no particular order but it does give you an idea of the profile of success in the selling profession. Successful salespeople: 1-manage their attitudes from inside-out not outside-in. 2-are on fire with passion and desire. 3-are a resource for their clients. They go the extra mile. 4-are excellent communicators. 5-are focused and concentrate on the task at hand. 6-are able to win the support of all inside support staff. 7-spend more time getting information than giving it. 8-are masters at asking the right questions, in the right way at the right time. 9-sell value not price. They know that over time this is the most important issue to the customer. 10-manage their resources of time, corporate resources, money and people. 11-keep in touch with their clients/prospects on a regular basis. 12-have as their primary goal - service and customer loyalty. 13-honor their commitments. 14-give something back to their community, profession. 15-are everywhere. They network and understand the value of good contacts. 16-have lofty goals. They don’t always reach them, but they aim for the stars. 17-promise a lot and deliver more. 18-understand the importance of knowledge of customers, competitors, the marketplace. 19-give their word is their bond. 20-work hard and smart. And finally, 21 they don’t try only for the home runs. They know that if they just keep hitting singles consistently sooner or later they will hit a home run. Long list I know, but if you want to separate yourself from the ‘also-rans’ in this profession mastering most of them is vital. Even if takes you your entire career to get there, if you integrate these concepts into your selling behavior early, little by little, you can’t help with time to become a super star. Why not measure yourself against this list, then over time ask your clients to do the same. You might find out some interesting and valuable information about how you are doing and progressing. -Life is perceptual No one looks at life, its events, conditions or circumstances the same. We see life not as it is, but as we are. Each of us has a mental filter through which we interpret other people’s behavior, events and circumstances. Ten people can look at the same piece of art, auto accident, movie or sunset and see it differently. This gives life is diversity and its relationships their challenges. One example I use in my seminar on relationships for couples is the idea of faults. Do you know of someone who has faults? Be honest now. Look closely at them for a moment. Aren’t another person’s faults what that person thinks, feels, believes or does differently than you think they should feel, think, believe or act? The assumption you are making when another person has a fault is that your way of feeling, acting etc. is either better than theirs or right. There is no right or wrong, only differences. This is one of the biggest issues in sales relationships that causes stress and conflict. The need to change the other person to your way of thinking, because theirs is wrong and yours is right. Acceptance is one of the biggest hurdles people face in relationships. It is also a major issue when it comes to motivating ourselves on a consistent basis. If we fail to perceive life and its events and people clearly we will tend to fall into a number of de-motivating traps such as, guilt, blame, resentment, anger and any number of other negative emotions or feelings. These negative responses will color your use of talent and how you treat others on a regular basis. One of the best indicators of someone who is happy, successful and living with their world in a harmonious way is how clearly they are in touch with reality, not theirs but REALITY. Truth is. It is not our interpretation of it and yet so many people believe that their truth should be everyone’s truth. Where are your perceptions about life, selling, people, events, circumstances, your past, present or future clouded? Where do you need a clearer vision and more accurate perceptual integrity? Excerpt Over the years a great number of sales trainers as well as sales managers have perpetuated a number of sales myths as if they were truths. Now, they may have been true at the time they were invented, created or thought up, but it is my belief that in today’s world economy - where change, technology and value are driving consumers to new levels of need satisfaction and understanding - that these myths are no longer true no matter who is preaching them. I would like to share just a few of these with you. I would also like to give you my reasoning why they are myths and not truths. You decide for yourself what makes most sense to you, what you may have heard as you begin your career or what feels right to you. 1. Sales is a numbers game: Selling is not a numbers game. If you see enough people, you will make enough sales. Bull. Selling is a QUALITY numbers game. If you see enough of the right people (qualified prospects) you will make lots of sales. The rationale here is that the number one cause of failure in sales is the issue of rejection. If your strategy is to see lots of people, qualified or otherwise, sooner or later you are going to get more rejection that you can probably handle and will either quit or fail. This approach is not designed to give you permission to not make lots of calls, however it is designed to ensure you spend your valuable selling time with good prospects.

Bill Lee, Lee Resources
New salespeople can either get off to a quick and successful start or they can lumber along for months wasting prospects, time, corporate resources and eventually failing.

What is the difference between these two groups? Attitudes and skills, it’s that simple.

Most organizations today do a poor job of indoctrinating new salespeople into their territory and the sales culture of the company and training these new employees on the basics of successful sales. As a result they lose business, customers, even non-sales employees due to the performance issues caused by a lack of these two critical ingredients. They will also find that their competitors will take advantage of this poor representation in the market place by these inadequately trained sales reps.

The answer: Your First Year in Sales by thirty year sales training veteran Tim Connor was published in 2003 by Random House. This outstanding book and its 270 pages delves deep into the skills and attitudes required for success. It is written in an easy style and shares hundreds of practical ideas and techniques that can be applied immediately for greater success. Every sales manager regardless of the industry should provide a copy for each one of his or her salespeople. This book is must reading for anyone who is new to sales, has never had formal sales training, is an old pro that needs to be re-vitalized or is a long time seasoned sales veteran who has lost touch with the needs, wants and desires of today’s more sophisticated buyers.

In my opinion there is only one book on the market today that comes close to equaling the value of Your First Year in Sales and that is Soft Sell, also by Tim. Soft Sell is now in it’s 56th printing and fourth edition with sales in excess of 500,000 copies worldwide.

I highly recommend both of these outstanding books.

To order either of these best sellers: visit: www.timconnor.com.