2011.. THE START OF THE "SALESMAN" DECADE!!

There is a saying "If you need to earn more.. "Make more Sales." This is more true now than in any previous times.

With rising unemployment and inflation, double dip housing recessions, bankruptcies and foreclosures throughout the United States, there maybe no better time than to take control of your own financial destiny. As a Real Estate and Insurance Agent, I see many of my clients and customers call my office to reduce insurance coverage limits or sell homes that they no longer can afford. Many lost their jobs, while others experience reduced salaries. Browsing the Internet (As I Often Do), Our US Government are having a harder time whether we should increase taxes or cut government programs. There is also talk of increasing our National Debt Limits. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner has told Congress that without an increase in the $14.3 trillion debt limit by Aug. 2, 2011 the government will be forced into its first-ever default, with potentially catastrophic results for the economy.

So, What to do now? How did we got here? How do we solve our National "Debt" Problem? How did the US became from the #1 creditor in the world 30 years ago, to the #1 Debtor to a tune of roughly 14.3 trillion dollars. Lets not talk about medicare, medicaid, social security, and Government bailout banks and Too-Big-Too-Fail Corporations, than we would be in debt by over 100 Trillion Dollars!!! Guess what, I have already a hard time figuring out what 100 millions would look like, imagine 100 Trillion?

At this point, I don't believe any of our elected official can solve this problem other than Taxing more Americans and borrowing more unfunded money (hence raising the debt limits) and passing the payment along to future generation. Not our US President, Senators, Congress, and other elected officials can solve this problem at this point. So, if our elected officials will be more of a financial burden than a solution to most hard-working Americans to keep our government from providing services, we have only ourselves to find the solution to this ever growing personal and national debt crisis. So what is the solution? Let's take a look at some obvious answers:

GET A JOB!

The rise of unemployment means securing a Job is a priority. However, as the US goes through its post Great Recession dilemma, A job is never a guarantee. A job can definitely bridge the financial gap but may not cover all living expenses. Furthermore, government "needs" such as taxes, inflation, social security, 401k and medicare takes a bite of your earned income before you see one red cent. What's left? Not as much as you were promised to make.

GO BACK TO SCHOOL!

I've often wondered about this. I see so many people going back to colleges to earn a bachelors or online degree due to a lack of employment in the job market. While I personally believe that going back to school is ok, I do worry about a few things on this. One, many students graduating are facing a tough time finding employment. Two, many Retro-Schoolers (those going back to school) usually ask for government assistance for school loans. After graduation, Retro-Schoolers face a still challenged job market with a newly minted student loan. Not everyone falls in this category for sure, but for those who do, this scenario is a definite bummer. But I do believe in anything you do, you must take risk to succeed. So, going back to school may or maybe not a good move, but at least you learn from whatever result it may be.

BECOME A SALESMAN!

Sales are everywhere. If you look at the current offering at craigslist.org and monster.com for a job, you will find many offerings on a sales career. Why is this? The short and sweet answer to this is

"Employers are looking for better results for their bottom line."

As long as the US economy continue to show lack of stability, employers are being more result-oriented when deciding to keep a person employed. The truth of the matter is,

"The more you show you can bring money to the table, the more likely an employer will keep you."

Employers are no longer looking for someone to fill a position, they are now looking for the "BEST" person to fill any position. As you know, whether you work for a big corporation or a small local business, everything is generated by sales. Other than being a Doctor, Engineer, or a Specialty Career, many will need some form of sales skills to get a job or be considered in any important career positions. The new motto of employers on this tough economy now stands,

"Ask Not What The Company Can Do For You, But What You Can Do For The Company."

BE AN ENTREPRENEUR

This maybe the hardest option of all. Being an Entrepreneur takes reasonable time, training, experience, guts, and skill to pull off. It takes years and years of practice, while no such financial guarantee is ever promised. However, without Entrepreneur-minded individuals, we may not have the financial backbone of what this country represent; Small Business. Small Business Entrepreneurs provide jobs, careers, salaries, and hourly pay for most of our job seekers.

So, Why is 2011 The Start of the "Salesman" Decade? Answer is "Opportunities."
Increasing job market uncertainties, high employer debts, and high national unemployment provides great Opportunities for gut wrenching, salesman. The opportunities are there for great salesman to prove to employing companies that they are the right man or woman for the job. The value of bringing positive revenue to the company is what all companies are looking for.



Ultimately, If we decide to change, re-educate, learn sales, and become Entrepreneurs, we may have a shot at turning things around for the sake of our country and our future generations. Ultimately, it may be up to us to take care of ourselves, grow our own business, and provide financial opportunities for others.  This I believe is why "2011 IS THE START OF THE SALESMAN DECADE."

Erwin Sigua
Author, Entrepreneur, Salesman 

6 salesman "SECRETS" on selling anything...

                                                           Isn't This A Great First Impression!

With so many literature and personal opinions on how to sell for success, if you ask 10 salespeople they  probably will tell you 10 different things what has worked for them.  However, there are 6 irrefutable "secrets" that salesman would probably hold dear to on how they sell for success. 

Top 6 Countdown....

Number 6:  First Impression goes a long way!

Proper attire, proper store look, proper posture, a nice car are some (not all) key elements on how to sell anything. Imagine the product releases by Apple such as the Iphone and Ipad; doesn't the marketing advertisement, the store, the salesman, the atmophere, the excitement of each product release provide a key first impression on whether you will purchase what they offer the next time around?  With long lines on each product releases by Apple, I definitely believe many have fallen on the company's first impression.

Number 5:  "Product Over Price; No... PRICE over Product"

Now this may be a little controversial to some, but may not be for others.  Many salesman would like to believe that the service they render should validate the price they offer or the price offered by the company they work for.  But in reality, especially in this economy, most consumers are looking for a deal they can agree on or a deal their spouse can agree with.  A salesman's job is to bridge the gap between what the consumer wants and what his company needs. 

Number 4:  Option 1 is good, Option 2 is better, Option 3 is the best....

Most Salesman will not give you just 1 option when trying to sell you a product or service even though that is what you came in for to look at.  In most cases, a salesman's "secret" is to provide atleast 3 options to show you but no more than 5.  More than 5 options creates confusion.  What you will notice is that the option that he would steer you on is the option that may probably land him the most money.  Time is money; the less time a salesman work on a deal, the more money he can make. Again, not every salesman may do this, but please understand that salesman are there to work and try to earn the most money to bring home for himself, his family, and for his livelihood. 

Number 3:  A salesman will make sure you "Need" the product, not just "Want" it. 

A good salesman usually profile you by asking questions about your work, family, and activities.  Armed with that knowledge, a salesman would try to provide examples on how the product works or relate to the customers everyday life. 

Number 2 :  If you call a salesman's office about a product, he or she will make sure to have your personal contact information before you hang up.

Have you ever given your cell phone number, email address, or even your work number to a store and the salesman on the other end said they will check it and will get back to you on it?  This is one of the oldest trick in the book.  In any case, the salesman probably know the product you were looking for have been sold or they do not know what the status is of the product.  By asking your contact info, they can put you on their client list for other products they can offer you at that time.  They can even show their boss the accumulated contact info's they have to prove they have been working very hard for the company. 

Number 1:  A successful salesman #1 motto is "Honesty is the Best Policy"

Believe it or not, most successful salespeople have good hearts and honest on what they sell.  Now the term "successful" is what I am referring to here.  By my definition, these are the people that have stayed with the business for a number of years and have developed a good clientele. By being honest, referrals become easy to come by and product description doesn't change from one customer to another (promotes trust).  Now, is being Honest an actual "secret" or is it a trait?  The truth of the matter is, it is both.  If used wisely, the saying "Honesty is the Best Policy" maybe the greatest secret on selling anything.

More to come on the Psychology of Selling....