I am of the belief that all of us are in sales.

That said, if you agree with me, a good question to ask yourself is exactly what is it that are you selling? Goods? Products? Services? A combination thereof?

Chances are very good that one or more of the above would be a correct answer.

However, if I changed the question slightly and asked you what the most important thing is that you are selling, none of the above would be the adequate.

Your most important sale is yourself.

What is your LQ—your Likeability Quotient?

Do you first meet potential customers with a big smile? Do you have a firm handshake and look the person in the eye when you first meet? Do you concentrate on really listening and remembering names? Is it your mannerism to spend more time listening than talking? Do you truly focus on the man or woman with whom you are talking rather than mentally heading off in to La La-Land or waste that valuable time anticipating what to say next? Do you pay careful attention to the little things about your customer or prospect so as to make him/her feel like the most important person on the planet during your encounter? Are you other-focused or self-focused?

What if your prospect is on the phone? Can he/she sense in your voice the enthusiasm that you have for what you are doing? Is your positive attitude about the task at hand contagious? Are you the type of caller that the person on the other end of the line would like to hear from again and again?

Questions, questions and more questions. Why all the questions?

I am asking them in order to challenge you to really assess where you stand on a scale of 1-10 in each of them. To be perfectly frank, it bothers me when I observe people that I know to be outrageously talented and full of integrity not being properly rewarded due to the simple fact that they are not properly presenting themselves to the world. In essence—they have an aversion to ethical self-promotion.

I’ve witnessed men and women offer wimpy handshakes while looking at their shoes or over my head when trying to sell me something. I’ve heard people in groups introduce themselves in an almost inaudible manner. I’ve seen people in a service position look as though they have eaten a dill pickle and washed it down with vinegar. I’ve observed people behind sales counters treat customers with disdain or indifference—as if they were a bother rather than the reason he/she has a job.

What about you? Wouldn’t you rather deal with someone who is confident, friendly, outgoing, interested, cheerful, and enthusiastic?

Most of us would. Therefore, I urge you to seriously analyze yourself in how you look and how you present yourself to the world. Odds are very high that each and every one of us would benefit by first taking an honest self-evaluation and then making a concerted effort to improve where we are deficient, one step at a time.

Bill Sheridan—"Sheridan Writes"

Bio under Guest Authors

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