Selling More Than A Candy Bar

When you sell something, you have to understand what it is your selling. A fifty-cent candy bar is easy to sell because people don’t have to invest that much into it. When you sell a car, the purchaser understands that he or she is spending a significant sum, and probably at least 4 to 6 years of ownership and repairs. When you sell someone a house, you’re looking at the possibility of selling your client a lifelong commitment. Thus, candy bars are not as hard to sell as cars, and cars are sold more often than houses.

 No matter what you think you’re selling, you’re actually selling yourself. Why? Because if the customer doesn’t believe you and believe in you, you will not make the sale. The customer understands that your paycheck comes out of their purchases. And unfortunately, time has taught us to beware of individuals whose meals come from what they can get out of us. To avoid a diet of unsold candy bars, the first sale you have to make to a customer is showing them that you are on their side.

I have had more than one recruiter tell me that the number one product they sell is themselves. If the customer believes in their knowledge and their integrity and their desire to do good for others, then they can discuss jobs, employment, and positions. Until then, the recruiter is little more than just a visitor.

Does this mean that you turn into a walking yes poster for anything the client wants desires or thinks? Absolutely not. You need to present yourself to the client as a person of empathy and integrity, caring and strength, and most of all, a person of truth and dedication. If you can do that, then you can sell them anything because they believe in you.

Belief is hard to gain and easy to lose. When you hold the trust of others, your work is significantly less complicated. Your biggest fear should not be that you may not make the sale, it should be that you may lose the belief of others.

Thank you for being with me today. I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Author: Mike Balof

A retired Air Force Master Sergeant, Mike used to lay in bed at night and worry about what would happen if his plant closed or found himself without a job. One day his plant closed. Rather than panic and hysteria (OK, maybe a little) Mike found himself carried away on the adventure of his life. Mike started with the best job he ever had working at Home Depot. He spent 8 years working with job seekers at a local workforce center, helping them to find employment. He then started his own company developing courses, writing books and urging others to follow their own paths into the future. Mike holds a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Training and a Bachelor of Business Management, earned through the University of Phoenix and an AAS degree in Electronics Systems Technology from the Community College of the Air Force. Mike is a member of the Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society. View all posts by Mike Balof