The biggest mistake a salesperson can make is to think that selling is a complicated manner. In reality there are people with little formal training who sell ten times more than those with MBA's. The reality is that selling is a people business. If one doesn't have people skills then all the fancy concepts and acronyms fall by the wayside.

The first thing a salesperson must do is recognize the superiority of the golden rule (treat others the way you want to be treated). All else will fail if this rule is not obeyed. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. If you get on a customers good side you will have all the influence that you need.

Once you are on the customers good side, simply act as a feedback mechanism. If the customer wants to be told what to do they will ask you to tell them. If the customer wants to take charge the customer will take charge. The salesperson is there to service the customer. Nothing more, nothing less.

Lastly, product knowledge is key. Not only product knowledge but product enthusiasm is key to giving a positive presentation. Sometimes the customer will be more enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the product than the salesperson. If the salesperson is not as enthusiastic or knowledgeable about the product as the customer then that salesperson is only wasting the customers time. Salespeople and customers work best together when they are on the same page.

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