We hear it all the time … “looking for AGGRESSIVE sales people”, but is that what works now? Will it work tomorrow? What approach should a sales person take in order to sell more than others? Should he/she be passive or active? What kind of a persona will win the sale?

I can say that it “depends” but then what would be the point of reading this post?

So I’ll say, keep reading my friend and you might just become the sales person of tomorrow.

Aggressive does not mean loud.

Why is it that sales people mistake “aggressive” with talkative (you know the ones who don’t shut up)? The ones who give you a 20 minute sales pitch out of which 10 minutes are spent on naming all the Fortune 500 companies they sell to. Ask me … do I care?

Once again, that’s something that you care about … not your prospect. They care about “them” and what you can do for “them”. So let’s not beat a dead horse … stop talking so much about others. What? You’re saying that talking about Fortune 500 companies adds credibility to your company? You’re Absolutely right! Name 3 companies and move on.

Sales person asking questions?

People love to talk about their business and if a sales person is spending the first 10 minutes of the conversation asking me about “MY” business he/she is winning in 2 ways.

1. Your prospect will enjoy the conversation when it’s about their business.

2. You as a sales person will find out things about the business that you can use in your sales pitch.

Passive and yet … Active

Excellent if you can master this. When selling your service, use both approaches.

Passive = Do not push the sale, instead pull it. Show that you can survive without making a sale today. Be cool, calm, collected and relaxed. No need for … “are you ready to sign up” proposals.

Active = Make the conversation go your way. Show that you know what you’re doing and you do it probably better than others. Try to lead the conversation … not follow.

Honesty does not sell

Surprised? What sells is “smart honesty”. Here is what I mean.

Make sure your weaknesses play a positive part. If your client is looking for a service “2″ and most of your competitors offer this service in addition to 2 more services, all you need to do is show that you’re weak at services “1″ and “3″ because you specialize in service “2″. Kind of a silly example, but hopefully it will get the point across.

Ok, here is the bottom line. (Stay with me here)

To sell more you have to listen more than you speak. Understand your prospect’s business (you can not imagine how they love it when you know at least a little about their “life”. “Wow, how did you know that?” If you get them to say this or even think it … you’ve just placed your self above all the other “aggressive” sales people.

Sound positive, confident and convincing even if for a moment you’re a bit unsure about something. That one “unsure” moment can leave bad memories about you. “Don’t loose your cool”.

Stop saying 15,000 words per minute. You’re not selling cars in the auction. If you rush, your prospect will also rush, and believe me, you don’t want that. Just notice how the “rich” folks speak.

Specialize in only what the prospect is looking for. If they want service “A” don’t talk about other services. Focus only on that one thing he/she is looking for.

Most important … do not confuse people. A confused person will never open up their wallet. They’ll say … “I’ll get back to you”. How often do they keep their promise?