What is the best mindset a salesperson can have? And how do you avoid some of the less complimentary stereotypes that you hear about people working in sales asks Dennis Kennedy of Active Sales Coaching.

After 23 years in the business, I have witnessed both positive and negative selling styles and can confidently say that doing it well is really not so difficult.

At a business meeting recently somebody asked me “isn’t sales just asking people what they want and giving it to them?”

I replied, with passion, “yes, it is!”

Now this may be a simplistic view, but the keys for success lie within it.

The most important attributes are integrity and hard work coupled with good questioning and even better listening.

These are the foundations for successful selling and the best mindset for a salesperson.

If you help somebody to meet their needs, then they will help you to meet yours!

Any ‘get rich quick style’ of thinking, will be seen through and leave a sour taste in the customer’s mouth.

You may have heard the expression ‘they could sell snow to the Eskimos’. It is meant as positive comment, but it is not a good thing.

You have to give customers what they want – sell them something that they don’t and they won’t return.

During the sales process if a customer raises a concern it very clearly signals that their needs have not been fully understood, they are not being given what they want and you have not asked good questions, or worse still, you have not been listening – look for the signals.

If you are serious about selling then use the time you have in conversation wisely.

To help you with this, take a moment to consider when you have received good customer service?

What was it that made the difference?

How did it make you feel?

Then add those ‘good ingredients’ to your own approach.

Please tell me too – I’d love to hear about your positive experiences as a customer?