Whether you are obtaining a dinner reservation at a popular restaurant, returning merchandise at a store, dealing with a difficult person, seeking advice, attempting to get your point across, applying for a new position at work, or literally involved with the selling of a product or service for a living, navigating your way through life requires an ability to promote yourself and persuade others of your point of view. And, if you think about it, that's what sales is all about.



Because sales skills can be applied to so many facets in our life, the more you develop them, the more you will be able to get what you want and deserve out of life. Each of us is always selling in one way or another. Everyone you interact with, everyone who opinions and actions you affect, is a customer in your life. Since none of us live our lives in total isolation - and who would want to even if we could - we all have a vested interest in trying to get better at selling. Once you know how to sell yourself, you can do anything! The rewards can be awesome.

Marketing versus Selling

If selling is so important to each of us in our lives, are you at times a bit confused about the differences between marketing and selling? Simply put, marketing is the act of "bringing the product or service to market". Selling on the other hand is the process, the steps you take to "close a sale", to convert a prospective buyer into a customer, or "making a conversion".

At its core marketing is essentially nothing more than research. That is to say it's about identifying groups of potential buyers (your target market) and then finding the best way of bringing your product or service to their attention, generally through some form of advertising, online/offline campaigns or through some other outreach activities. Once your potential customers have been identified, you will try to reach them by developing what is called your "Marketing Message". The more closely your message resonates with the wants, needs or desires of your prospective customers the better the odds of making a conversion, aka, closing sales.

Marketing on-line has some distinctive advantages to off-line marketing methods. The Internet makes it much easier to conduct market research using search engines or keyword searches using specialized programs as well as various other methods.

In minutes, you can accumulate highly accurate real time data on what people are looking at, or looking for on-line. Not to mention finding out crucial information about your competitors as well. The value of this powerful research capability can not be understated. It is priceless!

On-line or off-line, marketing and sales seem sometime to overlap in the development of what is commonly known as the "pitch". The pitch, of course, is how the marketing message is delivered. It's where the marketing "rubber" meets the road so to speak.

If the marketing has been done properly then the marketing message will be clearly delivered in ad copy, sales copy or by whatever means you use to bring it before your prospective customer.

Selling, on the other hand, is about persuasion through reason. It is associated with a process called overcoming objections and delivering value in the prospect's mind. It is a much more intimate one to one technique where a buyer "assists" a prospective customer in making a "buying decision".

Part of the marketing process is to actually uncover potential objections which might prevent your prospect from being converted to a customer. Selling is in fact where all that marketing research is applied at the point of sale.

While many would say that marketing is only a numbers game, it is really is an art as well. Successful marketers often seem to have an instinct for how to reach prospective customers that goes beyond simply number crunching. They simply seem to know what makes people tick, or perhaps more to the point, what makes them buy.

With Internet Marketing in particular there is a tremendous focus on the numbers. How many hundreds, or even thousands potential customers will see your ad or get your email. It's easy to get the feeling that if only you have a big enough audience, sales will automatically follow.

Unfortunately many novice markets have fallen into the trap of thinking that bigger numbers make for greater success. It's no wonder then that so many fail to achieve any success at all.

Part of a good marketing plan of course is all about getting your marketing message in front of as many people as possible, not just any people of course, but the right people at the right time. Never loose sight of who your target market is --- and please do not make the mistake of not having a target market to begin with.

If marketing is done well it simply disappears behind the neat graphics and sparkling ad copy. The marketing message come shining through and to stimulate, motivate or excite exactly the right people.

When marketing is done well products virtually sell themselves, right? Well, not so. I would venture to say that good, targeted marketing with get you half the way there. To actually convert a prospect into a customer requires good selling skills. Selling is the art of helping ... of solving other people's problems. "Help," "solve," "needs" are the key words that represent the essence of selling. "How will this benefit me?" is the big question in your prospect's mind, even if they never ask it out loud. Be sure to deliver the answer up front.

One of most common mistakes people make in selling is to try to act as if there's nothing in it for themselves. You don't have to hide the fact that you, too, benefit from a sale. Being forthright about that in your attitude and approach can help to establish rapport and trust with the other person. Everyone is expected to win. Here is to prosperous selling!