Streamline your b2b sales cycle for manufacturing with airSlate SignNow

How to create outlook signature

Highly-paid professionals have one thing in common, they have knowledge and skills. In practice, there are industries where the entry level is low, you don't need to know a lot to get started, and there are industries where the entry level is high, which means that specific knowledge and skills are required. And here is usually the difference between making good money and making poor money. Fundamental question is ... whether it's possible to move from the first model to the second without specific knowledge and be successful. ... It's enough to look around to see it happen every day, ... just look at the politicians ... Ok, being serious... Personally, I am proof of this as well. When I started my first sales job in the electrical industry almost two decades ago. ... The range of products of the distributor I worked for was huge. Cables and cables management, transformers, lighting, fire and security systems, renewable energy, practically everything what had sth to do with electricity. To be clear, I wasn’t a technical guy ... I had absolutely no idea what these things were designed for and I wasn't able to provide any technical support for my clients.... who obviously had high expectations in terms of professional service and expert support ... Often they were experts in their own fields, which made it even more complicated. ... Clients used professional terms, abbreviations, because of course every industry has its own specific jargon, So at the beginning it was even hard to understand what someone meant or wanted to get, not to mention to be able to advise anything. ... I felt overwhelmed. ... I had no idea how to start and hence I felt a lot of discomfort before every meeting and contact with a new client. But, I quickly realized that I wasn't alone. Most of my colleagues made only the impression that they know everything, but most of them had only a vague idea of what they were selling ... as well as many clients what they really want,... And you know what? it's enough to have a general knowledge when you starting out. Only experience will make you a real expert and this process takes years. Everyone started once and there is no rational reason for procrastination. In your own head, you may never be well prepared. That's why you need to get rid of the fear of exposing your gaps in knowledge, basically what blocks people is the fear of being ridiculed. When you start any new venture, especially when you are young, you have to face the brutal truth. Lack of experience will affect your self-confidence. Trying to mask a lack of knowledge it only gets worse. It will come out when you least expect it. ... Solution it's quite simple... it's honesty ... both with yourself and people around, if you don't know something or you are not sure when talking to your client, just say it. People expect expert support, that's true, but on the other hand, they are looking for people who can trust. ... If you say that you are not sure about something, then you do your homework, gain knowledge, provide information and right solution for your client's problem, this is the way you gain that trust... It takes time to become an expert in any field. Nobody can skip this stage because it's a process and like in any process, mistakes are part of it. What distinguishes strong personalities from weak is that weak people cannot admit their mistakes and weaknesses, prefer to mask their gaps in knowledge and skills. ... Experience is a King, but just like everyone before, you have to go through all that swamp. ... so, you don't need to pretend to be an expert if you aren't already. ... and now to the point, how to handle when you find yourself in a similar place. ... First of all, you need to quickly identify people around you who have the knowledge you need and like to share it with others, it can be colleagues from your company, clients ... basically whoever knows what you don't know... Secondly, every leading manufactur has sales engineers - technical support, who are in touch with their distributors and key-end-users, these people are specialized in one type of product which their company manufactures, and as long as you have a common interest, I mean you sell their products, you can usually rely on their assistance. Personally, I've played similar role for years and I've never left anyone without proper support, without solving the problem and unanswered question. So surround yourself with people who can help you at the beginning, both in your own and outside your organization, don't be afraid to ask for support and help. If you don't know something don't act like you know the answer, you don't have to know everything. Just say that you will find out and provide relevant information, after consulting an expert, technical department, whatever the situation may require, because this is exactly how building expertise looks like. Over time you will become an expert and you will need less and less outside assistance. ... In conclusion, don't put too much pressure on yourself and give yourself time to learn, don't try to be a perfectionist. Everyone started out once, was a beginner at some point of his life, usually their level of knowledge was very low, not to say that most had no knowledge at all, so don't think about it too much, just take the first step. My name is Paweł, I've been in sales for over 15 years, I've built a network of Contacts and Sales from scratch several times in my career on the Europen market for companies operating in the industrial sector, If you want to develop selling and social skills, you don't feel confident enough with cold-calling and meeting clients, you want to know how to build instant rapport with new prospect, effectively close a sale, monetize that knowledge and gain financial freedom please subscribe and see you soon ...