9 Sales Tips From Dale Carnegie
You may know him as the author of the influential self help classic How to Win Friends and Influence People, but Dale Carnegie is more than a self-help guru. “Fresh out of college, he quickly became the top-performing sales rep in the nation for his employer, Armour & Co. He went on to become a highly sought-after innovator and public speaker. His strategy was simple: Take a genuine interest in the lives of others.”
Based on principles from Carnegie’s books, here are 9 sales tips:
Tip 1: Smile. Carnegie called it “a simple way to make a good first impression.” Every business encounter — across the desk, at the customer’s front door, and even on the telephone — should begin with a smile. “Actions,” Carnegie noted, “speak louder than words. And a smile says, ‘I like you.’”
Tip 2: Listen. Customers and clients want to hear what you have to say, but they want you to hear what they have to say first. Beyond that, consider this: How can you, as a sales rep, know what customers need if you don’t give them chance to tell you?
Tip 3: Arouse an “eager want.” It almost sounds poetic. Carnegie cited Harry A. Overstreet as the originator of this idea. Overstreet said, “Action springs from what we fundamentally desire.” If you own a bait store, understand that customers do not desire night crawlers; they desire catching fish. Pitch accordingly.
Tip 4: Use names. Learn the names of your employees, your customers, and your prospects as they enter your sphere of business. Carnegie’s principle here is simple: A person’s name is, to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
Tip 5: Avoid arguments. Carnegie said, “The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.” Be respectful of the customer’s opinion. Do not argue, criticize, or condemn. You will have an opportunity to brag about your offering soon enough.
Tip 6: If appropriate, apologize. If, at any point in a sales transaction or pitch, you discover you have made an error, don’t make excuses. Say you are sorry and do so emphatically, Carnegie said. Then move on.
Tip 7: Let customers sell to themselves. In general, people do not like to be told what to do or what to buy. Provide information and be helpful, but let customers make the decision. You do this by asking questions and steering the conversation until customers realize that your product or service is the solution they’ve been looking for.
Tip 8: Ask what’s in it for customers. When discussing your product, put it in terms that speak to your customers’ interests.
Tip 9: Dramatize your ideas. This has less to do with human interaction and more to do with a flair for the dramatic. Do not be afraid to engage in a little showmanship, as long as it is honest and doesn’t mislead people.
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