Salesmanship Seminar

Topic: Making the extra effort

"There are no traffic jams on the extra mile!"

You've heard it before. You can't make it at on seniority or longevity. And you can't make it just by being good. No matter where you work, you've got to be better or best.

Everyone's plans for better pay, for promotion, and for awards and recognition pay off on one thing only -- success. But success doesn't come easy. You've got to work for it. And the best way to succeed is to make that Extra Effort.

Extra effort means extra sales and extra profit. For the salesman who's doing everything right, extra effort means extra hours. For the rest of us, extra effort doesn't mean working longer. It means working smarter.

Extra effort means --

• Suggesting a sale item to the customer that says "Just looking."
• Using your "free time" to call prospects and customers instead of telephoning your buddy.
• Sending a "thank you" note to each customer who makes a major purchase.
• Backing your company's advertising -- all of it, not just the part that strikes your fancy.
• Greeting every customer promptly -- even when you're busy.
• Offering to check an accessory or review the instructions -- after you've closed the sale.
• Handling a nasty complaint in-store instead of referring it "upstairs".
• Checking, packing, and processing defective products on a daily basis.
• Doing now the thing you least want to do today.
• Setting aside a few minutes each day for training -- yours and your colleagues'.
• Doing your housekeeping daily -- and whenever it needs doing.
• Asking for the order even when you think you've lost the sale.
• Taking every opportunity to suggest, to add on, to sell up.
• Selling an extended or exchange warranty whenever its appropriate.

(For other Salesmanship Seminars, return to the Table of Contents.)

Several of our more frequently accessed Salesmanship Seminars, along with other resources, are now available from our email auto-responder library. For a catalog of available titles, click on our reader for help.