Sales - free course from 4brain, training 30 days, Date: December 5, 2023.

Already in ancient times, trade relations served as a catalyst for the formation of human civilization. Thus, cities grew at the intersections of trade routes, and active trade contributed to the development of peoples and cultural exchange between them. Over time, trade routes acquired names - from school history courses we all remember “The Great Silk Road”, “The Road from the Varangians to the Greeks”, etc.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, in order to develop sales, people began to establish rail and road connections between cities and states. Thanks to this, the supply of goods to even the most remote areas began to be established, and the lion's share of the population the planet was able to move away from the national economy, as a result of which social conditions significantly improved life.

All this suggests that the development of economic relations was largely the reason why humanity reached the current level of development. And without getting into the weeds of thinking and philosophizing, we can simply say that the ability to sell is a skill that anyone should learn a person, if he strives to improve his life, success in the professional field (mainly in the field of sales, of course), personal growth and etc.

In our free “Sales” training, we tried to include the most interesting, useful and necessary information regarding the art of sales. From it you will learn what sales is and who a professional sales manager is, what There are sales techniques, how to learn how to sell and achieve success in this matter, and many others interesting things. And later in the introduction we will talk in more detail about why this skill can be useful to each of us in life.

What is sales

Sales are a cyclical process of commercial interaction between two persons, leading to the exchange of goods and money. But it is important to keep in mind that the term “selling” can be interpreted in different ways by managers and salespeople. If in a broad sense, selling is understood as the organization of the process of selling goods and services, then in a narrower sense it represents a sequence of actions leading to the conclusion of a transaction.

Why do you need to know how to sell?

The craft of a salesperson is in great demand on the market today, but most people engage in sales only out of necessity, and not at all of their own free will. At the same time, sales skills can be useful to anyone.

If you look at it objectively, we encounter the need to sell something everywhere: we sell ourselves by meeting new people, we sell our skills and knowledge when applying for a job, we sell our ideas and proposals at friendly and business meetings, we sell goods and services, if this relates to our employment. All this is directly related to the ability to make presentations, work with objections, and close deals. That is why, knowing how to sell in principle, a person has a much greater chance of success compared to others, and it doesn’t matter what it concerns: personal life, friendship, work, business, etc.

The art of sales is a real science, but its importance in a person’s life is often underestimated. And the ability to sell itself is even more important, because the profession of a sales manager is considered one of the most in demand and highly paid around the world. In addition, the ability to sell is rightfully recognized as universal, because If a person is familiar with the principles of sales and marketing, it no longer matters to him what exactly to sell.

A competent salesperson who knows how to make cold calls, establish contacts, make presentations and persuade may not be afraid of any crises or layoffs - he will always be in great demand. In addition, a system of commercial incentives is now becoming more widespread, when the seller receives a percentage of his transactions. Therefore, knowing how to sell, a person will always be financially secure.

If we talk specifically about business, then sales skills are invaluable for managers at different stages of the life of an organization. It helps at the stage of team formation and the first stages of company development, helps attract capital as the project grows, increases turnover and increases actual sales, helps stabilize the company during the period of its scaling, and also allows the organization to exit to the stock exchange.

Thus, the ability to sell is not only necessary, but also vital for a person. And the sooner he realizes and accepts this fact, the sooner his life and well-being will begin to improve.

Sales Manager and his qualities

A sales manager can be called the face of any company. He is responsible for the presentation of the product, and for introducing the company to a potential buyer, and for negotiations, both for demonstrating the advantages of your organization, and for creating a positive attitude To her. The achievement of all this is due to the professional skills, professional and business qualities of the manager.

Manager's professional skills
One of the main professional skills of a manager is communication skills. A professional seller must be able to find a common language with interlocutors and build constructive relationships with them. But in a broader sense, this characteristic consists of a number of key points.

Communication skills for a sales manager are:

• Negotiation skills
• Knowledge of sales techniques and techniques
• Ability to win over clients and steer conversations in the right direction
• Ability to maintain constant contact with counterparties
• Knowledge of your organization’s product, the ability to present it and show the advantages and benefits of your offer

The results of all his work often depend on the professional skills of the seller. But all of them can be formed and honed only in practice and/or after undergoing special training (our sales training also applies to them). However, in any case, they will not be enough, because... You need to have certain professional qualities and develop them in yourself.

Professional qualities of a sales manager
The most important personal qualities of a sales manager include:

• Excellent knowledge of trading fundamentals and sales theory
• Experience working with people
• Experience in sales
• Availability of a wide list of contacts, client base and relationships
• Personal qualities required to work in sales

Naturally, it is quite difficult to have all these competencies, but you should always strive to have them. In addition to practice, professional literature, thematic video materials, and specialized trainings can serve as an excellent help. Using these tools with due diligence will one way or another lead to the fact that the salesperson will ideally master the methods and techniques that will increase his productivity.

Business qualities of a sales manager
This set of business qualities can be considered as a mandatory requirement for a seller, regardless of the scale of his activities. In fact, it is necessary to have them even in cases where his work is not directly related to sales, because they are universal and can be useful anytime and anywhere. These qualities are:

• Erudition and broad outlook
• Presentable appearance
• Correct oral and written language
• Ability to find common language with different people
• Personal charm and self-confidence
• Ability to resolve conflicts and find compromises
• Motivation to take action

The art of sales is available to anyone, but only when he is ready for it. And readiness just means that in terms of personal development a person has reached a level sufficient to fully master sales, i.e. corresponds to the above characteristics. This, of course, does not mean at all that someone who, for example, is not confident in himself or makes mistakes in writing, cannot begin to develop in sales. But if you understand that something needs to be improved, by all means do it. Otherwise, it’s quite possible to move on to training.

How to learn to sell

Even the most successful sales managers often say that it is impossible to find materials that would contain absolutely all the recommendations that allow you to learn how to sell well and correctly. But there are still a few key points that are most important to understanding the art of sales:

• Understand the essence of sales. It is necessary to forever understand that in the sales process between people there is a mutual exchange on conditions favorable to them. Hence the conclusion: in order for a person to buy something, it is necessary to create acceptable conditions for him. But you can sell something in several ways - immediately offer your terms or convey to the client the need to purchase your product. The first method is good, but not always effective, and for the success of the second you need to be able to win a person’s trust and offer a truly high-quality and useful product or service.
• Get rid of the fear of communication. Without being able to overcome psychological barriers, it is very difficult to achieve high results in sales. Even if you don’t like communicating with people or are afraid to make contact yourself, you need to learn to push all barriers into the background and forget about them. Understand that anyone can make cold calls, give presentations, counter objections, and sell. The main thing is to want and not give in to your fears.
• Take into account your personal characteristics. You don’t need to adapt to everyone – you need to do what seems right, taking into account advice and recommendations from others. Get to know yourself as best you can, find your strengths and weaknesses, and work as your heart tells you. Sincerity in sales is worth its weight in gold. Be yourself and people will feel it, they will feel comfortable with you, and someone who is comfortable with you is always a pleasure to deal with.
• Practice every day. It doesn't matter how much effort it takes to approach a stranger, make a call, or hold a meeting. The important thing is that you do not stand still, because with each new step your self-confidence, professionalism, motivation, and enthusiasm will grow. Fear, uncertainty, reluctance - all this is eliminated by regular and systematic practice.
• Don't get upset or worry about failures. At first, you will often encounter refusals, competing managers, cunning clients, etc. Many people give up under such pressure and stop moving forward. But there is no need to panic, despair or be upset. Failures are a natural part of acquiring any experience, and you should always perceive them as another “No” on the way to “Yes.” In addition, making mistakes is very useful, because you learn to anticipate them and not make them in the future.
• Analyze your actions. After every conversation, meeting or call, you should relive this event in your imagination. This helps to look at the situation from the outside and identify shortcomings in the work. Successes also need to be analyzed, because... This will allow you to find your strengths and identify effective techniques that you can hone and apply in the future.
• And one more thing, perhaps the most important thing: at the initial stage, try to do any work in order to gain as much experience as possible. As a salesperson, you should be passionate about your work, strive to sell better, more, more masterfully. Be open to new information and opportunities, maintain that spark within you that fills you with inspiration. Remember that if you have the desire, then everything else will soon follow: knowledge, skills, experience, clients, deals. All this is just a matter of time, but the true desire for victory is what should always guide you.

We hope we were able to cheer you up a little and strengthen your will to achieve your goals. You are now ready to begin the course. But to give you a rough idea of ​​what you will study and learn, we offer brief overviews of each of the lessons.