Taking the stress out of sales

Open any Sunday paper, and you are most likely to find that the Classified pages are inundated with vacancies, mostly calling for salespeople to sell anything - from holiday packages to electronic gadgets, fashion wear for him, her and the children off catalogue pages or wholesale merchandise to retailers. Sales even involve convincing people to buy an insurance, to purchase property or to invest in luxury goods.

If you are the type of person who likes a challenge, if you are a go-getter and confident in your capabilities as a convincing talker, then a job in sales is something you would enjoy.

But from the outside, the world of sales seems to offer a totally different package than it does in actual fact, and this for various reasons.

The outcome of this misconception results in the world of sales universally possessing one of the highest turnovers in jobs on an annual basis. People are just not prepared for what they get.

If you've set your heart on working in sales, you probably dream of a commission that piles up by the minute, an opportunity to get out and about, meet people, clinch constantly happy transactions and driving a company car in the bargain.

Seasoned salespeople will probably turn their eyes to the sky and grin cynically. Sales can be fun, but it can also be stressful with a capital 'S'. In certain countries, sales-related stress is treated with disdain, in others some companies literally offer their employees a chance to go off into the screaming room to vent off their built-up tension.

If you think this is an exaggeration, think of the multitude of smoking rooms in various office complexes - aren't they opportunities for employees to stress out 'politely'?

Back to the stress of sales. It takes a lot of training and self-control to make a good salesperson out of any person. You need to be a multitude of things all at once - convincing, polite, diplomatic, pushy, demanding and yet sublimely cool, without going over the top and strangling your client if he does not buy what you want to sell.

Because the crux of the matter is not having things to sell, which you will offer on a plate of gold with a lot of fancy words about benefits that come with the products being sold or services offered.

You will be armed with brochures, mobile phones, fancy diaries, and the car; a desk and a telephone, possibly also the services of a secretary to log in some extra appointments while you're out and about. But if the clients you meet are not convinced of what you tell them, unless they fall in love with your product, or just cannot exist without your services, then you are failing in your enterprise - you are not making sales.

This is where your boss will get irritated and remind you of the end-of-month target card that is not being filled up with the required quota of sales; you will be reminded of the targets you have to reach every day if need be, until you reach them and then, just when you are fully satisfied, they are topped up again and you have to start all over. The reasoning is that if you managed to clinch so many sales, then it was too easy and you have to work a bit harder to clinch a few more.

On the other hand, your client will be demanding his or her own part of the bargain. You got paid for the deal you offered; now your product or service has to perform. It, or you, will have to deliver and failing that means facing repercussions.

Clients will phone you, text you, visit you, harass you - to insist that they be refunded, re-serviced, or have their contract revoked, if what you promised, your product and ultimately the product of the company you are representing, does not keep its promise.

This may all sound slightly disheartening and may make your newfound enthusiasm wane drastically. But if you remember certain vital concepts behind the work of a salesperson, then you can save yourself many sleepless nights and stressed-out days.

Here are some tips to get you going in the right direction:

• First of all you must believe in your product. Note that it is 'your' product.

This is because, if you take sales as a job that sells somebody else's product, then you won't come across as being proud of what you do. You will assume a take-it-or-leave-it attitude that sheds doubt on the product or service's efficacy and worth.

• Do not work with a company that offers shoddy products or services. You must be happy to work selling something which you would purchase yourself.

• Keep positive at all times. If you have had a day with no sales, this is not the end of the world. Being optimistic will make you more relaxed, and help you focus better.

• Be professional. If you are, then chances are that you are more organised. Being organised lessens stress, because you can anticipate what is necessary and sidestep what is not.

• Request constant training from your employer. Insist on this aspect, as unless you are properly trained, chances are that you will buckle under the minute you are faced with difficulties and abandon the company - not a good prospective for your employer after all.

• Shop around before opting to land a job in sales. Each sales job offers a number of perks, which you should obviously weigh carefully. Ask for information about the kind of targets imposed on employees working in sales; ask about deadlines, weekly ones, monthly ones and yearly ones; ask about the leads and contacts - whether these are provided by the company or whether you have to get them for yourself. Ultimately it is the good leads that provide the good sales contracts.

Take a course in time management for your own interest. It will take you a long way. Better still, request that such a course be offered by your company.

• Finally remember that while a job in sales can be stressful, this is but a job and should not take over your life. Remember to allot special time to your own interests, your family and your social life. You need all these to soothe you when you feel stressed.

Don't let stress overcome you. Seek help and sustenance the minute you feel it's becoming overwhelming. You are the one who must take control of your life, not your sales pitch, fever or targets.

CSB, operators of VacancyCentre.com, has been supporting the local business community with its services since 1987. For further information write to CSB, 185D Old Bakery Street, Valletta VLT 04, phone 2123-2224 or 2123-2225, fax: 2123-2226, e-mail support@ vacancycentre.com, or visit www.VacancyCentre.com.

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