• The B2B sales professional most often thinks of sales as a career.
• The B2B sales professional usually has an educational background or industry training in the products being sold or the organizations buying them.
• B2B sales professionals are primarily pro-active, searching out prospects and converting them to clients.
• B2B sales reps usually have near-term repeat sales or strong on-going relationships with clients.
• B2B sales reps deal with various levels and multiple individuals within a client organization.
• B2B sales reps can be among the highest paid employees in an organization.

There are many overlaps between B2B and B2C; top automotive sales reps and good real estate agents, for instance, make careers selling. A few clothing store sales reps develop careers, too. And financial advisers have long term relationships built on expert product knowledge. But for the most part, retail sales reps look for other career opportunities, work part time, and rarely are paid paid well.

Brian Harrison Smith courses are aimed at business to business sales professionals building their careers in sales and sales management.

What is the most important characteristic of a successful sales person?

• The ability to communicate with customers is the single most important characteristic of successful sales people. All types of people can be successful at communicating. Smart organizations enhance the skills through learning and coaching.
• The main skill is to create dialogue. This means asking the right questions and facilitating the buying process. This is a low pressure approach to selling which produces significant results and builds long-term B2B relationships.
• Creating dialogue requires understanding of each customer's situation. Today's customer is very well informed and has information at their finger tips. It's essential to gain a deep understanding of their needs and level of knowledge before attempting to sell the anything. e.g. If you are selling cars, you can be sure over 80% of your potential buyers have shopped for information on the Internet.

• The old style of selling went against the way people think. Sales people would present everything they had to sell up front and hope the customer would choose a product of service. Today's professional sales person's approach is the same process your family doctor follows when you have an ailment. i.e. Examination, Diagnosis and Prescription.
• People love to buy but hate to be sold. Successful selling today involves sharing the burden of making the sale with the buyer and developing an appropriate joint solution for the circumstance. This approach to selling follows people's natural decision making process.

• Both the buyer and the seller come out of the process feeling their best interests have been served … in other words they have both won. What many people do not understand is that a Win is more emotional than tangible. e.g. A person's Win, when he or she sources a solution to a strategic business problem, is the recognition she or he earns from their peers. This may have significant career implications in the future.
• The benefits of Win/Win selling are satisfied customers, long-term relationships, repeat business and referrals. Successful Win/Win selling requires the sales person to understand each clients personal win in-depth and position his products and/or services to fit.

• Customers buy what they think the product or service will do for them. This is a very subjective issue and is based on past experience and current priorities. e.g. Everyone has a different idea of what they are buying when they purchase an automobile.
• You can't sell anything unless you know what the customer wants to buy. This means understanding the buyer's solution image and connecting the image with the sales person's solution. If no connection is made then there is no fit and a Win/Win sale will not occur.
• Professional sales people should not execute sales which do not fit the buyer's image, because only grief, known as buyers/sellers remorse, on both sides will result.

• You learn more about the customer. You can then focus on results that B2B customers need. It also accelerates the selling process and differentiates you from competitors.
• Selling to fit your customer's solution image minimizes price competition. It positions you favorably with the decision maker and you can spot no-fit situations at the outset and avoid wasting time

• The five reasons are: 

• no need, 
• no money, 
• no desire, 
• no urgency and 
• no trust. 

• No trust kills the most sales. It is better to be trusted than liked.

• Credibility can be established at the outset based on your experience, your knowledge, your presentation and your associations, but in the long-term it has to be earned. Credibility is essential for selling. It is the foundation of trust.
• When you have credibility, customers will be ready to talk to you and will ask "how" questions rather than "why" questions. Customers will tell you they trust you and will give you highly personal information. Their attention will be clearly on the meeting.

• Good questions allow you to qualify at the outset of the sales process. They help you understand the current situation and establish rapport and a comfort level.
• Good questions let you determine what you know and do not know about the customer's buying process and let you identify how the customer thinks you are different from your competitor. Properly structured and sequenced questions reinforce your credibility and generate a fluid communication process.

• The information you give to customers must show that your solution fits their solution image and differentiates you from your competitor.

• Buyers make decisions base on perceived distinction. If you don't help them here they have to differentiate themselves and they are not nearly as qualified to do it as you are.

• Each sale is one step in a long-term relationship and constant attention is required in the care and feeding of the process. e.g. A B2B customer who purchases $10,000 per month is worth $1.2 million in cash flow if you serve them faithfully over the next ten years.

• Absolutely not. You will never have a long-term relationship in any situation that is not Win/Win. Walking away from poor solution fits is good business.