The art of selling

Joe Girard

The weather usually gets very chilly in Detroit, Michigan in the month of January. It was a similar day in 1963.

June Girard, Joe Girard's wife, was traumatised as her children were starving and literally begging for food. Mentally shattered, she asked her husband to do something or see his kids starve.

He was desperate as no father could endure seeing his children hungry and crying for food.

He approached a nearby Chevrolet dealer and pleaded the manager to hire him as a salesman. The manager was unwilling as Joe lacked experience and January was typically a slow month for car sales.

However, after much persuasion, he was able to secure a job in the showroom.

It felt like a very long day for him, eagerly waiting for the first customer to walk in. On the verge of disappointment, the day was about to come to an end. Just then, a customer walked in.

His children flashed before his eyes as he saw the customer carry bags of groceries. It was then that he committed himself to making his first sale.

He sold his first car, borrowed $10 from his manager to buy groceries and went home.

The incident completely changed the course of Joe's life. It was the beginning of the successful run of one of the world's greatest salesmen - Joseph Samuel Gerard. The Guinness Book of World Records recognised him as the world's number one retail sales person as well.

In his second month on the job, he sold 18 cars and trucks.

However, to his utmost surprise, he was later fired as his colleagues complained that he was too 'aggressive'.

But that did not stop him; he landed a job in another Chevrolet dealership and never looked back since.

For 12 straight years, he sold more cars and trucks than any other salesperson. As an individual, he sold more cars at retail than most dealers sold in total.

By the time he retired in 1978 as a salesperson, he sold 13,001 cars in 15 years.

Joe once said, "Salesmen are made, not born. If I did it, you can do it."

So the question naturally arises -- what made him different from others?

He summarised his secrets eloquently. It all starts, continues, and ends in one simple word -- DESIRE.

According to Joe, "If you want, and know what you want, you will have most of what you need to be a successful salesman. I mean that. Nobody can be a successful salesman without wanting; wanting something very much. And the more you want, the more you drive yourself to do what it takes to sell."

Retiring as a salesman at the age of 49, Joe became an author and motivational speaker. Some of his books became popular and are considered as textbooks for professionals in the field of sales and marketing.

Some of his books included -- How To Sell Anything To Anybody, How To Sell Yourself, Mastering Your Way To The Top, and Joe Girard's 13 Essential Rules of Selling.

To summarise the key learning from the experiences of this great salesman, here are a few of his points.

Positive attitude

It is of utmost important to be positive, always. In order to be positive, one needs to carefully select his or her companions. Make positive people your buddies and stay away from grumblers because they might pull you down to their level.

Be organised

It is important to do things effectively and timely. One must know what his or her job is today, tomorrow, and the day after. If you know where you are going, you will get there. If you don't know, you are lost.

Hard work

There is no shortcut to success. Do not sneak out of work early, if you do, you are a loser.

Listen passionately

The longer you listen, the more obligated people will feel towards you. There is a high possibility that the more you listen, the more likely a customer is going to do business with you. Listening shows that you care. "The mouth should only be used for eating - keep your mouth shut." Silence is golden.

Smile

A smile is a powerful tool and it increases your face value. When people smile more, customers feel better and want to do more business. More importantly, it helps people feel better mentally, which eventually helps lead a healthy life.

Be truthful

Trust is the single most important thing in winning a deal. To close the sale, a salesman has to be truthful from the word go.

Avoid overcharge

In today's world, it is easy for customers to compare prices. To be sustainable in business, salesmen need to charge fair prices. Customers feel cheated if they are overcharged.

Customer service

More often than not, once a deal is closed, a salesman tends to forget the customer. That's a blunder. To ensure repeat purchases, there is no alternative to proactive customer care services.

Be responsive

Communication is the key. A sale often begins from a customer query. Therefore, it is important that customers' queries are attended in a timely manner and with care.

While the products or services being sold are important, the person selling those is even more important.

Joe was one of those successful salesmen who made selling an art.

No wonder he says, "I never sold a car in my life, I sold a Girard."

The writer is the managing director of Syngenta Bangladesh Ltd.