I challenge all of you sales people out there to answer one question ~ honestly. Would you buy from you? Consider all you bring to your sales table, your approach, the words you choose, your voice, your appearance, and mannerisms. Would you get the attention of the perspective buyer, or would they continue their search?

The sales person, in the beginning, is the initial attraction to the product being sold. The importance of this moment in the sales process can't be overlooked or underestimated. If the perspective buyer can't connect with the sales person, they often won't even consider what is being sold. Over the years there have been so many great quotes written about the "sales person." Regardless of the age of the words below, successful selling is about the basics of building relationships. Here are 5 of my favorite sales quotes:

There are many selling experiences where you purchase from someone that you are unimpressed with, but these are experiences where the risk is low. You compromise the uncomfortable feeling, perhaps irritation, knowing it will be a quick exchange. This is not true where the stakes are high and time needs to be invested. Customers of this nature will only purchase when they are made to feel comfortable with the situation, and most importantly, the sales person. As said earlier, at this point in the sales process the sales person has most of the influential power over the purchase. There are so many factors that affect the customer's initial impression of the sales person, these are four of the most important to focus on, when answering the question, "Would you buy from you?"

In addition to making sure you show up the best you can, by honestly answering the four questions above, your customer knowledge is paramount! Product knowledge will always be important, but taking the time to get to know your customer and building a relationship will make you a bigger sales winner than you know. 

To be the best sales person you can be, you need to genuinely evaluate yourself against the criteria mentioned above, and make the necessary changes. Remember to focus on getting to know your customer first, and not just their business! Good luck!