Welcome to the Psychology of Sales

Introduction

Hello, my name is Matthew Shank and what do I know about sales?  Well to start off with I never wanted to be in sales, but looking back on my career sales is exactly what I have been in.  I still can’t think of myself as a “sales man” or “sales person” if you want to be politically correct about it.  Instead I have always thought of myself as helping whoever I’m supposed to be selling to thus, I don't sell, I solve problems.

A Brief History

I started in sales right out of high school.  Then I was calling myself a “computer technician.”  A friend and I began working for a guy who owned a popular electronic franchise and had a vision of having an army of well trained computer guru’s who could fix about anything, a kind of “squad” of experts if you get my drift.  There was one problem.  Not enough work for two people.  So one of us had to drum up more work and since I had a better gift for gab that would be me. 

By the time I was done I had talked to dozens of small businesses giving, unrealized to me, dozens of sales presentations consisting of what we could do for their business.  Clients included car dealerships, local banks, book stores, etc.  I was successful at sales and presentations but I was not in sales (so I told myself).

Next I was hired by a communications company to do technical support in a call center but when they found out that I had business to business experience they included business sales calls to my cue (you know voice prompts, Para Espanol Uno, for Business sales two) so I handled internet sales and support for most of the Midwest from Montana to Arizona and later the greater Atlanta metro area. Again I sold to everything from mom and pop stores in nowhere Utah to accounts on Holoman Air Force base and the German Air Force Tactical Training center in New Mexico.

The next step was to go into business for myself as a general contractor (I know what your thinking, “That’s completely different” but my grandfather was in heavy construction and my father was a carpenter so it kind of makes sense, right?).  In addition to selling my Handyman capabilities I also worked with another company that I got the majority of my work from doing Home Expo’s, setting up a company website, creating fliers, prospecting and so on.  Bottom line though was I thought of myself as general contractor and carpenter not sales and marketing.  Construction can make a body old quick so I changed career directions.

I got into the travel industry facilitating and managing corporate meeting all over the world for fortune 500 companies. And wouldn’t you know it the balk majority of these meeting were training for company sales forces.  I can’t get away from sales and believe me I have tried.  I have sat in rooms for countless hours listening to sales strategies, witnessing sales presentations, seeing how fortune 100 companies train and motivate their sales forces.  From finance to pharmaceuticals to technology I have seen it all.  I have heard motivational speeches from some of the biggest names including Colon Powell, Mike Eruzione, Tony Robbins, and so on.

In Conclusion

Now over a decade and a half later I have witnessed many sales professional in many different industries from technology to pharmaceuticals and have realized that every one of them looks at sales in a different manner.  For some it’s a game, for others serious business. Some experience easy success, others struggle day in and day out to define themselves.  I have sat in on countless hours of sales trainings and have coached dozens of individuals and have realized that sales psychology is not an exact science but an art. A person can be given a formula but it is how they execute that formula that determines success.

Currently, in addition to my travel duties,  I work for a fortune 100 company, an electronics retailer.  I was hired into their management training program, but due to my background I found myself not only in sales but training and coaching their sales force.  I took my department from a ranking in the bottom 60% to the top 15% in the nation. Several times we have cracked the top 10% and have been ranked as high as the top 5%. 

Of everything I have learned and experience in sales one thing is constant: Sales is purely in the mind.  Success or failure begins and ends between the ears.  What Henry Ford said could not be more true, “Whether You Think You Can or think you can't, You are Right"

Thus the title of my Blog, “The Psychology of Sales.”