The recession has been a sales killer as many people have stopped buying products and yet several companies and sales people have thrived. How have they done it? In my opinion they have made necessary adjustments and refused to believe the bad news. I am in the new home sales industry and as many know, new home sales has been hit the hardest. Yet, in 2009 I sold 54 homes and in 2010 I sold 66 homes. That is 110 homes sold in 2 years and a large income. People from all over the county have been calling me for advice. They are asking me, “How did you do it?” and “What are your secrets?” I was being asked this question so often that I knew it was time to write a book teaching people how to sell. My book “Everything I Touch Turns to Sold” "Everything I Touch Turns to Sold (Advice on How to Become a Top Sales Professional From a Top Producer)" has been a huge hit and is receiving rave reviews. I think the main reason people like the book is because it relevant in today’s sales world. Many have said that it’s not a book of theories, rather tried, tested, and proven sales tactics. But, enough about the book, I want to tell you how I did it.
2008 was the worst year in sales ever as I struggled to reinvent myself. The recession was killing all of us and I knew I had to do something soon or my family would starve. From 2002 through 2007 the market was booming and I was selling homes by the loads just sitting on my butt. One of those years I sold 78 homes… it was crazy! As money became very tight, I knew that 1 of 3 things would happen. I could sit there and die, leave sales, or change. I decided it was time to change and I became a student of sales! I started reading books like Secrets of Closing the Sale & The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and other profession sales people. I also decided I need to leave my current company because they were not willing to change with the times. Below is a short list of the things I did to end up the #1 sales person NATIONALLY for one of the largest builders in the U.S.
1. I started to read sales book from the top sales trainers in the world
2. I change my attitude and decided that I must be positive every day
3. I found a mentor, someone who would push me to the next level
4. I decided to treat everyone who walked in my door like they can buy
5. I set high but realistic goals and decided I would work as hard as possible to achieve them.
6. I wrote a who am I statement which defined my core values
7. I decided that when I was at work I would stay focused and never goof off.
8. Set a goal to follow up with everyone and to do it often
9. I learned what my competition was doing and how I could beat them
10. I studied the best ways to create urgency
11. Most importantly I decided that I was going to treat every customer with respect and work hard to help them. Treat them like people not a commission
Because I feel like reading books was one of my most important secrets to turning it all around, I wanted to include my list of top 25 sales books you should read to get yourself going.
1. Secrets of Closing the Sale
2. The Best Damn Sales Book Ever: 16 Rock-Solid Rules for Achieving Sales Success!
3. Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness
4. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
5. "Everything I Touch Turns to Sold (Advice on How to Become a Top Sales Professional From a Top Producer)"
6. The 25 Sales Habits of Highly Successful Salespeople
7. The Sales Bible: The Ultimate Sales Resource, Revised Edition
8. How to Master the Art of Selling
9. Reach the Top in New Home & Neighborhood Sales: Myers Barnes' Formula Shows You How!
10. The Psychology Of Selling: The Art of Closing Sales
11. SNAP Selling: Speed Up Sales and Win More Business with Today's Frazzled Customers
12. SPIN Selling
13. Guerrilla Selling: Unconventional Weapons and Tactics for Increasing Your Sales
14. Selling 101: What Every Successful Sales Professional Needs to Know
15. The Sales Leaders Playbook
16. How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling
17. Deal with It !
18. The Accidental Salesperson: How to Take Control of Your Sales Career and Earn the Respect and Income You Deserve
19. Sales Blazers: 8 Goal-Shattering Strategies from the World's Top Sales Leaders
20. Tough Market New Home Sales
21. The Inside Game: How to Become a Top Performing Sales Person and Enjoy Every Step of the Way
22. Feel of Success in Selling: The Famous Seminar that Trains America's Top Sales People
23. See You at the Top: 25th Anniversary Edition
24. How To Become a Power Agent in Real Estate : A Top Industry Trainer Explains How to Double Your Income in 12 Months
25. Secrets of Question Based Selling: How the Most Powerful Tool in Business Can Double Your Sales Results
If you have any questions or would like any advice please feel free to contact me at
tythesalesguy@gmail.com
Thanks,
Ty Wilde author of
"Everything I Touch Turns to Sold (Advice on How to Become a Top Sales Professional From a Top Producer)"
