Sell Block You're a great business owner, but how good of a salesperson are you? Read these tips if you want to improve your less-than-stellar sales skills.

"First prize is a Cadillac Eldorado. Second prize is a setof steak knives. Third prize is you're fired." These wordsare from the über-sales movie Glengarry Glen Ross, asthe sales force gets chewed out for weak performance. But as anentrepreneur, you don't even get a set of Ginsus when you losea sale-you're just outta luck.

So what do you do when you get a strong lead on a prospect whoneeds exactly what you offer? You meet; you present; you bond. Yousend a proposal that includes competitive pricing and animplementation plan. Next thing you know, you've lost theaccount to a competitor, perhaps even a more expensive provider.What went wrong? Most likely, it's your sales skills, or lackthereof.

The good news is, poor sales skills are quite a common-andfixable-dilemma. Through self-teaching, sales courses, andtrial and error, many BIZ Experiencess are able to take their salesfrom tepid to terrific. I talked to Azriela Jaffe, author ofStarting from No: 10 Strategies to Overcome your Fear ofRejection and Succeed in Business (Dearborn, $17.95, www.isquare.com/crlink.htm), to get some tips forturning around sales malaise.

Kimberly McCall:Many talented business owners findthemselves stumped when it comes to sales. They're great atwhat they do, but they have a hard time converting expertise intoclients. What's the first step toward becoming a successfulsalesperson?

Azriela Jaffe: Respect your limits, and don't forceyourself to do the kinds of sales activities that make you shakelike a leaf and want to throw up. Sales come in many differentpackages. One person can make a presentation in front of 400strangers, as long as he doesn't know anyone in the room.Another can talk one-to-one in a casual networking environment, butpublic speaking is a nightmare for her. Until you build yourself-confidence, select the sales activities that are most naturalfor you.

McCall:Some people fear being thought of as a"salesperson" because of the title's negativeconnotations. How can an BIZ Experiences learn to be a goodsalesperson without being perceived as too"sales-y"?

Jaffe: Focus on being a person of service to another. Ifyou don't truly believe that you are of service and your focusis entirely on "making the sale," you'll chase yourprospects away. Like a dog can smell fear, a prospect can smelldesperation or embarrassment. You've got to believe that thecustomer will be lucky to buy from you!

McCall:What are the common traits of topsalespeople?

Jaffe: They are outstanding listeners, they don'tpersonalize rejection, they keep at it for a long time (even whenit hurts), they genuinely care about their customers, and theybelieve in their products.

McCall:How can you pull yourself out of a salesslump?

Jaffe: Inactivity leads to desperation, which leads tofurther withdrawal and fear, thus escalating the cycle. The key isto take action toward progress in your business every day, whetheror not you are in the mood. You might change the approach or stopdoing a certain kind of sales activity for a while, but don'tallow yourself to stop working on the business altogether. At thevery least, get out of the house and volunteer your services in thecommunity. Networking can lead to sales, even when you aren'tlooking for them. Also, it's not always a bad idea to get apart-time or full-time job when you've hit a slump. Sometimes,when you remove the financial panic, you become much more effectivein your business. The job doesn't have to be forever-justto get you over the hump.

McCall:What about overcoming the fear that comesalong with making a sales call or presentation?

Jaffe: Take a look at what you are really afraid of. Youaren't afraid of rejection-there's no such thing.What can rejection do to you? You are afraid of the consequencesyou are telling yourself will occur if you don't make the sale.Is it financial disaster? Or making a fool of yourself? Or lettingsomeone down? Examine the catastrophic thinking that is leading toyour panic. Set your mind straight-it's rarely going toturn out as bad as you think.

McCall:Do you have any examples of a businesspersonwho overcame his or her fear to become a stellarsalesperson?

Jaffe: A guy contacted me for coaching because he wasstuck in his business. He couldn't pick up the phone because hewas terrified of making cold calls or contacting anyone he knew. Hecouldn't handle his fear of humiliation. This guy had no fearof public speaking. I suggested that he start giving publicseminars instead and that he stop trying to sell one-to-one.Voila! He had no trouble doing that, his self-confidencerose, and he started making sales by referrals that came to himafter the seminars.

McCall:Business owners are used to turning toaccountants, lawyers and consultants for advice. When do you knowit's time to seek the assistance of a sales coach?

Jaffe: When you've been procrastinating for weeks ormonths, and no matter how many books you buy or what you tellyourself each morning, your behavior doesn't change, and youaren't making any headway. So if you've hit a sales slump,don't despair; get busy! Hit the books; enroll in a salescourse; perfect your pitch. The keys to sales prowess areknowledge, practice and a confident attitude. Whether you sell aproduct or a service, your bottom line will benefit.

No Experience Required

A former New York City paramedic, 24-year-old Aaron Newmanstarted Waxdigital with his entire life's savings of$15,000 in 1999. A New York City e-solutions provider specializingin complete digital business development, Waxdigital had sales of$1.8 million last year. With a client roster that includesUniversal Records, Panasonic and AETNA, it's clear that Newmanhas learned the sales ropes.

As a young BIZ Experiences with no previous sales experience,how'd he do it? "I gave myself a quick tutorial in salesand marketing, spending hours at the bookstore, selecting books andindustry magazines," says Newman. "I also learned from myfather, an art dealer who buys and sells 19th and 20th centuryEuropean sculptures. He taught me that to be a good salesperson,you have to be trustworthy, and you need to learn to be aggressivewithout being overbearing. I learned that being knowledgeable abouta subject, market or industry makes you a more trustworthy andcredible salesperson."

Many BIZ Experiencess reach a point when they have a "salesepiphany" and realize they need to improve their skillsquickly. For Newman, he knew he'd need to be a bettersalesperson to build a broad range of clientele so his businesswould have staying power. "I also knew I'd have to sharpenmy sales skills in order to pitch investors," adds Newman.

Newman's improved sales skills faced a major test whenWaxdigital pitched Universal Records. With newfound confidenceafter a few successful months selling the company'scapabilities, his team met with the new-media coordinator atUniversal. They passed the test quite well, winning the businessover several other design firms, and ended up constructing the Website for singer Smokey Robinson, among others.

As Newman's company continues to grow, he looks back on the"old days" and the way he used to sell. "To practicepitching and to build a client base, I went through the YellowPages, conquering a portion of each letter each day until Ifinished the book. One out of 150 worked-it was enough to pay thebills."

Cold-calling soon became a distant memory. "We were growingso fast, we didn't have the manpower to accommodate thework," says Newman. "I had no start-up funds to hire astaff to help me, so I wore many hats. Now that we're makingincredible headway, the sweat and tears have been worthit."

Kimberly McCall is the president of McCallMedia &Marketing Inc., a marketing, public relations and businesscommunications agency in Portland, Maine. Contact her at (207)761-7792 or visit www.marketingangel.com.