The Chamber Business School this week explored Sales Skills. For those of you avidly watching "The Apprentice" on BBC you will remember the cringing sales techniques of Michael Sophocles who practically ran after a customer begging him to hire his luxury Ferrari for one hour. For those of you not watching BBC's The Apprentice - Michale Sophocles is a Telesales Executive in London. He describes himself as "unscrupulous in business", and he says he "is single minded and will manipulate others to achieve his goals". Thankfully Michael was fired by Alan Sugar two weeks ago. This method of selling was held up as an example of how not to do it by Harry Harpur from The Loop Training Company who lead a Sales Workshop with over 25 Chamber Members earlier in the week.

The basic concepts of selling have been well documented for many years, but Harry explained that many of the concepts are designed for short sales cycles. In many cases they are manipulative and they do not acknowledge the need to create a long-term relationship. Harry was adamant that this sales approach was particularly lethal in Northern Ireland. As a region we place great emphasis on the one to one relation with a sales person and we are wary of sales representatives who are over exuberant and pushy.

There are numerous selling models - in some cases we are responding to the needs that the customer already acknowledges. In others, we are trying to give the Thought Leadership and create or develop needs that the prospect does not yet acknowledge.

In some sales environments, the main task is to break into new markets and accounts. In others, it is to win the opportunities that exist. And in all cases, it is to develop the account to use the relationship and goodwill for further business. However whatever the sales environment the logical, sequential order of sales involves:-

• Making a connection

• Making an appointment

• Getting ready for the sale

• Engaging in the prospect in a way that you gain the customers interest

• Proving the value of your offer

• Coming to some kind of agreement

• Delivering

• Servicing

• Creating an environment that's so phenomenal the customer is compelled to buy from you again and to refer other customers to you.

Sinead McLaughlin, The Chamber Business Manager, said that "the failure of companies to be prepared for sales inevitably lead to losing the business to a company more prepared than you are." Harry Harpur's entertaining and informative presentation gave lots of food for thought and many ideas for closing that deal, but in Sales always remember that the primary product that you are selling is YOURSELF.