Welcome to our monthly newsletter. We intend this to be a useful tool for you in developing your career in Sales.

Our format is simple; an area of selling skills will be covered along with some ideas on personal performance along with a suggested book for your library. We are open to your feed back and suggestions at any time.

Harlan Goerger, Director of Training 

Part 1: Reverse Engineering the product 

There are 3 purposes for product knowledge, they are:

1.                    Product knowledge helps the sales person to determine the questions to ask that help determine the needs and which needs fit the products results.

2.        2. Product knowledge helps the sales persons determine the best solution and recommendation for the customer

3. Product knowledge helps to build the sales persons self-confidence in themselves and the product.

So let’s take a look at these through the Reverse Engineered Sales view

To get started we need to take the product/service apart, break it down to its elements, features and functions. Elements, features and functions are the physical aspects of a product such as its size, controls, color, options and other things you can generally touch and feel. We then need to determine what the results are from each of these elements, features and functions. Once we have this we can now work backwards (reverse engineer) our questions.            

A forum I use to develop these questions follows:

Product: Ceramic Coffee Cup 

Fact/Features        Benefits/Results of Feature                                Reverse Engineered Question

Once more, this process can take a simple product such as a coffee cup and give it a very different meaning. Does this differ from the average approach such as: “We also have coffee cups in different colors and shapes, are you interested in any?”

Take a product and come up with as many elements, features and functions as you can and list them in the first column. Leave some space in-between so you can list as many results as you can of each feature. Now start developing your reverse engineered questions. Please note we should be using the “open” type questions to get as much information as possible. Open questions generally use “how, what, why or Tell me”.

Implementation Action:  

Take at least one product a week and run it through the forum. I can pretty much guarantee you it will change how you view your product and how you sell it.

Part 2: Book Review 

If you’re not reading on a regular basis, you’re missing out on a great part of life. Over the years I have ready over 300 books on Sales/Management/Business/Self-development/Relationships/Biographies. This has changed my thinking and views many times and provides a great deal of insight into daily life.

As a brand new salesperson struggling to figure it out, I came across a book, “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. This book changed my entire thinking and opened up endless possibilities for me. Dr. Hill provides a multiplicity of tools to look at life and business in a different way. Anyone who fully implements these ideas is sure to succeed in any endeavor that does not violate his principles.

I have several raged edged and marked up paper back copies that I refer to often. For a couple of bucks at any book store you can have a real power house in your hand! If you don’t have a copy, pick one up!

Part 3: Motivation 

                It has been said before by many people in many ways. “You are what you think you are!” If your not happy with who your are today, you can change by simply changing your thinking! Sounds neat and simple? The challenge is changing the old tapes that have been drilled into us by parents, teachers, ads, society and ourselves. Positive affirmations have proven to be the most effective way to change your thinking. If you want to lose weight, don’t think about losing weight, rather the results of; such as feeling better, more energy, better looking and healthier. This is not unlike the Reverse Engineering from part 1. It’s in how we look at things. When you get your copy of Think and Grow Rich go to the chapter on affirmations.

As a person thinks, so shall they be 

Harlan Goerger   email: Harlan@Itsallaboutyou.net

Part 4: Other Stuff 

Some other items for you to be aware of.

1.                    The follow-up sessions for the Public Sales Program are being held every other Friday morning at Kroll’s Dinner on Main Avenue in Fargo, ND. We had our first on February 11^th at 7:30 AM. If you have completed the main Zig Ziglar Sales program you are welcome to attend. Just let us know your coming.

2.                    The Strategies for Success Program is scheduled for March 10^th and 11^th in Fargo. This program helps people to build success attitudes, self-confidence, communications skills, people skills and how to move themselves forward in both life and career. This also has 8 follow-up sessions to help implement the program. Contact us by phone at 877-997-7560 or email me at Harlan@itsallaboutyou.net.

3.                    If you or your organization is looking for ways to improve performance give us a call. We work in the following areas:

a.        Sales Skills Development

b.       Team Building on all levels

c.        Customer Service Development

d.       Sales Manager Training

e.        Management and Supervisor Training

f.         Public Speaking Skills

g.       Personal Development

h.       Executive Coaching

Good luck and good selling!

877-997-7560

email: Harlan@Itsallaboutyou.net