Six Tips to Survive the World of Sales and Get Paid More

It has been said that a good sales person could sell ice cubes to an Eskimo. This is essentially true, in that outstanding selling skills can apply to any sales transaction, even the most challenging ones. 

Sales is a competitive profession, but it can be highly rewarding, too, when helping customers get their needs met and getting paid well for it. Here are some tips to help move to the top of the sales ladder and get that raise in base pay or commission rate: 

Know Your Product

Most companies now offer specialised training for their sales staff. Take advantage of this opportunity to ask questions about what you’ll be selling and get as much background material as possible. 

The more complicated the product, the more information there will be to learn. Try to commit as much to memory as possible, so you can talk easily with your customers about it in a conversational way. 



Carry a binder or briefcase with brochures or fact sheets, usually provided by the employer, and be sure to have a few to leave behind with key clients. Become the expert in your area, beyond your own product. Know the competition, market trends and new developments. 

Talk With Your Clients, Not At Them

To create a winning sales pitch watch a truly good salesperson in action, and you’ll find him or her asking a lot of questions. Beware of being too quick to just offer information or debate when a customer raises a concern. 

Ask the customer what current needs are not being satisfied or what could be done better. Inquire about spending time with your customers outside of the sales pitch to find out what they do on a day-to-day basis. 

This can be extremely informative and help build rapport with your clients. Know how to craft an effective sales pitch so you can sell your product while telling the customers what they want to hear.

Offer Value

Value is the ratio of customer satisfaction to the price of goods or services. Think about what you can offer your customers that goes beyond just selling them something. Maybe it’s helping a busy bookstore owner pull in more business by setting up a reading group or bringing surgeon medical journal articles that are not even related to your product but help the practice nonetheless. 

Try to provide value in every sales encounter. Remember, good salesmanship is a marathon, not a sprint, and maintaining a helpful relationship with your customers will pay off in the end. 

Be Proactive

Check in on your clients from time to time, even if it’s not time for them to buy something. Make sure everything is going well, not just with your products, but with their lives in general. 

Stay on top of weddings, graduations, new baby arrivals, and life’s unfortunate incidents, too, such as illnesses, loss of family members, or downsizing in the workplace. Your clients will remember you as someone who cared more than just about selling, and if you ever get made redundant, you will have a network of people who can offer references and potential future business.

Work for a Good Company

This may sound like an odd sales tip, but people who are happy in their work tend to do a better job, and doing a better job is rewarding personally and financially. Strong salespeople are always in demand, so take some time to find an employer that is the right match for you. 

A smart employer will offer fair remuneration, benefits, training, and mentors to help hone your skills.

Don’t Be Afraid to Be Competitive

Sales is a business where you are almost always competing against someone else. This is not the time to be a shrinking violet. If you work for a good company and believe in your product, you can stand toe-to-toe with the competition with pride. 

Don’t forget to ask for the business. You don’t have to be pushy or forceful, simply ask the customer in a way that feels genuine for you if he or she will be making a purchase or would like a follow up in the near future.

If you maintain a standard of excellence about your work and find an employer to do the same, you will do more than survive in sales. You can thrive and become the model all other salespeople emulate.

How To Get The Highest Price When Selling My Home?

Picture of the "Gingerbread House" in Essex, Connecticut, USA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Many people are looking around for ways to sell a house while ensuring that they make the maximum amount of profit from the sale. The problem is that most people who ask themselves, “How do I sell my house?” are only aware of the most common method for selling a house, and that is to go through a real estate agent. The problem with real estate agents is that they typically charge very high commission fees, which will take a big chunk out of the profit, you would otherwise be making from the sale of your home.

However, there are other ways to sell your home, and by following the steps listed below, you will be able to sell your house yourself and ensure that you keep all of the proceeds.

Renovate Property

If you are looking to sell your home for the highest possible price, the first thing you need to consider is the shape your home is in. If your home is rundown or not in the best possible shape, then this will significantly affect how much you are able to sell it for. Therefore, the first step before you even consider listing your home for sale is to renovate your property.

Now this doesn’t mean that you need to completely remodel the entire house, and the actual amount of renovation you will need to do depends on just what shape your home is in. If the home itself is fairly modern and in good shape, you may want to just think about doing some work to the property itself. Make sure the yard and garden are in good shape, as well as any other buildings such as a garage or shed. If the paint on your walls is faded or stained, you should think about repainting, as well as fixing any cracks or holes in your walls. Even doing a little bit of work to make the home more presentable will go a long way towards increasing the value of your home.

List Online

Once you have your home in the best possible shape, then you can finally start thinking about listing it for sale. Most people simply choose a real estate agent to sell their home for them, but if you are serious about getting the most money from the sale, then you need to consider listing your home for sale online on one of the many for sale by owner real estate websites and portals, such as ForSaleForLease.com.au. These sites charge very small fees for listing your property, and they could end up saving you thousands of dollars by avoiding the high commission fees charged by real estate agents.

Setting up a listing on these sites is also incredibly easy. Just make sure that you spend some time writing a high quality, accurate description of the property. You should also have good quality pictures of the different rooms in the house to let people see exactly how your home looks. By listing your home on one of the most popular for sale by owner websites, you should be able to quickly sell your home and make a large profit from it.

Sell Privately

After listing your property online, you can sit back and wait for people to show interest. If you have interested buyers, you will then need to invite them over to inspect the property. At this point you will probably start receiving offers for your home, and then you can negotiate the sale directly with the potential buyers. This will allow you to have total control over the final sale price, so you can ensure that you sell your house for the highest price possible.

To sell your home privately, all you need to do is find a buyer online, negotiate the sale with them, and then have a lawyer draw up the contracts and paperwork for you to ensure the sale is done completely in line with the law. Overall, selling your home privately through an online real estate portal or website is definitely the best way to ensure that your house sells for the highest price, and also to ensure that you see the highest percentage of profit from the sale.

Contributor Profile: Written in behalf of ForSaleForLease.com.au – a Sell My House Real Estate Agency that services the greater part of Australia.

Different Ways to Sell My Structured Settlement for Cash

Selling your structured settlement isn’t exactly brain surgery. Many people believe there is an exact science to it, that there is a formula that you have to follow in order for your sale to be successful. That is not true. Selling structured settlements is not a complex process nor is it something that makes you want to pull your hair out before it is even over. It is actually quite simple. It simply comes down to two things: how much do you want to sell for and how much you want left over in your savings. That is it. However, there are different ways that you can sell your structured settlement for especially for cash and in this article I will explain all the different ways you can do this in detail. 

Before you sit there and ask yourself, “How can I sell my structured settlement?” there are a couple of things that you need to do first. The very first thing you need to do is figure out exactly how much cash you need. I know that this may seem obvious, but it is nonetheless important for you to do. Sit down and ask yourself, “What do I need the money for?” Do you need money to pay off some medical bills that you recently received? Do you have some debt that you need to get rid of? If so, how much do you need? Do you feel like you want to go on a vacation? If so, figure out how much you will need in order to pay for it. This step is all about budgeting. Never take more than you actually need.

The next thing you need to do is figure out every little detail of your structured settlement. From which insurance company did you purchase your annuity from? When did you win your lawsuit? When does your first payment begin? How much is it? How much is your total settlement? Finding out these details is crucial because whether you use a private investor or company to sell your annuity, they will need to know these details before they can even start the selling process.

The last thing for you to do is to figure out your payment options. The private investor or company that you hire to help you sell your annuity will tell you what options you have available. You are usually left with only two options: cashing your annuity for one large lump sum or receiving a little bit at a time in the form of monthly payments. With whatever option you choose always choose the one you are most comfortable with and whichever one will make you happy.

The whole process of selling your structured settlements may seem like a daunting prospect. Do not let your fear control you. It is a rather simple process and usually only takes little more than a week to complete. If you follow the steps I have outlined in this article you should be able to sell your structured settlement for cash in no time at all.

Author Bio:
Mark Long has very much experience and is a leading expert in selling structured settlements payments. If you ever find yourself asking, “how long does it take to sell a structured settlement?” you can always ask Mark for some guidance which he is more than happy and willing to give.