If you are skilled in sales, then you can earn a lot of money. Those that are consistently in the top of their sales departments easily pull down six figures a year, or more. It's no secret that being able to convince somebody to pull out their wallet and by your product is a skill that will be in demand regardless of how the economy is doing, and regardless of what company you work for.
However, many people often assume that a good salesperson is naturally a good persuader. But that is not always the case. Sure, there always those silver tongued individuals who can snow to people in Alaska, but the truth is those are few and far between. Often times, the people who sell the most are the best at persuading people, they are the best at uncovering prospects that are already interested.
One common example is finding the four aces within a pack of cards. You would think somebody was crazy if they pulled out each individual card and tried to use some metaphysical power of mind to transform it into an ace. Most normal people would just quickly shuffle through the deck, and find the aces. This the same in sales. Shuffle through the people, and find those that are already interested in buying your product.
When you go out prospecting, or start making those cold calls, you are basically doing the same thing. Looking through a big crowd of people, and trying to find those that are already interested in buying your product. Most sales people spend way too much time on individuals that aren't buyers. If you spend the bulk of your efforts looking for hot leads, you'll have much more success.
In sales lingo, there's a term called a "lay down." This is when somebody buys your product with virtually no resistance whatsoever. You present the product, go over some prices, and they eagerly reach for their wallet. These are the few aces in the deck that you should be looking for. With consistent and determined prospecting, you can save yourself a lot of grief.
How exactly do you find these people? It's actually pretty simple. Find any person, either on the street, or off a list, and describe your product in ten seconds or less, and ask if they are interested. If they aren't, say thanks, and move on. If they are, give them a little more description, maybe about twenty seconds worth. Then ask them again if they're interested. If they are, set an appointment. If they aren't, move on to the next one.
When you focus your effort on proper prospecting, you will easily find half a dozen interested people day. This should lead to at least two or three sales a day, which could dramatically increase your income.