It’s no secret that sales are the life blood of any company. It’s no secret that not all salesmen are created equally, but why do some salesmen just seem to be so much better at it than others?

Does it come down to training? Personality type? Age or gender?
Honestly, it’s probably none of those things.

Salesmanship is like any other skill. The more you do it, the more proficient you’ll get. As the saying goes, if you swing a hammer enough times, you’re bound to get good at it.

The real secret has nothing to do with any particular training program, or the product you’re selling. It’s you.

Think about it. At the end of the day, salesmanship is about relationships.
If you can’t forge a relationship with a new client, then you can’t gain trust. If you can’t gain trust, then how on earth can you expect to sell your potential client anything?

This is the reason most sales training programs produce disappointing results. They focus on one-size-fits-all solutions. They produce cookie-cutter salesmen, but the problem is that it’s not a one-size-fits-all world.

Each person is unique, and you can’t possibly recite a canned script, even personalizing it to a degree, and simultaneously let your personality shine through.

The first, best secret of selling, then, is this: Be yourself. If you’re not totally comfortable in your own skin, work on getting comfortable. Then, when you meet with a client, let your personality shine through. Get to know your client, and just as importantly, let them get to know you.

The moment you do that, you set the stage to form a real, genuine lasting relationship. At that point, it’s not so much about selling as it is about helping one another and making mutually beneficial arrangements.

If you “just” sell something, you get exactly that. One sale, and a low likelihood of repeat business. If you form a bond and a genuine relationship, you’ve got a customer for life. Which one sounds better to you?