Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Sales Agent
trade.Berry Founding Member
ADRIAN MAZILU
Driven by passion, leading by example
Sales define me as a person, and
when I speak about myself, they
are the business card of both, my
personal and professional life...
03
04
Foreword
Summary
Contents
05 Disclaimer
06 Credits
08 CHAPTER I
THE PHILOSOPHY OF A SALES PERSON
11 Vision
13 Values
15 Motivation
17 Objectives
20 Philosophy
22 Role models
26 CHAPTER II
PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAITS OF A SUCCESSFUL SALES AGENT
28 Personal & professional development
30 Social background
32 Personal boundaries
34 Perception of failure
37 CHAPTER III
NECESSARY ATTITUDES OF A WINNER
38 Determination
38 Owning up
39 Action
39 Perseverance
41 CHAPTER IV
THE PROPER BEHAVIOURS
42 Way of looking
43 Way of speaking
44 Way of acting
46 CHAPTER V
SKILLS & APTITUDES
47 Active listening
48 Positive language
49 Assertiveness
50 Feedback
52 CHAPTER VI
CONCLUSIONS
3
Foreword
Sales define me as a person, and when I speak about myself, they are the
business card of both my personal and professional life. My entire career
has focused on sales, and during the time, the determination and passion
for this industry have brought me exceptional results. Through them, I
earned the appreciation and respect of those in my line of business.
Consciously or not, sales are an important part of our life, and each one
of us contributes daily to this economic universe, seeking - one way or
another - personal satisfaction. Trust is earned gradually, just as efforts
are followed by success when there exist motivation and a healthy
philosophy.
However, nobody ever sets the goal of becoming a salesman when they
are children; most of them dream of becoming doctors, teachers or
architects. Honestly, if I were to meet a child and ask him what does he
want to become when he will grow up and he would answer by saying that
he wishes to work closely to people and make money, then I would tell
him straightforward Be a salesperson!.
4
Summary
This material is addressed to everyone working in this field and who is
interested in this job. Also, it aims to help those who wish to understand
the philosophy of sales agents in order to adopt some of their strategies
and apply them in daily life.
Success in sales, as in any other area, is obtained with passion and plenty
of determination, and this way we are getting to the purpose of this
e-book - a tool addressing to those who are willing to perform, that offers
insights about the profile of a successful salesperson like: mission, vision,
values, motivation, life goals and the personal philosophy.
On the course of this e-book, I will present these strategies from the
perspective of a person who has done this his entire life and who has
formed around sales a whole life philosophy. Specifically, I will describe
the experiences and vision that, in the past eight years, have led me to
exceptional results.
5
Disclaimer
This material is made by the Marketing department strictly with an
educational purpose and it reveals personal statement of the author
regarding the Sales topic. This e-book is addressed to the trade.Berry
community or to members who want to join, but it is not a trade.Berry property.
6
Credits
I would like to thank my team for their efforts in the Marketing Campaign.
Special thanks to Bogdan Vetu, who has worked side by side with me for
releasing this E-book and to the web designers from Zalle.ro for making it
look great.
Bogdan Vetu
Trainer & Counselor
www.bogdanvetu.com
www.zalle.ro
Chapter 1 8
THE PHILOSOPHY OF
A SALES PERSON
I was and will always be a salesperson.
This way I was always able to attract open
people towards me, eager to learn more.
What was always interesting for me to
discover at those around me were those
common features that life principles are
settled on.
Chapter 1
things that we tend to ignore contain those Motivation
elements that make the difference between
success and failure. Objectives
Chapter 1
adhere to and guide them daily, not just a Motivation
job and a paycheck received at the end of
the month. This is the reason why, without Objectives
these questions, both the company and
people would lose their direction. Philosophy
Reflection
Vision 11
Steve Jobs (Apple), Henry Ford (Ford Motor
Company), Elon Musk (Tesla), Larry Page
(Google), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Walt Disney
(Disney) - have changed the world from the
one we knew, to the one they had imagined.
This has brought benefits and satisfactions
to all of us.
Chapter 1
gave them the power to turn their dreams Motivation
into reality.
Objectives
This way, we have to understand that the
personal vision is directly connected with Philosophy
the level of self-awareness, but also with
the capacity and resources we have. A Role models
person with a vision also has a clear image
of his own evolution and this helps him
reach his goals. When I say I will become a
doctor who will save many lives, it means
that I trust that with work, perseverance
and determination I will get to learn the
information and experience necessary in
order to become that person.
Vision 12
How important is Vision in sales?
Values 13
Personality is made out of the attitudes
that we have learned during our evolution.
Influenced by the education received and
by the social environment we grew up in,
attitudes reflect the base of the human
character, that moral forum we find our life
principles in.
Chapter 1
Motivation
to our lives. Usually, we associate them with
fraud and hypocrisy or with lack of owning
Objectives
up to their engagements.
Philosophy
Why do we need sales agents with
healthy values?
Role models
In sales, just like in any other activity field,
personal values are reflected in the way
everyone is able to handle situations or in
the way they are able to put themselves in a
relation to people they interacted with.
Values 14
From an early age, we are influenced and
guided by the persons and the environment
we live in. Thus, the values we adopt are
not simply a couple of behaviors that help
us be better people for those around us,
but they are also internal displays that can
limit or grow our potential, from case to
case. For instance, if we would have lived
our whole life in an environment where our
resources were limited and all the people
close to us would have told us that success
is only a dream and we have no power to
change things, maybe we would have ended
up accepting this, thinking that success and
happiness are unachievable.
Reflection
Motivation 15
Motivation is the internal fuel that makes us
act daily. It is the one empowering our beliefs
and visions. It gives us strength and the
necessary power to start over when we fail or
to persevere when it is tough for us. Motivation
is unique and personal for each one of us,
because it is strongly connected to the way we
perceive the things that surround us.
Chapter 1
Motivation
forward. This type of motivation consumes
fast and needs constant sustaining. I always
tell my agents that exterior motivation is like Objectives
a morning shower - if we skip it for a day, we
start smelling bad. Philosophy
Motivation 16
What are the main motivational factors in sales?
Objectives 17
If Mission means direction, Vision the
map, Values the rules, Motivation the fuel,
Objectives are the coordinates that guide
us to the desired destination. Without
objectives, we would sail in void, without
being able to measure how, when and
how far is our destination.
Chapter 1
direction. They work as safety elements Motivation
sending us the message that we have
to change something, adjust or simply Objectives
give up on some habits or principles.
Objectives are the things that constantly Philosophy
offer us information regarding our
personal evolution and tell us what we can Role models
or cannot achieve.
Objectives 18
the most important ones are those set on
the short term: daily or even hourly. What
is interesting at setting these objectives for
short periods of time is that they tend to
become habits. It is proven that achieving
goals is strongly connected to the release
of endorphins in the body, responsible
for our well being. This way, the more
often we reach our goals, the more we
become motivated to continue, and this
process turns into a healthy habit. Warren
Buffett said that having the right work
habits was the key to his success. He said,
Imagine you would be given 10 percent Vision
of the future earnings of one person you
know. Who would you pick? Would you Values
pick the most talented person you know?
Chapter 1
The fastest runner or the smartest person Motivation
you know? According to Buffett, Youre
going to pick the person who has the right Objectives
habits.
Philosophy
How do objectives apply in sales?
For many of the sales agents at the Role models
beginning of their career, professional
objectives are found in strong connection
with financial targets. This is an often met
image in the collective mentality, a reason
why you would be tempted to say that
you cannot become a successful sales
agent if you do not have such aspirations.
This is the difference between amateurs
and professionals - the way they set their
objectives in time, depending on the
interior resources in order to reach their
target. Try to set objectives as bold as
possible on medium and long term, but
also many short-term deadlines, such
as a number of meetings, phone calls or
promises in a day.
CHAPTER 1
Objectives 19
I can tell you a story about one of my sales
agents, who was calling a client every
day at 17.00 oclock. For a long period of
time, I was asking him If you are not able
to move forward with this client, why do
you keep calling him?. The client was
rejecting his phone calls, finding ways
to avoid him. And my guy told me that
no matter how long it will take, he will
convince that client. And he did it, after
5 months of calling him every day! And
this turned out to be our biggest client so
far. So, what I have learned is that if you
are determined enough to do a certain
thing, even though others might tell you
to stop, you should always follow your
intuition and be persistent and prove that
they were wrong. Such an approach needs
experience, but as with any other habit,
this is learned gradually. The force of a
successful sales agent is impregnated in
his personality, in his life experiences and
determination. Many times I have met top
sales agents without academic studies, but
with an attitude that transmitted ambition
and a huge desire to succeed. For trusting
their own skills, I confess that I admire
them quite a lot.
Reflection
Philosophy 20
I have defined in the previous subchapter
what is behind all of these concepts that
defines the profile of a successful sales
agent and the way they determine each
other. Let us recap: Mission direction,
Vision map, Values rules, Motivation fuel,
Objectives coordinates.
Chapter 1
Motivation
However, those who manage to remain Have you ever found inspiration
strong until the end will have a story in a persons life philosophy?
to tell and this story will become their Something to guide you, to offer
philosophy, that personal statement that you another way of making
success is a personal duty. They earn the things better? What about you,
right to be listened by others, they are the did you manage to crystallize
ones who have something to say. your own philosophy?
CHAPTER 1
Role models 22
I have coordinated over 200 sales agents
and this experience has proven me one
thing - people need models to relate to. If
they lack, people feel lost, confused and
without direction.
Chapter 1
convince everybody that there is potential Motivation
in each one of us if we have the right
models in our life. Objectives
Role models 23
A true mentor is not a person who stays
with you all the time, or who pushes you
from behind permanently - this is your
duty. A mentor is a person whose success
inspires, who does not try to position
himself above you, in a dominant way,
but who builds mutual respect. A mentor
will help you in the difficult moments
when maybe you have lost direction. He
is a person who will offer you balance in
the truly important moments, having the
experience of similar situations.
Chapter 1
was always a leading force in the sales Motivation
environment, always kept the team
moving forward. I have always seen him Objectives
100% motivated and willing to motivate
others, and with his energy, he was Philosophy
pushing the whole team forward. Even at
the lowest point, he was always focused Role models
on opportunity and on the ways that we
can benefit from any bad situation that
might have occurred. With this attitude he
made us feel unbeatable. He has always
been my source of power.
Role models 24
Internationally, I think that one of the best
salespersons at this moment is Grand
Cardone. Through his complex personality
and the knowledge that he possesses
he manages to combine constructive
aggressiveness with original sales logic.
The training systems and strategies
that he uses for promoting different
services and products validate him as an
inspirational and educational source for
those who want to excel in sales.
Reflection
Chapter 2
my perception about the things that Social background
motivated or stressed them completely.
Personal boundaries
I discovered that:
Perception of failure
A person in an emotional state -
whether we are talking about anxiety,
rage or fear - will not make any
change in his behavior as long as you
communicate the information to him
at a rational level;
The sales agents with good results
always put themselves in relation to
big objectives and will do everything to
achieve them;
Personal development is essential for
every manager who wishes to motivate
his people;
People need leaders with vision to
guide them.
Chapter 2 27
PSYCOLOGICAL TRAITS OF A
SUCCESSFUL SALES AGENT
Chapter 2
hand, professional development means Social background
enhancing aptitudes and competences
that help us perform, be effective and more Personal boundaries
productive.
Perception of failure
This mix between the right attitude and the
desire to perform is the one that will pay
out, no matter the field you activate in. In
the case of sales, maybe more than in other
fields, these two elements are vital for the
agents who aspire to achieve success.
Reflection
Social background 30
When I have started building this
psychological profile, I have only asked
myself one thing: is there a pattern that
can help me recruit the persons who have
potential in becoming performant sales
agents? Also, what are those specific traits
that, once activated, will ensure the
desired results?
Chapter 2
the personal background, we wanted Social background
to find out what exactly from a persons
past can make the difference. During the Personal boundaries
time, I have known good sales agents with
an impressive background in terms of Perception of failure
experience and academical basis, but also
good sales agents who came from poor
environments, who grew up with hardships
and without higher studies.
Social background 31
On the downside, they always believed
that what they knew is enough and that
they can do everything by themselves. This
auto-sufficiency stopped many of them
from sharpening their talents, developing
new skills and reaching a good level of
proficiency. In this case, their background
became the enemy in the path of their
development.
Personal boundaries 32
There is a vast literature - from motivational
authors to coaches or successful persons
- about overcoming personal boundaries
that stop us from evolving. All of these end
up talking about how do we perceive things
around us. Since perception fools reality,
we end up thinking that our truth is the one
defining normalcy.
Chapter 2
personal boundaries, I noticed that we tend
Social background
to defend our beliefs, values and ideas
every time someone will doubt them. This
reflex of protecting them can be overcomed Personal boundaries
by our ability to think past the horizon of
our own knowledge and by giving up on Perception of failure
prejudice and stereotypes that tell us what
is good and what is wrong.
Personal boundaries 33
Our boundaries are the ones keeping us
prisoners. There is no limit that we cannot
overpass as long as we believe that it is
possible. We must only accept that diversity
is part of life and that people think and
feel differently.
Reflection
Perception of fear 34
Most of the successful people have the
component of failure in their life stories as
well as anyone else. Without it, they would
have never achieved excellence. For me,
a failure is only a feedback tool, pointing
towards the things that I have to change in
my life and the things that I have to add in
order to get closer to my goals.
Chapter 2
hardest ways of testing our emotions and
limits. In sales, you stumble upon it very Social background
often, in the form of the clients refusals.
Personal boundaries
While trying to identify the profile of a
successful sales agent, I focused on the way Perception of failure
my agents perceived failure. I discovered
that every sales agent was influenced by his
relation to failure.
Perception of fear 35
Leaders and people with vision are born
from the second category and they end up
inspiring those around them through their
actions and way of thinking.
Reflection
Chapter 3
NECESSARY ATTITUDES
OF A WINNER
Chapter 3
Owning up
Unfortunately, I have seen many sales
Action
agents showing a false attitude when
interacting with clients. Such an attitude
Perseverence
is disgraceful and does not help anybody
in his professional development. If our
speech is not in accordance to what we
are trying to show, we will never manage
to make the people around us believe that
we are authentic.
Determination 38
I will start with determination: nothing
happens without it. A person who is
determined will act in a certain direction.
That person will have a high level of
motivation and involvement. A sales
agent with this attitude will always be
in contact with his clients, present and
active in relation to them. He will transmit
power and will maintain a certain rhythm
on the medium and long term. Without
determination, a sales agent will always
end up without results.
Determination
Chapter 3
Owning up
Owning up
Action
This attitude sends out the message
that those around us are authentic and Perseverence
dedicated in what they do. Once you
own up to a position, you make others
perceive you as a determined person, with
a mature and responsible way of thinking.
Such a sales agent sends out the message
that he is a true professional through the
attention he gives to his clients. There are
sales agents who fail to understand what
they promote, and as a result, they will
never be able to build a strong relation
with their clients, as these will perceive
them as dishonest and will think that
they are doing their job automatically. A
professional sales agent has to identify
himself with the product or service that he
is promoting.
CHAPTER 3
Action 39
Many of us find motivation, but we forget
something very important: to act! Action
is not something that should be done only
once, and then draw conclusions. Taking
action is a constant process that you must
own and improve daily. Determination
Chapter 3
Action is about the big things, but also Owning up
about the small ones that we usually do
not pay much attention to, but in the end, Action
they do make the difference. Michael
Phelps explains success in just one phrase: Perseverence
I worked harder than others. He trained
daily for four years at a higher level than
his opponents. Many sports analysts said
that the human body cannot sustain on
the long term such a training programme,
but he kept on going and we all know
the results.
Perseverance
Reflection
This quality makes the difference between
a successful sales agent and an average What attitudes define you in
one. Perseverance is about inner strength your job? Do you think that
and resources activated for reaching ones someone can perform without
goals. A perseverant agent never gives the right attitudes? How would
up at the first no. He manages to stay you describe the people with
involved, without falling into negative the right attitude? Who are the
thoughts. Perseverance brings you closer first three people from your
to success. It is nothing else but a line of circle of friends whose attitudes
constant actions, turned towards a precise drove them to success?
goal, by keeping the rhythm or Describe these attitudes and
the intensity and sustaining it when three others that you find
obstacles appear. essential for evolving.
41
Chapter 4
THE PROPER BEHAVIOURS
Human behavior is the representation
of personality and temper through
actions. We generally talk about positive
or negative behaviors in relation to the
way they manifest. Having an appropriate
behavior means adapting to the context
that you find yourself in.
Way of looking
Chapter 4
In sales, behavior is very important and
reflects the level of preparation and Way of speaking
expertise of a person. The attention to
details, the protocol elements and the Way of acting
conduit are only some of the habits
that become the second nature of an
experienced sales agent.
CHAPTER 4
Way of looking
When we refer to a sales agents etiquette,
you must know that it represents his
mirror. We place people in certain
categories since the first time we see
them. It is important to realise what is the
impact that the way we look has on our
professional lives.
Chapter 4
working in sales. This and a natural
behavior will speak for the sales agent no Way of speaking
matter the situation. A good sales agent is
always aware of the importance of a good Way of acting
impression. With an impeccable image, he
will know how to catch the attention. Thus,
he will be appreciated by his clients. They
are often more compelled to buy from
someone who makes a good impression.
Way of speaking 43
In a conversation, you must know how
to explain your ideas clearly. Use the
arguments about the quality of the
product or service carefully. Also, you
must pay attention to the traps your client
might set, and for this, you must use your
logic and analytical thinking. This is why it
is important to control your attitude, tone
of voice and used vocabulary, in order to
not distort the other persons perception
about you.
Chapter 4
between a good and a bad sales agent.
The first one will focus on delivering Way of speaking
the same message through verbal and
nonverbal language. Way of acting
Way of acting 44
In my career I have met sales agents who
considered that wearing a mask was enough
to get into the role. This wrong attitude sends
the message of sufficiency and shallowness.
Chapter 4
control ourselves - words, gestures, tone.
Things must come out naturally, our behavior Way of speaking
must show confidence, trust and a real desire
to do our job. Way of acting
Chapter 5
SKILLS AND APTITUDES
I have always believed that the relation
between a sales agent and a client must
be unique, in accordance to the necessities
and needs of everybody. No matter the
product or service that brings them to the
table for a week, a month, a year or even
more, communication is the common
ground. Active listeting
Chapter 5
A fundamental principle of communication Positive language
is that it is not the same with speaking.
Communicating means being careful Assertiveness
with the way you deliver the message,
its content in relation to the context, the Feedback
partners position and his needs.
Active listening 47
As a sales agent, you have to know that in
order for you to understand the clients
needs, the best thing you can do is
listening to him. The message he delivers
to you is exactly the base you build a
successful sale on. This is a rule
to remember!
Chapter 5
arguments in their head. For these types Positive language
of people, the focus falls on others, they
understand other peoples needs. People Assertiveness
who apply this principle are interested
to find out what is behind words and Feedback
gestures, to understand clients needs.
Positive language 48
Through their language, people are
assessed daily. Learning to choose the
right words and combining them can be a
true art, and practicing positive language
can bring a good change in everybodys life.
Chapter 5
communication is nothing else but a lever Positive language
that can help us boost and strengthen our
qualities. When we use negations, when Assertiveness
we end up criticising and blaming, we only
push ourselves towards failure. Feedback
Assertiveness 49
Misunderstandings that come from
communication can have consequences.
Many times these can generate powerful
conflicts that in the lack of a consensus
can break relationships.
Chapter 5
means to be aware of your emotions, to Positive language
place yourself in the same position with
the one next to you. Assertiveness
Feedback 50
Feedback is the main tool for controlling
emotions and perceptions in human
relationships. When we communicate
a message we focus on the way we see
things, and we are sure that the one
listening to us approves. However, we
often find situations that we thought will
go into a certain direction, but they turn
out into a different way.
Chapter 5
Positive language
is different from the one that other
people have - underestimating and
Assertiveness
overestimating. We cannot evaluate our
behavior and personality in an objective
Feedback
manner, without being aware of the
disadvantages that this can create.
Chapter 6
All throughout this e-book, I have been
talking about simple things that I have
learned from others, that I have studied
and implemented, and that always brought
me results. There are things I believe in,
habits that I fight maintaining or skills that I
rehearse daily in order not to forget them.
It is not an easy path, but I believe that
personal discipline is a necessary condition
if we want to have success or if we wish to
control our professional and personal life.
I believe that things must be taken step by
step, only this way we can find gratitude for
every moment that fulfills us or every success
that we achieve.
Chapter 6
stuck or lose the train towards performance.
Respectfully,
Adrian Mazilu
Contact
Adrian Mazilu
trade.Berry Founding member
www.adrianmazilu.com
contact@adrianmazilu.com
MARKETING TEAM
www.sales-am.com
Renata Cheptene
PR & Marketing
marketing@sales-am.com