Professionals are not trained to be sales people. Nonetheless architects, engineers, lawyers, financial advisors and accountants find themselves assuming this role.

There are many ways to deal with this challenge.

You could establish a sales process, read sales books, undergo sales training, hire a business consultant and more.

However, the one thing you really need to do is learn how to overcome sales obstacles. This is the one ability that all great sales people share and here is how they do it.

1. Embrace sales obstacles and objections:

…objections are the stepping stones to the sale.In personal selling, the prospect’s objections are necessary, so he can feel he has bought, not been “railroaded” or “smooth-talked”…

2. Prepare for sales obstacles:

If you haven’t already identified your… obstacles, start by doing so. The first step is to list them. Once you know what are your biggest obstacles to increasing sales, you can look for ways to get rid of them. (If you have other staff involved in sales, get their input too.)

3. Eliminate sales obstacles by confronting them:

…ask and answer the objections…

Every prospective client will have objections to purchasing your services. It is up to the sales person to reveal these hesitations and invite open communication about them. Such discussion is a neccesity if there is ever to be an opportunity to eliminate the sales obstacle.
Photo credit (top): Martinnchee