Over the years I've attended countless sales courses, listened to hundreds of audio cassettes and watched dozens upon dozens of sales videos. Yet today when people ask me what they can do to most improve their own sales skills, oddly enough, my answer is really pretty simple. I've found that there are seven secrets to sales success and I've used those secrets to grow some of the most successful auto repair shops in North America. I've also used the same secrets to grow my firm, Elite, from a small California consulting business into a worldwide company. Now I would like to share those secrets with you. But first, I would like to make a promise to you by saying that if you apply these secrets to your business you'll see more than just an increase in sales. You'll see happier customers, happier employees and a more profitable business. With that promise made, here are my seven secrets of sales success.

Sales secret No. 1 is to set goals. All successful people set long-term goals and then they break those goals down into short-term goals. Goals allow you to remain focused, and the more focused you are the more successful you will be. Here's a tip from Elephant Chains, a success course I present to many of the world's largest corporations: When you set any sales goals you need to break them down into daily goals, then write that number down every morning. As you sell each job, subtract the amount of the sale from your daily goal and the balance will be your new, adjusted goal for the day. Does tracking your daily sales goals in this descending manner really work? Try it for 21 days. You'll be amazed with the results.

Sales secret No. 2 is to follow a sales procedure. All great doctors, great lawyers, great technicians and great sales people have one thing in common. They all follow a procedure that includes asking questions and listening to the customer. This article doesn't allow space for me to go into any great detail, so let me simply say this: Any well-designed sales procedure will start with building rapport and end with closing the sale.

Sales secret No. 3 is to offer people options. People love to buy but they hate to be sold. Movie theaters, grocery stores and clothing stores all understand the principle of options. Great sales people do too. By offering options you allow your customer to remain in control and you allow him or her to compare one of your services to another one of your services rather than compare it to what your competitors offer. An example would be · We can install the standard water pump with a one-year warranty or we can install the premium pump with the lifetime warranty. Which of these two would give you the greater piece of mind? Offer your customer options. They'll love you for it, your sales will go up and so will your profits.

Sales secret No. 4 is to practice. All great athletes and sales people understand the principle of what's referred to as muscle memory. It's conditioning yourself to the point whereas you don't have to think about what to do next. If you're a prizefighter or a sales professional, your reactions are instinctive and they happen automatically. I recommend practicing your sales techniques on co-workers rather than customers, and here's how you do it: Once you have a good understanding of the sales cycle and you've reduced it to a procedure you feel comfortable with, you should share it with someone else on your management team. Then twice a day you should walk up to that person, ask if they have a couple of minutes, and then present it to them as though they were your customer. Practice, practice, practice. It's a secret to your sales success.

Sales secret No. 5 is to never look at selling as inking deals or getting the dollars. Now, don't misunderstand me. I'm not suggesting that the dollars aren't important, because they are. Obviously you have to have sales goals and you have to pay attention to the numbers. What I am saying is this: The truly great sales people sell with their hearts rather than with pens. When you truly care about people, it shows through, and when the customer realizes you care more about them than their money, then and only then will you have the opportunity to sell.

Sales secret No. 6 is to follow up with each and every customer. General Electric studies have found that word-of-mouth advertising is three to five times more effective than any other media. Referral customers come to you with many things, yet none is more important than a belief in you. Subsequently, one surefire way of driving up sales is by driving up your number of referred customers. One of the easiest ways of driving up referral customers is by calling each customer, making sure they were pleased with your service and genuinely thanking them. In today's competitive environment, if you lose sight of secret No. 6 you'll lose a lot more than a few dollars in sales. You'll lose the lifeblood of your business. You'll lose your customers.

Sales secret No. 7 is the most important of them all. Simply put, you need to surround yourself with superstars. Customer expectations are at an all-time high and the competition for your customers has never been more intense. There is no question that the day has come whereas good doesn't make it anymore. Your employees have to be nothing short of great. You'll need to make sure you have technicians who can produce high-quality work in a competitive amount of time and you'll need to hire service writers, managers and estimators who can master the seven secrets of sales success.

I'd like to close with this. If you set your goals, if you surround yourself with superstars, and if you apply my seven secrets of sales success, then I am confident in making you this promise. You'll not only drive up your sales and profits, but more importantly, you'll be developing the most important component of every great business: Happy customers.

Starting as a technician, Bob Cooper went on to own and operate some of the most successful auto repair shops in North America. Since then he has become the founder and president of Elite, an international company that specializes in supporting people in the auto repair industry. He has been nominated for entry into Who's Who in American Business and he is a member of the prestigious National Speakers Association. He also is one of the nation's leading authorities on both personal and career success. Cooper speaks internationally to some of the world's largest corporations as well as to many trade associations, franchise associations, school districts and universities.

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