Sometimes they avoid buying a new product because they don't want to look stupid when someone asks them how it works. Remember, people want to be proud of their decisions and to have something to talk about. If you wish to be a good salesperson, do everything possible to put yourself in the customer's shoes. One sales representative at Iris Medical Instruments consistently outsells others by a factor of three. Sometimes you'll find that a buyer is waiting to be asked because a decision will bring a sense of relief.
Good salespeople stay in close contact with all their customers and know where they stand.
And good salespeople can usually make good sales projections. Your distribution channel, the way you get your product into customers' hands, is an important strategic issue because it can significantly impact your cost structure and the way you interact with customers. Most companies in our industry sell to their domestic customers factory direct. The rationale is that a customer enjoys one-stop shopping where a salesperson can take orders for ten or more companies at the same time. In recent years, we've seen a trend in which retired technical people create a business to represent two or three companies in a region near their home.