How Pro-Active Salespeople Can Increase Their Yearly Income Through Diversification

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Copyright © 2006-2008 Casey Moher


There are a variety of salesmen and saleswomen in the business world, and each possesses a different approach to their work. Salespeople, depending on their fields of work, can be divided into two categories: proactive or reactive. It is important for any salesperson to understand what type of sale he or she is making, and to tailor their technique according to the client at hand.


The Reactive Salesperson

A reactive salesperson may be described as a person working at any type of retail enterprise. For example, an appliance salesman is a reactive salesman. People come to the appliance store because they are looking to make a purchase, or because they want to check the prices of available products; they might willingly seek out the salesperson for help or advice.

The local home improvement store's appliance expert does not have to go out and attract potential customers. The customer knows of the store by various marketing and media, and enters with the intent of either purchasing or preparing to purchase merchandise. Now it is the appliance salesman's job to accommodate that customer and fit him or her with what they are looking for.


The Proactive Salesperson

Proactive salespeople are those who must go out and find customers on their own. Even if they sell a quality product that people are familiar with, many of them still must target potential clientele and encourage interested customers to make a purchase. A proactive salesperson often commands his or her own income, which is based on a commission of their sold properties or goods. Simply put, the more sales this individual makes, the more he earns from his hard work.

An example of a proactive salesperson is a real estate agent. This person has a product that consumers may be interested in purchasing, but since customers may choose which real estate agent they elect to use, the agent must create a name for him or herself in order to attract business. Another example of a proactive salesperson is an insurance agent. It is not uncommon for there to be multiple agents selling policies for the same company; therefore, the individual agent must utilize a unique selling point in order to encourage customers to do business through him.


Diversification

Since a proactive salesman depends on commission as income, it is often a good idea for him to diversify and expand his available product line. The idea of having multiple products or services available for sale means that the salesperson has more opportunities to earn money. Diversifying also means that the proactive salesperson is not being forced to "put all of (his) eggs in one basket." He or she is not forced to depend on one product or service, which may prove unpopular at any given time in the marketplace. Instead, by offering an array of products, that salesperson will have a greater chance of appealing to the customer.

Let's imagine, for example, what might happen if the insurance company that an agent works for is the target of some negative publicity. That negative publicity could cost the insurance agent the majority of his business and income; if this is the only service that he sells, he will face a dangerous disadvantage.

If the same insurance agent has multiple products and services to sell, then negative publicity may hurt his earnings, but it will not put him out of business. If the publicity was aimed at the company's auto insurance policies, but he offers life and homeowner's insurance as well, customers may still be interested in coverage through another branch of the company. Certainly then, it is a smart (and safe!) move for proactive salespeople to offer multiple products or services and to diversify their offerings.

Diversification will also help the proactive salesperson deal with seasonal demands. Some products or services experience a lull in demand throughout the year; diversification can help the proactive salesperson survive these slower periods. The proactive salesperson that offers a product that is in demand when his other products are in low demand will be a successful salesperson.


Resell Services

A proactive salesperson can easily diversify by reselling services and products for others. This may be considered an affiliate or consignment program of sorts. A proactive salesperson already has knowledge of the local market, and has the sales skills that are needed to succeed within that market. Resell services are a great option, especially if there is a national product or service that may not be currently available in the local market. By bringing in affiliate agencies or product lines, the salesperson would hopefully detract business from alternative venues like internet or catalog shopping.

If you work as a proactive salesperson, then you may want to look into methods of diversifying yourself so that you can survive market lulls or any other problems that may arise in your primary line of business. By allowing yourself this safety net, you may even find that you are more in demand as the purveyor of desirable goods or services in the marketplace.




About the Author:
Written by: Casey Moher - http://www.cashretrievalsystems.net
Casey's company specializes in helping reunite commercial property owners with their hard-earned cash, by helping them to locate and retrieve money overpaid in a variety of areas. If you are a proactive-type sales person who is interested in adding other opportunities to leverage your time for profit, then Casey can help you. If you believe that some of your current business contacts might benefit from Casey's Cash Retrieval Systems it would be a good idea to visit his website. Your clients can get a No-Risk and No-Obligation analysis of their situation with some quick-to-get information.

You can make some nice money helping your clients get more of their own money back. You will also earn a new and improved perception in your client's mind as you expand your usefulness to them in these unique ways. Visit http://www.cashretrievalsystems.net for more information.