Is there a link between salespreneur and sport champion? As all people can learn how to swim, so can all of them became salesperson. But the way of a salespreneur and sports champion goes further. Like a swimmer cutting through the water, they cut their path with years of gathered knowledge and experience, hard work, dedication and honesty.

1. Cutting Through
the Water
Becoming a Champion
Salesperson

2. Nikolaus Kimla
n.kimla@pipelinersales.com
www.pipelinersales.com
CEO at Pipelinersales Inc.
Written
by...
Based on the ebook ›
Cutting Through the Water: Becoming a Champion Salesperson

3. In any field, being good is one thing – but becoming
a champion is quite another. For example, many people
learn how to swim.
But becoming a champion swimmer requires
serious dedication, training and practice.

4. Fortunately, becoming a champion salesperson—what we
call a salespreneur—doesn’t require the time and
physical endurance necessary to become a champion
swimmer. But it does require a level of skill and
knowledge well beyond what is normally
required of a salesperson.

5. Resolving
a Bad Image

6. Resolving a Bad Image
There is a famous poster of Olympic swimmer
Mark Spitz
that adorned many walls in the early to mid-1970s,
shortly after he won seven Olympic gold medals
(a record held for 36 years) at the 1972 Olympics in
Munich. The picture is of a shirtless Spitz proudly
sporting those 7 medals.
It is quite evident that Mark Spitz had no image
problems.
COPYRIGHT: Terry O’Neill

7. Resolving a Bad Image
It’s totally different with salespeople.
The image of a salesperson is somewhat tarnished,
a bit seedy.
They are often seen as lacking ethics and morals,
only “in it for the money” and not really caring
about their prospects and customers.
There is a general feeling that they are not to be
trusted, that they are out to “rip someone off.”

8. Resolving a Bad Image
The true long-term sales champions
are, in fact, completely contrary to the
accepted image.
They make such high sales because they
do care about their customers, and are
able to demonstrate how their products
or services actually help the prospect
solve a need.

9. Resolving a Bad Image
Because of this image, you as a
salesperson have your work cut out for
you. Much of the time your prospects
have an innate distrust of all salespeople
and automatically include you in that
category.
That is the first barrier to overcome.
How?

10. The salesperson of today has access to knowledge
that the salesperson of old did not. Knowing all you
need to know as a salesperson, and fully operating
with that knowledge, you will overcome any
“sleazy” stigma attached to salespeople.
In this slideshare, we'll cover the areas of
knowledge you need to have. Such knowledge
gives you the focus needed by a champion.
Resolving a Bad Image

11. The Born
Champion?

12. The Born Champion?
It is said by many that you're born a salesperson, or
you’re not. If you are, you can sell. If you’re not, you
probably shouldn’t even try.
This is not true, any more than there is
such a thing as a “born swimmer.”
There is no untrained child you can toss into the deep
end of a pool, and just have him or her start
swimming.

13. The Born Champion?
No, selling must be learned.
Fortunately it can be!
While it took decades for champion
swimmers like Mark Spitz to achieve
their remarkable goals, it doesn’t take
decades to become a great salesperson.
It can be done in a few years. But you do
have to do it.

14. Perceiving
Through
the Water

15. Perceiving Through the Water
A salesperson must develop an
alertness—a keen awareness of new
opportunities and advantages.
This is a salesperson’s stock-in-trade.
The more natural this alertness, the
more successful a sales rep will be.
This alertness must exist in several
different areas.

16. Perceiving Through the Water
This perception includes:
● Prospect pain points, and exactly how and the
transfer of that knowledge to your product or
service relates to them
● Knowledge of your product or service, and the
transfer of that knowledge to the prospect
● The recognition of future opportunities

17. The
Salesperson
is a Servant
/a Leader

18. The Salesperson is a Servant/a Leader
A buyer is coming to you with particular issues to be
solved by your product or service. The better you are
able to do so, the higher the chances of a close. Once
the close is done, continuing to help the customer
makes the chances of future sales more likely.
In this respect you are certainly being a
servant to the customer.

19. But a salesperson is not only a servant.
Despite any sales resistance, prospects
are indeed looking to you for answers.
It is up to you, in providing those answers,
to become a leader.
The Salesperson is a Servant/a Leader

20. The Salesperson is a Servant/a Leader
Part of your alertness as a salesperson
must be to know when to switch back
and forth to either of these roles.
Likewise, this is also true of switching
from a listener to a speaker and back.
As a salesperson, you are both
a servant and a leader.

21. The
Salespreneur

22. The Salespreneur
A salesperson is often concentrating on their own
tasks, not paying significant attention to the rest
of the sales force or the overall company.
A salespreneur, however, is looking at the
broader picture: seeing themselves as the most
important visible representative of their
company.
They have a deep knowledge of their company and
their offerings, and the focus is on maximizing
those offerings to solve the business issues of the
customer.

23. The Salespreneur
Like entrepreneurs, salespeople are always
on the lookout for new sales opportunities.
But once again there is a prime difference
between a salesperson and the
salespreneur.

24. The Salespreneur
A salesperson used to being fed sales leads might
decide it’s not their responsibility to bring leads
into the company—that’s Marketing’s job. But a
salespreneur will always be on the lookout for new
leads—for example when they hear about another
company that is experiencing issues the
salespreneur’s company solves. Or they will
prospect on social media.
They will always find ways to bring in their own
leads, whether or not it is their job.

25. The Salespreneur
A salespreneur is constantly on the watch
for previously unseen possibilities—in all
areas.
These include sales prospects, but also
extend out to new market prospects, new
product or service possibilities, ways to
beat the competition, and more.

26. The Salespreneur
So how do you make the transition
from salesperson to true salespreneur?
The short answer is, it comes from
knowledge and experience continuously
gained and, more importantly,
continuously applied.

27. The Salespreneur
Here is a bit of a longer
answer, and a pathway you
can follow:
1. Always be learning
2. Become a Total Expert on Your Product
3. Become a Total Expert on Your Competition
4. Become a Total Expert on Your Customers
5. Apply All of Your Expertise, Continuously
6. Raise Your Awareness of Opportunities

28. The Salespreneur
Here’s wishing you unheard-of prosperity and success in
your new role as salespreneur!
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to totally empower you.

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