The document outlines the 8 essential skills for selling according to the author's research and experience. The skills are: 1) researching prospects, 2) planning meetings, 3) creating rapport, 4) asking questions, 5) listening actively, 6) presenting solutions, 7) asking for commitment, and 8) building relationships. Mastering these skills is essential for selling at the highest level.

1. How to Sell –
The 8 Essential
Skills
Dr. Oyewole O. Sarumi

2. Introduction
 Over the past 10 years, I've had in-depth
conversations with more than 75 sales
gurus, as well as hundreds of sales
professionals and managers. Based on
that experience, I have concluded that
there are eight–and only eight–truly
essential sales skills.

3.  If you haven't mastered these simple sales
skills, you won't be able to sell at the
highest level.
 If you have these skills already, fantastic. If
you don't, it's time to start filling in the
gaps.

4. 1. Researching Prospects
 Chances are your prospect knows plenty
about you, your firm and your
competition. In order to add real value,
you'll need to know even more about the
prospect, the prospect's business and the
prospect's own customers.

5. 2. Planning Meetings
 Every contact with a prospect or
customer should end in some kind of
commitment from the customer—an
agreement to do something that will
move the process forward. This is only
possible if you plan carefully to make it
happen.

6. 3. Creating Rapport
 The first decision that every buyer makes
is: "Do I want to do business with this
person?" To create that all-important
instant connection, you've got be curious,
personable and really care about the
people you're trying to help.

7.  4. Asking Questions
 If you can't satisfy a customer's real needs,
you can't make a sale. And if you don't
ask the right questions–or if you ask them
the wrong way–you'll never know what
the customers really need, and therefore
will never be able to help.

8. 5. Listening Actively
 This is even more important than asking
the right questions. When customers are
talking, it's not enough to keep your
mouth closed. You've also got to keep
your mind open to discover ways to truly
be of service.

9. 6. Presenting Solutions
 This means creating and describing a
specific solution to previously agreed-
upon needs. Note: It is the exact opposite
of a sales pitch, which is a one-size-fits-all
way to say "all I care about is making a
sale."

10. 7. Asking for Commitment
 All of the above is completely pointless if
the activity doesn't eventually result in
some sales. If you don't ask for the
business at some point, it's not going to
happen. So learn how to ask.

11. 8. Building Relationships
 Your short-term goal is to walk "arm in arm"
with the customer as they arrive at the
best possible solution. Your long-term goal
is to become part of that customer's
essential business network ... and vice
versa.

12. Resources Used
 From: Geoffrey James - Sales Source
column on Inc.com, the world's most
visited sales-oriented blog. His newly
published book is Business to Business
Selling: Power Words and Strategies From
the World's Top Sales
Experts. @Sales_Source