The times of the stereotypical used car salesperson approach to selling are rapidly becoming passé. Most people do not seem to be impressed anymore with someone kicking the tires, telling them the car they are considering is a deal of lifetime, and then being high pressure sold into purchasing.

I believe the reason for this has to do with technological advances, and the amount of brands, sizes, and features people have to choose from today. In earlier times you did not need a master's degree in electronics to hook up your television, or simply turn it on. Most people picked the television that had what they considered to be the best picture quality, or the one a sales person recommended as his/her biggest mover. The majority of these units turned on and off fundamentally the same way. Installation was as easy as plugging them in. The manufactures would for the most part set the dealer cost and suggested retail price. The owners of the stores would get volume discounts therefore allowing them more profit. Many sales people back then made their living strictly on commission; they could not afford to lose a sale to the competition. They were very aware that a client would either buy from them now, or go down the street to the next store where the product and price were mostly the same. Sales people in the auto industry, electronics, or any other venues had no choice but to be more aggressive and high pressure, because it was the difference between eating or not.

Today the attitude seems to be more laid back, and veering towards educating clients then selling them. People are supposed to sell themselves on the knowledge they are provided. In sales terms the word most commonly used is a soft sale. The sales associates who work in the retail industry in this day and age mostly rely on a salary. Therefore if they spend tens minutes or two hours with someone they still get paid. They are hired on their product knowledge skills, not their sales attributes. Most of bigger stores do not have enough sales associates on the floor, and the person servicing clients has no clue or interest to qualify if a person is buyer or not. So while they might be educating someone for an hour who is not a buyer, maybe some people who are have left the store and gone elsewhere.

North America's big businesses were not built on a laid back approach to selling, but smart assertive sales people who wrote their own paychecks, loved making money, and felt that they had the best profession in world.

They would not be afraid to ask for the order, answer the buying questions, and have great personal satisfaction in convincing a client to purchase their products or services. If they were going to put time & effort in with a client, they would make sure to sell most of them. The biggest compliment a sales person can get after a transaction with a client is thank you.

It is my opinion that if a business person wants to grow a business, they must share their piece of the pie with people who earn it. In order to do this they need to consider giving enough incentive through a worthwhile commission structure. The education should start first by teaching their staff with technical skills how to sell.

If want to succeed in a venture make sure you teach your technical staff the fundamental ABC's of business. Always be closing!!!