You Are A Tool

Yes, if you are in sales, you are a tool. You are the most important tool of all.

Tools Of The Trade

We spend a lot of time acquiring, learning and using various tools that help us in our day-to-day activities. These are helpful things that maintain prospect and customer lists, create and manage outbound sales and marketing activities and other related tasks. These tools of the trade include an array of electronic gadgets, software and the power of the Internet.

Tools From The Good Old Days

What sales tools did we use in the “good old days”? We didn’t have many tools to rely on other than ourselves. Let’s see…We didn’t have computers. We didn’t have cell phones. What did we have? Well, we had business cards and change in our pockets for phone booths. If we were at our desk we had a phone and the Yellow pages. We had a yellow pad and a file or a plastic three ring holder to collect and business cards.

My First Tickler File

My first sales tool that mattered was a neat 3 x 5 card holder that helped organize my day, week, month and year. The box had tabs for the days, 1 – 31, and months, January through December. It also had A-Z tabs. By moving the cards around, I knew who to call on and when. This manual system worked great. It made sure that I never missed an appointment or phone follow-up. The best thing is that it cost about $5 and it didn’t need to be power or Internet access.

Why We Load Up On Sales Tools

We equip ourselves with a variety of sales tools to help us sell more and to make more money. But, what is the outcome of a successful e-mail campaign or a blog posting that rocks? How do Ad words, a landing page and a white paper advance our bottom line? That’s easy. The tools of the trade are good at getting your prospect’s attention and for qualifying opportunities. They help you generate, qualify and manage prospects, but they don’t make the sale, unless you are selling commodities on a web store. You have to convert the leads into sales. You. In person.

The Sales Tool You Can’t Do Without

It’s you. You are the ultimate sales tool. You are the boss of your sales career. Bottom line: You close the business. Everything else you use is in support of helping you get in front of prospects and converting them into customers.

The One And Only You

There isn’t much out there in the form of sales tools that are exclusive to anyone. As things change, and they always seem to, you can’t and won’t have an exclusive on any sales gadget or system. If you do, it won’t be for long. No, the real advantage that you have in the sales game is you. You can be better than your competitors and can maintain an advantage by being the best sales tool you can be. Really.