Salesmanship is a personal action or effort on the part of an individual which is intended to bring about the sale of the goods for sale. More broadly speaking, salesmanship is the art of selling something to somebody, and everything which contributes to the consummation of this exchange is necessarily a part of salesmanship. Salesmanship differs from demonstration in that the latter may not include the former, and it is like demonstration because good salesmanship usually includes some form of demonstration. Salesmanship is not unlike the plea of the lawyer before the court or the jury. Both contain arguments; and, in both cases, the presenter, either of arguments or of goods or of both, is attempting to make the party addressed do what he asks him to do.

On the one hand there is something for sale, whether it be a life insurance policy, an automobile, a suit of clothes, or a barrel of potatoes. The owner of what is for sale, or his representative, desires to sell what he has to somebody who wants it or can be made to want it. To do this, he employs every method which will in any way influence the buyer, including printed matter, e-mail, websites, pay-per-click advertising, television commercials, radio ads, handsome office fittings, and, most important of all, a proper presentation of the thing for sale adding personality and voice to the selling argument.

The salesman exists for two reasons: first, custom; secondly, because it is obvious that even the best informed buyer cannot know everything. There is opportunity for a discussion person-to-person, and for the presentation of argument; and this information and these arguments cannot be given with any degree of fullness by the printed page or advertisement. Or, if they could be, they would not even then take the place of personal information-giving and custom-made argument. Salesmanship cannot be analyzed with chemical or other exactness. To define it, to separate it into its component parts, would be as difficult as it would be to analyze ability and to tell what it consists of. Yet we all know what salesmanship is, and we are able to measure the results of its qualities and quantities.

“Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94), Scottish novelist said, “”"”Everyone lives by selling something, whatever be his right to it”" If you are looking for a job, you have to show a sort of salesmanship to get the job you want to get. An author has to do a sort of selling to convince a publisher to publish his work. So salesmanship is not confined to actual selling of products.

Selling is an art that you can learn if you make serious efforts. Work at it and salesmanship will work for you. It will make your customers to like you, trust you and give preference to you in all their dealings. You just keep on trying and learning the art of selling irrespective of the results. There is no such thing as a born salesman. You can learn salesmanship by training, observing, practicing and studying.

What is common in salesmanship and swimming? If you do not know swimming and try to cross a deep river by swimming, you will drown. So is the case with selling. Many people fail because they expect to succeed in sales without learning.

It is a part of the game of the salesmanship to hear and digest ‘NO’ with a smile. A salesman must get rid of the fear of rejection. The best way to do it to expect more or less 900 to 950 people out of 1000 to say NO and you won’t be hurt. You just keep on liking all your prospects even those who say NO. But from every contact you learn something new if you keep your eyes and ears open. You hurt yourself only by your own feeling of remorse and regret. Even the best of the salesmen average success rate of hardly 10% of the people contacted.

Selecting and finding people whom you can sell is called Prospecting. The success or failure in sales depends a lot the way you do your prospecting. Maintaining a diary, seeking appointment and obtaining introductions or referrals must a part of daily routine.

Integrity of the salesman and his willingness to provide after sales service and to work out a solution best suited to his client and his interests are among the common denominators of highly successful sales and marketing executives and other personnel.

Planning and setting goals & targets are stepping stones for the sales work ‘In sales your goals must be out of reach but not of out of sight.’ Ben Feldman the greatest life insurance salesman who made millions just by selling life insurance stated this. He pursued the goals that were not achievable without extra ordinary efforts. But he never set the goals that were foolishly high. He kept on reviewing his progress and goals. He believed that that you goals must not only for your business, but also for family as well as social and cultural life.

It is said that in sales your Altitude depends on your Attitude. This is quite correct. Somebody coined a phrase “”KASH FORMULA for success in selling and defined it as follows:

1. K for knowledge of the product and familiarity with the basic principles of selling and marketing techniques. 2. A for attitude. Perseverance and positive approach. 3. S for skills. Mastering presentation techniques, polishing up sales talk and using psychological appeal. 4. H for habits. Punctuality and prospecting, obtaining leads and references

Here’s the rule for bargains: “”Do other men, for they would do you.”" That’s the true business precept. _Charles Dickens (1812-70), English novelist.”