Have you ever wondered why some people always seem to get everything they want in life? One day an acquaintance tells you that he wants a great job, and the next thing you know, he is on a work assignment in some glamorous location. Then he tells you that he is thinking of buying a new place. Suddenly, you find yourself at the housewarming party of the year at his amazing waterfront home. One minute he is single, and the next, he is blissfully in love. You have to ask yourself, what is it with people like this? Why do they always get all the luck?nnGuess what? It’s not luck! They make it happen by applying basic sales skills to every aspect of their lives. They apply sales skills to their careers to secure career advancement opportunities. They apply sales skills to investment opportunities to build wealth. They apply sales skills to attract a partner. nnFollowing their example, you, too, can apply basic sales skills to the following aspects of your life and make your dreams come true.nnSelling in CareersnnCareer-savvy people can go from one career peak to another by applying basic sales skills in every aspect of their jobs. Career-savvy people know instinctively that to succeed at a fast pace, they must quickly and accurately identify what it is that their employers and industries need the most. For example, Bill Gates has built an amazing career and amassed a fortune by simply identifying and fulfilling the IT needs of millions of corporations and individuals. Career-savvy people do this by using investigative sales skills. They build rapport with colleagues and clients. They take the time to ask questions, listen, and get to know the needs of all stakeholders. They then pinpoint how their own skills and experiences fit in with those needs. Using this knowledge, they proactively approach their employers and demonstrate their industry knowledge, highlighting issues that they know their employers are passionate about. They emphasize how they can use their skills to resolve those issues. Put simply, they realize that no one can say no to something that they need. nnCareer Selling Dosnn• Do identify what matters the most to your employer, clients, and industry.n• Do identify how your skills, education, and experience best fulfil those needs.n• Do approach your employer with your ideas.n• Do sell your ideas to your employer based on what they need and want.nnCareer Selling Don’tsnn• Don’t ignore the needs of your employer, clients, and industry.n• Don’t miss opportunities you have identified by being afraid to take action.n• Don’t ever try to gain advancement by promoting how you will benefit and neglecting to highlight the benefits to others.nnSelling in Financial MattersnnLike most financially wealthy people, you do not need to be the most intelligent, most educated, or highest salaried to become the most financially successful person that you know. How do you do it? By following the lead of other financially successful people. These people secure the investment deals that no one else can secure. Their wealth just grows and grows. While other people work very hard to save and earn money, they just never seem to secure the loans and investment opportunities they need to build wealth. nnSo what is the secret of building financial success? Financially successful people understand that building wealth is about identifying and maximizing opportunities for financial growth. They understand that to make a lot of money, they need to use their skills to make contact with the right people. They use selling skills to gain the confidence of investors and banking and financial institutions. nFirst, they use investigative sales skills to research and gain knowledge of the industry. They research every facet of the market that they wish to enter. They take their research a vital step further by investigating what it is that will make investors want to invest in them. When applying for financial backing, they emphasize how investors stand to gain and reassure them with risk minimization strategies.nnFinancial Selling Dosnn• Do look actively for financial investment opportunities.n• Do research what matters to investors.n• Do highlight the benefits to investors.n• Do know the market inside and out and have a risk contingency plan to reassure investors.nnFinancial Selling Don’tsnn• Don’t expect financial backing for investments that you have not fully investigated.n• Don’t neglect to research what matters the most to investors.nnApplying Selling in LovennHave you noticed how some people are only ever single for a very short time? They meet someone, date for a few months, go steady, and the next thing you know, they are married with a child on the way, while others—often the most attractive and most successful people—stay single for many years. They go on date after date but never develop a strong connection. So why is love so much easier for some? nnThose people who are lucky in love have an in-built understanding of how to apply sales skills to love. They instinctively understand that winning a heart is not about being the best looking, the smartest, the most successful, and the most perfect person. It is about really getting to the heart of what is important to the people they are dating. When they are on dates, they spend most of the time focused on their dates, listening intently to everything that they say. They ask about the things that matter most to their dates. They share the values and experiences that they have that are most relevant for their dates. These people know instinctively that everyone, no matter who he is, loves to speak his truth, loves to be heard—really heard—and loves to be validated for what matters to him. They do this generously. nnLove Selling Dosnn• Do listen actively and attentively.n• Do ask questions that show genuine interest.n• Do focus most of your time on your date, not on you.n• Do validate the things that are important to your date.nnLove Selling Don’tsnn• Don’t try to impress with boasting.n• Don’t try to convince that your way is the best.n• Don’t give too much too soon.n• Don’t criticize or condemn.n• Don’t blame other people.n• Don’t talk constantly about yourself.nnBy applying basic sales skills to every aspect of your life, you really can achieve your dreams. It is as simple as caring enough to take the time to find out what matters to all stakeholders in any given situation, then matching what you have to offer to those needs.nnn** This article is one of 101 great articles that were published in 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life. To get complete details on “101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life”, visit
http://www.selfgrowth.com/greatways3.html n