Whether you want to improve sales as an organization or as an individual salesperson, the first and most important step is to observe life carefully. Determine what your desired customers want and need. Then clearly explain why the value you have to offer is worth the value you are asking in return and demonstrate the values which your customers want to interact with.

Selling is convincing another person that the value you have to offer is worth the value you are asking in return. That's it. It's no more complicated than that.

The heart of selling lies in figuring out the value the customer wants or needs and determining how that person wants or needs to be treated before, during, and after the sale in order, for him or her, to consider this to be an outstanding interaction, one that is worthy of the investment he or she will be making.

Selling is not a script any more than building a relationship is a set of pick-up lines. Great salesmen don't trick, manipulate, or cajole people into making a purchase. Neither do they strong-arm, frighten, or intimidate people into making a decision. Instead, all great salespeople do one thing extremely well: observe life carefully.

By observing other people they begin to understand the value and the values their desired customers want and need. One of my favorite quotes is from David Ogilvy in his book, Confessions of an Advertising Man. He wrote, "Creative people are especially observant, and they value accurate observation (telling themselves the truth) more than other people do."

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