3 Sales Tips From Successful Entrepreneur and Salesman Spencer Hays

You may not have heard of Spencer Hays, but he is someone I would have loved to talk about selling.

Spencer Hays was born poor in Oklahoma, and later became a successful businessman and sales professional. He was also an art collector, and he and his wife donated their $380 million art collection to the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.

Hays recently passed away. The way he conducted himself in business and sales offers a great lesson for salespeople of today.

Have the right attitude.

Hays realized how important attitude was to be successful at sales. He took responsibility for motivating himself, and he would repeat affirmations like, “I feel fit, fine and fantastic,” even when he didn’t feel so positive.

Hays was on to something. Selling is a transfer of emotions, and no one wants to hear about your lousy day. Your job is to figure out how to be positive for each one of your sales calls. Just know that it is much easier to be positive when you are prepared for your sales calls. Also have a group of supporters whom you can turn to when you need a shoulder to cry on.

Dress the part.

Hays was a natty dresser and often wore three-piece suits with chalk stripes. He also believed that you should dress for success. As a result, he went into the clothing business in 1966 by founding Tom James Company which sells custom tailored clothing directly to people in their homes or offices.

You don’t have to get into the clothing business to be successful in sales; however, you do have to pay attention to how you dress. I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but people are going to judge you by how you look. Not everyone is going to be a fashion plate, and that’s fine. You must dress in clean clothes that are appropriate to the clients you are calling on.

Do you know what type of clothing is inappropriate for your type of sales? You had better find out if you don’t know. A good rule of thumb is to look at the most successful salespeople at your company, and model how they look and dress. It’s always better to err on the side of being more conservative in your attire than less conservative.

Know what your job is.

It is said that Hays shunned pretension, and he also recognized what his job was. Hays was the majority owner and chairman of the executive committee of the Southwestern Company. Instead of putting the title of “chairman” on his business cards, Hays simply had the word “salesman” on his card.

Some sales professionals have all kinds of titles for their work. Some are called a Territory Manager; others are called Business Development Specialists. And then there are some people who when you ask if they’re in sales will say no—that’s terribly misguided. You are in sales if your job is to persuade someone to make a great buying decision—it’s as simple as that. Hays truly understood what his job was.

Spencer Hays was a salesman until the end. His art collection donation in 2016 was the largest foreign donation to the Musée d’Orsay since World War II. The donation was announced last October by French President Francois Hollande.

What did Hays and his wife get in return? Hollande honored Hays and his wife by naming them commanders of the Legion of Honor; they also received employee-entrance passes to the Orsay.

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