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The traveling salesman problem is a traditional issue that has to do with making the most efficient use of resources while at the same time expending the least amount of energy in that utilization. The designation for this type of problem hails back to the days of the traveling salesman, who often wished to arrange travel in a manner that allowed for visiting the most towns without having to double back and cross into any given town more than once.

In a wider sense, the traveling salesman problem is considered to be a classic example of what is known as a tour problem. Essentially, any type of tour problem involves making a series of stops along a designated route and making a return journey without ever making a second visit to any previous stop. Generally, a tour problem is present when there is concern on making the most of available resources such as time and mode of travel to accomplish the most in results. Finding a solution to a tour problem is sometimes referred to as discovering the least-cost path, implying that the strategic planning of the route will ensure maximum benefit with minimum expenditure incurred.

The concept of the traveling salesman problem can be translated into a number of different disciplines. For example, the idea of combinatorial optimization has a direct relationship to the traveling salesman model. As a form of optimization that is useful in both mathematical and computer science disciplines, combinatorial optimization seeks to team relevant factors and apply them in a manner that will yield the best results with repeated usage.

In a similar manner, discrete optimization attempts to accomplish the same goal, although the term is sometimes employed to refer to tasks or operations that occur on a one-time basis rather than recurring. Discrete optimization also is helpful in computer science and mathematical disciplines. In addition, discrete optimization has a direct relationship to computational complexity theory and is understood to be of use in the development of artificial intelligence.

While the imagery associated with a traveling salesman problem may seem an oversimplification of these types of detailed options for optimization, the idea behind the imagery helps to explain a basic fundamental to any type of optimization that strives for efficiency. The traveling salesman problem that is solved will yield huge benefits in the way of maximum return for minimum investment of resources.

The role of any salesman is highly demanding. Company’s management demands such high revenue growth rate – that everyday of work starts to look like running a championship race. At the same time, the accountants in the finance department are reluctant to increase any expenses thus curtailing potential investments needed to achieve the required sales targets. This creates a situation where it appears that its almost impossible to succeed in sales – but there will be few who always seem to achieve their targets with ease. These are people who are known as “Born Salesmen” – but in reality a good salesman is a good drill master who knows the sales drill down to the last details – which can be learnt. In this article I will write about what it takes to be a good salesman in a B2B world.

Start with Conviction

Whenever I see a business opportunity – the first thing I need to do is to convince myself that this deal can be done. Once I am convinced that this is a good deal, convincing others is relatively easy – but you need to work on it on daily basis. Remember, the conditions out side contribute only 1% and your own reaction to those conditions make up for the rest 99% in the results.

In my life, I see a lot of people who say “This deal cannot be done” or “We do not have the capacity to do it” or ” Our costs are too high & therefore there is no profits in this deal” etc.

Just today morning – I got this big proposition of taking over an business from my customer – wherein the customer wanted to outsource their existing operations to us. I had a quick word with out finance expert. He had developed a very sophisticated spreadsheet model – and all that his model was telling me was that this deal should not be done as we will lose money. Yet my gut instinct told me to go ahead at full speed. After some investigation it because clear that his financial model was built on wrong assumptions. This further emboldened my enthusiasm to go ahead with this deal.

The situation could have changed quite a lot if I had bought the argument from my finance expert. He after all comes with excellent credentials – A Chartered Accountant with excellent reputation for financial analysis and a long experience at the company. But the reaction to his negative response was the key to get this deal going. I was convinced that this was a good deal – and I had to convince our financial expert in order to win the deal.

Winning against negative sentiments

Every winning salesmen can tell you hundreds of stories where he had to go to extreme lengths to convince his own folks in order to win the deal. How is this done?

Firstly, restore your enthusiasm to same high level by talking to yourself often about it. Its easy – begin the day with all the deals you have on the table – go over them and tell yourself why you need to win them.

Secondly, do not let the negatives of the proposition come in your way of conducting business. Do this by questioning your self each time you feel like withdrawing from some action.

Thirdly, start using effective selling techniques, some of which are given in this book How Winners Sell: 21 Proven Strategies to Outsell Your Competition and Win the Big Sale By Dave Stein.

Working on these would lead you to other useful techniques.

Preparations are the Key to Success

Every salesmen knows the mechanics of a routine first time sales call – ensuring preparedness in all respects; opening the call; making a presentation; obtaining a commitment etc. You have known it all, like the back of your hand. But that’s what every salesman will do. So what differentiates a winner? It is in their superior preparations and the perfect handling of the show.

Good selling often begins with the understanding of the buying process and what is being bought. The understanding of the buying process will give you an insight into the buyer’s decision making mechanism. Make sure the people you meet are the ones who take decisions.

Find out why and what are they currently using. Once you will know whose opinions or what factors are likely to influence the purchase decision you will improve chances of achieving a successful sale.

Do not spend your time with people who want something that can’t deliver. These are time
wasters – your time is better spent elsewhere.

Use Emotions in the sales process

The understanding of “what is being bought” will tell what benefits of your offering will appeal to the prospects. You might be offering the latest and best piece of equipment well known for its modern design and high productivity, but your prospect might want to buy what he had seen when he was learning the ropes of the business or studying in college. The central idea being, the prospect usually looks forward to some emotional experience of his choosing with in your proposition. So, you have to make it possible for the prospect to over come his previous emotional ties and experience the use your product.

Whenever you are able to arouse positive emotions in prospects you will lead them to favorable decisions. During a sales call, your perfect performance shall arouse in the prospect, the desired
emotional response like nothing else will. So, when you meet your very next prospect, be mindful of delivering a flawless performance. Power of your performance shall not only determine your income but also shall open new selling opportunities for you.

The emotional process that leads to a purchase decision usually begins with a new development in prospect’s self image. The prospect secretly starts behaving as a user of your offering and having spotted such a change in his self-image; you should immediately reinforce it and keep the prospect in the same frame of mind throughout.

Develop your interest in the subject of your offering. To learn the details fast, try and visualize the edge you will come to possess after you have mastered even the smallest of the details about the offering. Your buyers are also an important source of learning more about the subject.

Each sale creates a unique bond between the buyer and the seller. Common feature of these bonds being that in each the seller has given to the buyer the comfort that his decision has been a correct one and seller will live up to the expectations. This bond is an important source of future orders and referred leads. Pay good attention to leads so received as they are going to improve the looks of your order book. However exercise some caution: ask for such leads only after the customer has experienced your service/product.

Complete focus on the customer

Whenever you are face to face with a prospect, shut yourself from past worries and future exigencies. Concentrate fully on the prospect before you, his needs and attitudes. Remember, the prospects have the unusual ability to be completely oblivious to your persuasion. See or hear what they want to see or hear. Do what you have to do in order to make prospects see or hear what is favorable for your deal.

Therefore, when you give a presentation or demonstration, make sure it ultimately develops into a two-way communication. Make use of the words, which will have leading effect on the prospect. You can even be bold and take a few risks by saying striking things which will seize audience attention and if that makes them ask some questions you will know they have been listening. Answer in a manner that will improve involvement of others who are present.

If you know any statements, which have worked well with prospects, half of your job is done. All you have to do is to master the use of all the possible variations of those statements tailoring the variations for various situations usually encountered. This may be time consuming but the results shall justify the effort.

Objections are buying statements

Don’t hate prospects’ objections, actually a prospect airing objections is inviting you to book his/her order and coming in disguise it should be very stimulating for you. Begin by believing that an objection is an announcement of buying intentions. Learning, observation and drill will show you the way through such situations, starting point being prospects’ own fear of unknown, which is required to be handled with a certain degree of deftness. The key to objection handling being, seeking out all the possible objections in advance and to be well prepared instead of trying to avoid those during a sales call.

Prospects have always demanded more than what their money can ever get them in a fair transaction. Therefore don’t get perplexed by their attempts to squeeze more from you. Usually in every deal a compromise is reached between the buyer and the seller, which seals the deal. You will discover the process of arriving at such a compromise is a very healthy exercise, as this will expose you to the prospect’s current as well as future frame of mind.

Learn to over come fear of refusal by understanding the refusal in its correct perspective. All salespersons, at some time or the other have been refused/rejected by their prospects. Do not expect prospects to show fairness only by accepting your offering, actually they are being quite fair in giving you a chance to make a presentation, a chance to practice your skills, a chance to develop superior performance. Remember as long as the sales profession exists, refusals will take place and someone has to bear its burden, so bear it with a smile and don’t let a previous refusal affect the outcome of the next call. Never take a refusal personally. It’s after all a free market.

Closing Thoughts

These are best summarized by:

· Don’t let events take charge of your day; instead you take charge of events and remain highly sensitive towards avoidable delays.

· Believe in the benefits of your proposition and remember your proposition always comes before you.

· Make good use of telephone, it is the second most important selling tool available, first one being your own mouth.

· Create your visit/call in your mind before you approach the customer.

· After every call analyze your performance and record the prospect’s attitude and the mutual commitments.

· Focus on doing the most rewarding thing at any given time.
· Celebrate every win – Analyze every loss.