The Imperatives

With today's multiple modes of communication most of which do not include face to face, I believe the following to be Selling Imperatives:

1. Relationship; your face to face time is being curtailed. It is imperative to make the most of your personal meetings, every time.
2. Follow -up; in a timely manner. Most salespeople are very poor at this important aspect of selling.
3. Listen ; Ask questions and then ZIP IT !
4. Product Knowledge; Surveys show that most customers don't think we know enough.
5. Time Management / Goals; ROI on time spent. Are you making enough money per sales call? Are your goals well thought out and constantly changing?

Many more aspects of course but I consider these to be common weak areas across our profession.