Customers are not like sales people in the sense that they are not aware of the prices the company paid for an item; they are only concerned with the price that they must pay. Customers will be willing to pay only if they think they are getting a fair price for what is being offered. Good salesperson understand human behavior and can use this understanding in their sales pitch. Good salesperson must learn to treat each customer uniquely because no two people are alike. It is crucial not to treat all customers exactly the same as this is easily detected by a customer and you will lose any connection with that person. This comes off as highly impersonal, uncaring and cold behavior. It is a turn off for the customer. The customer wants to feel that you actually care about him or her and how they feel.
Not everyone is cut out to be a sales person. Some people simply do not have the right personality or the skills to converse correctly, with charisma that capture another person's attention. It is possible however, with the correct motivation, for anyone to succeed at sales. If you have a positive attitude and show some enthusiasm, you will naturally be more successful. You should take time to practice what you will say to the customers in general, and then fine tune that to each customer you deal with. You will get a 'feel' for your customer after just a few seconds and will build a rapport with some small talk, so use this intuition to customize your pitch.
It is very important that you know your service or product very well. As odd as this may sound, it is likely that you have run across a salesperson or two in your lifetime that has tried to sell you something but you were not sure that he even was familiar with what it was he was selling. This is particularly true when selling a service. Know that service inside and out. A prospective customer will turn and practically run out the door if you do not sound like you know what you are talking about.
Another way to ensure your success as a salesperson is to dress for success. If you look like a winner, your product will too. Also, besides just your clothing, wear a smile. A smile shows confidence and will get you off to a great start with your customer. A career in sales can be a very rewarding career, both monetarily and emotionally. A great sales person uses a positive attitude and some good old fashioned 'people skills' and shows a great understanding of what he is trying to sell.
