Tom Hopkins

Biography

Tom Hopkins wasn`t born to wealth and privilege. He was a mediocre student and began his work life in construction carrying steel. At the age of 19, he was married with a child on the way and trying to find a better way to support his young family.

Since he wasn`t afraid of meeting new people and was known to be somewhat talkative someone suggested he try selling. After looking around at the people who were dressed well and driving new cars, he decided on the field of real estate.

At the time, real estate was considered an old man`s profession. There weren`t many women in the field and certainly no teenagers. It took Tom several tries to pass his licensing exam, but he eventually succeeded.

The next hurdle was to find someone to hire him. Visiting real estate offices around town on his way home from his construction job, Tom quickly learned the negative impact of the first impressions he was making.

Eventually, one office manager took pity on him and gave him a job. Tom was instructed to show up at the next office meeting in a suit -- not his construction clothes. There was only one challenge, Tom didn`t own a suit. He did, however, have a uniform from a band he had been in during high school.

When he arrived at the office meeting, the manager stopped and stared. So did everyone else in the room. Then he heard the manager say, "If that kid in a band uniform can make it in this business, the rest of you better be getting rich!"

Tom`s first six months in real estate were anything but successful. He had sold only one home and averaged $42 a month in income. He was down to his last $150 in savings when a man came into the real estate office promoting a three-day sales training seminar with J. Douglas Edwards. Tom hadn`t yet heard of either "sales training" or Mr. Edwards. He decided to invest his last bit of savings in the program.

Not only did the light of understanding dawn on Tom that selling is a learned skill, he was so inspired by Mr. Edwards` training that he became an avid student. He attended seminars, read books on selling and even invested in some vinyl records on self-improvement.

Tom applied everything he learned and by the time he turned 27, he was a millionaire salesperson in real estate. He set records that remained unbroken until this century. His last year as a real estate agent, he sold 365 homes -- the equivalent of one each day. Grand total, he closed 1,553 real estate transactions in a period of six years.

Then, Tom faced his next hurdle. As much as he loved meeting people and talking with them one-on-one, speaking from stage brought back bad memories of a failed performance in a 1st grade play. However, when he received the many awards he earned and loved, he was often asked to give speeches. Not knowing how to write a speech, Tom started talking about what he did to earn the award -- how he sold homes. Everyone wanted to know how he did it so they could do it, too.

Tom turned to J. Douglas Edwards who by this time had become Tom`s mentor. Mr. Edwards said, "You must do what you fear most in order to control your fear." Taking that message to heart, Tom soon became a dedicated student of public speaking and teaching. Seeing the light of understanding dawn on the faces of those who heard his message created a burning desire in him to help as many people as possible to learn how to sell professionally and a new career was born.

Tom taught pre-licensing courses in the field of real estate first. He also taught courses on how to get started in the business. Eventually, this evolved into his current sales training career where he is recognized as America`s #1 Sales Trainer and The Builder of Sales Champions.

Tom Hopkins understands both sides of the selling equation. He understands the fears of both buyers and salespeople. Buyers don`t want to be "sold" anything. Salespeople fear failure. The selling skills and strategies that Tom Hopkins teaches today reflect an understanding of how to communicate with buyers so they feel confident in making good decisions about the products and services they own. They also are taught in such a manner as to be entertaining and memorable by the sales professionals who seek them out.

Publications

Selling in Tough Times:
Secrets to Selling When No One Is Buying

Tough Times can be brought on by any number of factors: a down economy, Mother Nature, shifts in customers` needs, national tragedy -- the list goes on and on. These types of changes can be extremely disruptive, even paralyzing, when we`re not prepared for them. While many see no other option than to "sit tight" and "ride things out" when crisis strikes, true career professionals in selling understand that the only way to deal with adversity is to meet it head-on.

That`s why a positive attitude and a proactive approach to problem-solving are two of the most essential ingredients for success in selling -- and why those who embrace them not only to survive but thrive, even in the most difficult of circumstances.

Now, in his latest book, SELLING IN TOUGH TIMES, world-renowned selling expert Tom Hopkins puts his real-world , in-the-trenches experience to work and shares his plan to reverse the momentum of tough times -- and even capitalize on them. With exercises to help you discover previously overlooked opportunities and eliminate waste, along with out-of-the-box methods for recruiting new customers and key tips on how to solidify your existing business, Hopkins gives you powerful ways to spur sales now and for years to come.

Titles

How to Master the Art of Selling
Based on the strategies in Tom`s best-selling book by the same title, Tom helps salespeople get a realistic understanding of the advantages of selling as a career. Selling is both an art and a science. He teaches a basic seven-step selling process. It covers everything from prospecting to establishing rapport to qualification to presentation, handling objections, closing and getting referrals. Proven-effective strategies for each of the steps are covered in depth. Attendees won`t be able to say "I don`t know what to do today" after attending. They`ll have a powerful, proven-effective system to implement -- a system that they can rely on for years to come.

Building Sales Champions
Get your entire sales force on the same page! Laying the proper foundation of selling skills will allow your team to build strong revenues for your organization. Whether they need to develop skills in generating leads to find new business, handling client concerns or closing sales, Tom Hopkins has the answers. The typical client will balk at or stall making a buying decision five times during the sale process. Tom Hopkins has 42 closing strategies in his selling skills library. Imagine the difference in closing ratios of your people if they knew just six of them (more ways to ask for the sale than clients have to say `no`).

Sell It Today, Sell It Now
Reduce sales resistance and increase sales acceptance -- all in one call with potential clients. Selling is a process. In this process, two strangers meet, get to know each other and make decisions to trade their hard-earned money for the benefits of a product or service. There are twenty simple steps (some that require only a sentence or two) that salespeople can use to 1) generate in potential clients a sense of trust; 2) get people to open up and talk about their needs, 3) make them comfortable asking for help in evaluating a buying decision, and 4) create a sense of urgency for a decision to be made today. When these steps are mastered, salespeople truly know how to Sell It Today, Sell It Now.

Selling in Tough Times
True professionals in selling can earn strong incomes no matter what happens in the economy, the industry or the company. One of the advantages of a career in selling is that it`s a daily challenge. And there are great rewards for those who master the powerful people skills required of true sales pros. Tom will teach your team how to stay motivated in challenging times. They`ll learn how to help their clients feel better about their own challenges that might cause them to place smaller orders or postpone making business decisions. Champion salespeople know how to work through these challenges and continue to generate solid sales revenue.