5 Tips for Soon-to-Be Sales Geniuses
It’s all very simple. You’re a sales representative. Maybe you’re a rookie who is establishing your voice, or a veteran stuck in a rut with numbers doing very little to impress or your boss or your company. That’s OK. I’ve, with the help of some sales experts put together a list of what I think to be 5 most important rules that all sales representatives, from all experiences and backgrounds, should remember and—most importantly—implement into their daily sales calls.
1. Comport yourself with great pride and confidence…
In the sales world, it’s not a sin to be confident of yourself and your product. Remember: the company’s headquarters is where the product is made, but without you and your daily diligence, the product may never reach the consumer. What good is that for anybody? So feel good about it and be knowledgeable. Be charming, but not smarmy. And be proud of your product because the more confident you are, the more comfortable the buyer will be.
(adapted from Barry Farber via http://www.entrepreneur.com/salestips/)
2. Visualize success.
Professional athletes visualize their next shot or next swing all the time. And while I know I don’t need to debate the differences between pro athletes and sales representatives, there is a lot to be gained from visualizing your day, your week, or even your next sales call. By creating a clear image of where you want to go and the goals you hope to achieve, you’re in a sense tricking your brain (and body) into what business writer Barry Farber calls creating your own luck. But it isn’t luck. It’s a way of programming yourself to be the person in that crystal clear image in your mind’s eye. Go ahead, be who you want to be. Be who you know you can be.
(adapted from Barry Farber via http://www.entrepreneur.com/salestips/)
3. Use testimonials.
If social media has proven anything, it’s that word of mouth hasn’t gone anywhere. In fact, word of mouth may be even stronger today than 25 years ago. Be prepared: sometimes a potential buyer will be skeptical of your product. Sometimes, even if you’re confident in yourself and the product, and your visualization is set to “success,” you may still need to prove your product’s worth and long term benefit. What better way to sell a product than to show the results? Tell stories about your other businesses whose numbers have soared since buying your product. Get positive quotes from individual customers. Use the hard work you’ve already done to educate a potential buyer about the rewards your product has to offer. Show your product’s value.
(adapted from Bob Bly via http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/51268-5)
4. Learn to listen.
Everyone knows that sales is a business of people. So, you’ve developed a pitch. You’re confident, you know what your goals are, and you’ve got an arsenal of dazzling product reviews. You’re giving your presentation and you’re really quite brilliant. And at the end, they decide not to buy. Why not? Great sales pitches get the potential buyer interested, but what’s often times missing in a great sales presentation is what the potential buyer wants to say. They want to have a conversation about how your product can help them. Don’t bore potential buyers buy talking the whole time you’re with them. According to Linda Richardson, “You should be listening at least 50 percent of the time.” Take notes. Observe your prospect’s body language. Concentrate as much on selling as on what the customer wants.
(adapted from Linda Richardson via http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/51268-3)
5. Follow up.
Chances are, in Sales Theory 101, you learned about how valuable following up with customers and potential buyers is. Sending a quick thank-you note or making a phone call, even for a few minutes, shows you’re paying attention to the customer, that you value their business. There’s also nothing wrong with being sure a prospect who is close to buying knows you’re always available to attend to their needs. Demonstrating your attentiveness will keep your name and product fresh in the prospect’s mind. And next time you talk, they’ll remember how devoted you were when they were still a ‘prospect.’ Remember: your job isn’t done when the sale is made. Make the buyer comfortable by knowing you’re always there to help.
(adapted from Linda Richardson via http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/51268-3)
