Master These Five Abilities to Be a Better Salesperson

There’s an art to closing sales. To be successful, certain fundamentals need to be in place. Let’s talk about five of them.

Expertise and Knowledge Help Customers View Sales Reps as Consultants

Your customers expect you to be knowledgeable about your products and industry, of course, but also theirs, which means you’ve got to be constantly researching and on the lookout for details that can help your customer.

This includes knowing your product or service completely, reading articles and staying current on industry news and trends, and learning about your customers’ businesses. Social media can help with this. What are customers sharing? Who are they following? Find out what’s important to them, learn about it and comment, share or “like” it.

Consider ways you can continue to learn.

 

Active Listening Helps Salespeople Understand Customers' Needs

Have you ever started explaining something you’re going through to someone … and they nod and say, “I know exactly what you mean. The same thing happened to me and this is what I did … or this is how I felt ….” Then, they go on to tell you about their own experience, which, as it turns out, is actually nothing like yours.

How does that make you feel?

Active listening means listening to understand. And in sales, gaining that understanding means asking questions to uncover your customer’s real business needs and challenges. After you ask a question, smile and enjoy learning about your customer’s needs. Allow the person to finish without interruption, giving them your full attention. Then, increase your understanding by asking a few more related questions, jotting things down and paraphrasing what your customer says to show them that you are listening and truly comprehend their requirements. Don’t rush them. And don’t be tempted to finish their sentences.

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Communication Mastery Helps a Salesperson Make the Most of Each Interaction

In sales, it’s good to remember that you should be doing more listening than talking. But when you speak or write, make sure it’s clear and accurate. Your communication should be easy to understand, offer value and help to build trust.

Leave messages or send emails that are customer focused, showing that you understand their challenges.

Make your words credible, by using case studies and research to offer “proof.” Use examples and stories to help customers better understand and remember the things you say … helping them to picture themselves in these scenarios. Some experts recommend slowing your speaking pace to help you sound more convincing.

Create presentations that leave the customer wanting to do something different. If you’ve got a  laundry list of features, make them more memorable by using examples of how these features benefit your customer and their unique situation.

When you’re communicating with a customer or prospect, always consider what they care about and what communication style and method works for them. Email, social media, texting, phone calls – use them all as appropriate for your customers.

 

Building Trust Makes It Easier for Customers To Buy 

We buy from people we like. Your ability to build relationships with customers will help drive your sales results.

Instead of bombarding your customer with features and services they don’t need or care about, become a consultant and ask questions that follow the conversation and help you discover your client’s needs. By paying attention and understanding their unique challenges, you can emphasize the benefits that are important to them.

By being knowledgeable about your industry, sharing information and staying curious, you can also become the person they think of first when a problem comes up.

And remember the little things such as being reliable, accessible and keeping commitments.

 

Persistence and Tenacity Keeps Successful Salespeople Driving Forward

Be persistent without pestering. People are busy, so when you don’t hear back from someone, don’t assume they’re not interested. Take a different tact. Try a different email or subject line. Better yet, pick up the phone. Sales has definitely changed over the years making it harder to get people on the phone. But using the phone is not a waste of time.

Consider the steps or behaviors you need to take each day to make yourself successful and drive until you get there. I used to set a goal of talking to 10 new people before I could stop prospecting for the day and turn to other sales tasks. You could have goals related to identifying new leads, commenting on your prospects’ social media posts, or sending a specific number of emails. The point is to be tireless in the behavior that will help you achieve, because many other salespeople aren’t.

Also, if you’ve done your homework and truly believe your product is a good fit, don’t take “no” without some additional pushing. And decide the goal for each encounter with a prospect and ask for that next step at the end of every meeting or call.

And one final thought on persistence: Be relentless in pursuing the objectives of your prospects and customers. They will notice you’re working on their behalf.

 

Need more advice on selling in a virtual world? Here's an article: 12 Tips for Selling in a Virtual World.

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