Being a good salesperson is important no matter what business you work in. This is because sales is a people business and relationships with people are important in all industries. Of course, sales techniques are especially important if you’re a salesperson. Here are some tips that you can use to be a great salesperson.
Have a Good Relationship with Your Manager
If you’ve worked as a sales rep for any length of time, you know how important having a good manager, and having a good relationship with your manager, is. Having a mediocre manager or not meshing with your supervisor may seem out of your control. There are some things you can do to remedy this situation though.
A good manager should have great sales management skills. They should be able to effectively organize, motivate and lead their team. They should provide training and implement a sales strategy that you can follow. If you don’t see those things happening, talk with your manager. Ask for training and a strategy.
If you and your manager don’t have the best relationship, talk to your manager and try to improve your relationship. Tell your manager what you need from them and how they can meet your needs. Be direct and ask for direct feedback on how you can improve as well.
Know Your Product and Your Market
If management is outside your control, knowing your market and your product isn’t. Take the time to really understand your product, who your target user is and the industry as a whole. Having an understanding of your industry and your market will help you better understand how to persuade leads to purchase from you. It’ll help you understand who your competition is and how you can beat them.
In addition, really knowing your product will make it a lot easier for you to sell it. When you really love a product, it’s easy to genuinely tell your customers they should buy it. Plus, product knowledge will help you build trust between you and your customer. Trust is an important part of building relationships with customers and means you’re likely to make a sale.
Focus on the Right Leads
After you have a good understanding of your industry, market and customer, it’s easier to focus on the right leads. Understanding your target market will help you know which leads are likely to buy in to what you’re selling.
This knowledge will also help you understand which leads are more likely to use your product and what way they’ll use it. This may seem like a small detail, but this sort of knowledge will not only increase the likelihood of a sale, it will help you make sales happen faster. When you know a lot about your product and how your lead is likely to use it, it’s easier to quickly persuade them to use it.
Build Relationships
Finally, sales becomes a lot easier when you think of sales as a relationship business. Instead of focusing solely on the sale, center your interactions around building a relationship with your potential customers. Show you care about them as more than a sale and you’re likely to not only make a sale, but to create a return customer.
This may seem challenging if you have a lot of customers. If you’re making cold calls and know you’ll speak with the customer again, jot down notes about the interaction so you know how to follow-up. The more you remember, the more likely the second call will go well.
If you make a sale, again, take notes about the customer. After the sale, take the time to do things like wish them a happy birthday and check-in to see if they’re enjoying the product. If they’re not, take the time to try to make them satisfied. This means they’ll be more likely to come back to you next time.
Sales is a people-business after all. Focus on knowing your product, how your target market will use the product and on creating relationships with your customers and you’re on the path to becoming the best salesperson you can be.
