A sales career can be one of the most beneficial careers to have. However, it is easy to wonder how to succeed in the world of sales. Here are four tricks for taking your sales career to the next level.
1. Be Persuasive, Not Pushy
No customer wants to be forced into buying something. Customers that feel pressured will usually end up walking away from a buying opportunity. Yes, high-pressure sales tactics can work on a few people. However, those same people could have been sold to using better approaches. One personality trait that can make a salesperson great is being persuasive. You can recommend products to the customer but do it in a helpful manner.
Customers want to be shown information about a product or services. If your company has entire product lines, walk through them with the customer. It is always best to give a customer too much information rather than not enough. Letting the customer decide what they want goes a long way. Salespeople that are too pushy will end up scaring away most of their clientele. You can also end up angering a customer by being too bossy. A pushy sales attitude can also make a customer feel like you think they are stupid. A recent article in Forbes states that making the sale is about “building a trustworthy win-win relationship” with your client.
2. Attitude Can Make or Break a Sale
“You always want to present a caring attitude to every customer,” said Stephanie Chung and Associates. It can be easy for a salesperson to let a stressful situation get the best of them. However, presenting a bad attitude to a client can ruin any chance of making a sale. Present every client with a happy and helpful salesperson and watch your sales grow. One great tip is to smile when talking to clients over the phone. Studies show that smiling on the phone actually makes you sound happier.
No salesperson is going to always have the perfect day. It is important that you don’t let your bad day affect your sales. Putting a little work into ensuring you are always positive can build new client relationships. In addition, a happy salesperson will likely enjoy long lasting relationships with their clientele.
3. Be an Active Listener
One reason that salespeople perform poorly is because they miss details. Many people think they are great listeners. However, it can be easy to miss small details when you are not actively listening. Hearing your client is great but asking probing questions is even better. If a client mentions they want to try a new service, ask them what they are looking for. Asking customers questions can also uncover additional sales opportunities.
Many clients won’t want to initially open up to a salesperson. However, your client will open up more once they know you care. Michael Bloomberg, the eighth richest person in the entire world, definitely knows about effective selling tips. In a recent interview with the New York Times, Bloomberg stated: “It’s people skills that you need.” Lending an ear to your client can take your sales career very far. Don’t be the inexperienced salesperson that spends a meeting talking about yourself the whole time.
4. Focus on Helping, Not Selling
It is important to put yourself in the shoes of a customer. Take a moment to think back on a great experience you had as a customer. It is likely that you felt helped and greatly cared for. The main thing that customers want is to be cared for. If you can provide solutions for customers, it is likely they will want to buy from you. However, a salesperson that is only pushing products won’t get very far in their profession.
The sales process is mostly about making a connection, not focusing on closing a sale. Building a rapport with clientele can help grow your sales numbers. Your clients will tell you what they want if you listen well enough to hear it. You can help your clients by mentioning products or services that fit their needs. Taking a helpful sales approach can greatly grow any sales career.
