How To Be A Better Salesman

The ability of your small businesses to court new customers and clients will often depend on the ability of your organization and sales team to convert traffic, leads and footfall into cold hard orders. In this article we’ll explore some of the ways that can help anyone in your organization to become a better sales person:

  • Project confidence. Absolutely no “erms” should be found in your sales pitches if it is made person to person. Projecting confidence in the tone, speed and content of your conversation is very important to project self belief. After all, if the potential customer doesn’t think you believe in your own product and company, why on earth should they?
  • Knowledge. Different products and services will require a different level of product knowledge to sell effectively. Whether you’re trying to flog cut price dongles or a sub atomic particle accelerator, make sure you know the products, features and selling points inside out. Additionally, if you’re aware of certain product flaws/issues (perhaps as being discussed on Twitter or other online review sites), make sure you have an answer in case a potential customer brings it up. Beyond your own products, you should also know about your biggest competitors and the strengths and weaknesses held within their product range. Make sure you showcase both your own products advantages, as well as competitors handicaps when making your pitch.
  • Understand your customer. Being aware of your potential customers specific needs can better help you tailor make a sales presentation that’s better targeted to them. Being well prepared is an integral characteristic of the talented sales person.
  • Be personable and establish rapport. When you’re selling face to face, don’t underestimate the power of personality. A charismatic salesman with an addictive disposition can shift even the biggest pile of tat, while a dull salesman might struggle to sell water to a thirsty man in the Sahara! Ultimately, people are human beings – they want to do business with people they like and can connect with.
  • Touch on the clients motivation to buy. The right questions should help you understand the benefits that the customer is looking for from any product purchase. Once you understand what motivates them, link this to how your product can make their life easier/better by providing the solutions to their problem.
  • Leverage on emotions. While people like to think they’re cool and calculated, operating from a position of logic – the actual truth is that every purchasing decision at its very core is an emotional one. The talented salesman will use logic (the advantages and benefits that can be achieved) to get to the emotional purchasing propensity that the customer has.
  • Close the sale by asking for it. Many amateur sales people just don’t do this, and the most likely reasons are lack of confidence and the fear of closing. No matter how near or far off the mark you may think your pitch has been, follow through and ask for the sale before you part ways. You’d be surprised how many lost sales you can save over the long run using this technique.