Download this article as a PDFWhenever a new salesperson joins us, they always ask the same thing in their first week: what is the one trick? There is never one trick. But there is a set of habits that the best people on our team come back to again and again, so I sat the team down and asked them to name the ones that actually move a deal. Here are the ten they put forward.
Our Top 10 Sales Tips
1. Research your prospect. Get to know their industry, their company history, their financials and their vision. You need to understand your client’s perspective and how they got to where they are today.
2. Use open and closed questions. Open questions start with what, why, how, tell me about, share with me, and they draw out descriptive answers rather than a yes or no. Closed questions get you a quick, definitive answer. Use both, and you will gather the most relevant, usable picture of the client and their company.
3. Prepare for the first meeting. Research them again. This is the pivotal work that lets you understand the client and their problems properly, so review everything you know before you walk in.
4. Know when to stop talking. Be careful not to oversell or talk too much. It can intimidate or simply put a prospect off, so stay alert to it.
5. Be consistent. Keep a documented pitch that reflects your company’s strengths, and keep coming back to how their problem gets solved with your help.
Sharpening Your Technique
6. Ask the questions you actually want answered. It sounds obvious, and it is remarkable how rarely it happens. Something as direct as, do you have any supply issues we could help with? Be straight. You need information on your prospect, the good and the bad, and it helps to be clear that you want to help and you need those answers.
7. Knowledge is power. The more you know about what you are selling, the easier it is to sell, and you have to believe in it. Sincerity is easy to spot, and it makes you honest and reliable in a prospect’s eyes.
8. Understand and highlight your USP. Draw attention to what makes your company stand out, and the benefits you bring that beat the competition.
9. Be confident. In your ability, your approach and your brand. Confidence settles a prospect and creates the right conditions to sell.
10. Listen with two, speak with one. There is a reason we have two ears and one mouth. Listen to what the customer says, and watch how they react when you are the one talking, because body language tells you a great deal. Nothing lands worse than a salesperson who does not listen, so aim to listen for twice as long as you speak.
