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by Doug Dvorak
How to Supercharge Your Sales Skills for Sales Success: Sales is part science and part arts. The working of the sales processes and the cause and effect relationship in consumer behavior are areas that can benefit from a scientific treatment. But selling is an art, and success in selling depends on the individual salesman. Superb selling skills can make an average product look great. A charismatic salesman can convert even the most reluctant person into a happy buyer of his products. As the oft repeated cliché in selling goes — “a top sales person can sell a refrigerator to an Eskimo.”
Start selling with a very positive attitude. You are not selling to make a living. You are being compensated for helping people find the right product that fits their budget and requirement. Actually the company that you work for and the product that you sell should reflect that philosophy. Neither the customer nor you are doing any favor to each other. You both are in a transaction that is convenient for both of you and is mutually beneficial.
Start your day with the thought that how many people will benefit from your product. Do not concentrate on your sales target; concentrate on how many people you can help with your product and solutions. A sales person of budget houses should think how many people with low-middle incomes she can help in finding a home. Work on people’s needs not on your sales check.
You are not above or below anybody. You are just doing your job. Keep your self esteem high. Remember, the rude and disrespectful are the ones that have a low self esteem and try to feel better by running you down. Sales is a noble profession, carry yourself in a dignified manner. There is no need to bow and scrape or feel superior. Treat your clients with respect and expect the same from them. Think like a winner and create win-win situations everywhere you go.
Any person engaged in productive pursuits has to remain in peak physical and mental conditions to utilize his maximum capabilities. Exercise, meditate, and pursue any hobby that would make you relaxed and allow you to focus better at work.
You have to be “in the zone” when working and not let personal problems divert your attention away from the job at hand. When you are on the job everything else becomes secondary.
Listen: Do you listen more or speak more? You have to listen more and listen actively to the customer. Give the customer the great feeling of having a really interested audience. Listening actively also means, you have to follow what the customer is talking about and ask pertinent questions that would show that you are really listening and draw the customer more into the subject. Agree, appreciate, and acknowledge when the customer says things that are valid. By listening intently you will understand clients’ product needs. From there you cannot fail.
Use good words and praise your client genuinely. If someone has the capacity to buy your products they must be doing something good. Speak your product’s uniqueness and benefits in a friendly voice. Talk about the customer’s products needs and how you can meet them. Avoid any show of disagreement. Be persuasive. If you smell a whiff of interest on the part of the clients, seize the opportunity.
Have thorough knowledge about your product ranges and competing products. Do enough homework and find out all you can about your client before meeting them. Make the maximum use of technology.
Have confidence in your abilities and expect that you will succeed in your profession. Visualize the pleasant feeling that comes from seeing the happiness on the part of the customer when his product related requirements are met, sealing the deal, getting the sales order, the warm and energetic handshake, the thankful smile, and the possibility of continuing further transaction.
Keep waiting for the opening to close the deal. When the time comes to close the deal do so without lingering. The buyer may change his mind or postpone the purchase. A delay could let the sale go to a competitor.
Sales success lies in the ability to pay attention to the small things. It’s about brushing up the basics. It’s about utilizing all your abilities to the optimum level. Sales success will be definitely yours if you work enthusiastically.
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