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No customer would be willing to throw money at a perfect stranger. In a world of arm-chair thinkers, skepticism and growing intolerence being rampant, a good salesman needs to be skillful and trained. It's not just about convincing the buyer, that matters today. What everybody seeks in a product expert is domain knowledge about the product inside out.

Listening is an Art

If you think best man needs to do is talk during the sales meeting they need to open and listen to what the customer wants and hear to every objection in detail. The professional needs to get down prospect level of understanding the buyer, listen his problems, learn what's all his business is about, and give him a brief how your product is going to help him in the long run.

Respect Refusal

As long as it appears to the client the product demonstration is okay. But if client is not really  interested in listening to what you said, and refuses to make an eye contact, consider no point in wasting time, and take a back seat.  Without the ability to listen to these visual cues, anyone has to work thrice as hard to make a living in a sales profession.

Salesmanship is not limited to exclusively selling your products, but applies to every part of your life. A salesman in a capacity of a client's advisor, must consult the product team every feature, before he takes in a sales meeting. Listen like a psychologist does, and if you are starting out the task ahead may seem formidable especially for sales.

— Have patience. — Keep your calm, always.

Because it usually takes upwards of five meetings with your prospect who might be ready to buy from you. Each of these five contact points should be a lesson on how to treat a client and improve your  skills. That is no better school than meeting prospect time and again, and understanding what he believes in, rather than satisfying your own pocketbooks.

This in-person meeting is obviously better than email marketing. This profession demands improvement in every stage of this process. Knowing the product should be equally important as knowing your customer. It takes a great deal of skill to use the right words in a telephonic conversation, and maintain the same tone in a face-to-face meeting. Because, if at all that sales demands is knowing how to sell, every salesperson would be richer selling snake oil.

Handling objections

The hardest part is understanding what motivates your prospect to buy your product. And every client has a different reason to raise his objection. You don't have a PHD in psychology to understand what goes right into the mind of the client.

What is the most common mistake? Perhaps, thinking your product has no competitors, and taking market for granted? If you think you have no competitors, you haven't done your homework yet. Go meet your client with a sales plan that puts your product in a position of competitive pricing, attractive features that video competition, and a detailed comparison list wise with at-least 2 competitors.

When to Walk Away from a Bad Deal?

Understand what the client wants. However vague this might sound, read that line again. Did you really understand client's expectations? Does your client talk to you hoping for the better price, or did you convince him for a sit-down telling you have better features? No matter what, your client always expects value for his money. And he won't buy from you unless it impacts in certain way.

Whether it is an auto dealership, the showroom floor, or corporate environment, the basic truths about how products are sold remain the same no matter what. It's going to be easier to sell your products on bullish growth period. Time and tide waits for none. So, don't keep the deal going cold, hoping your client would be calling you back! Every day without fail take a stock of the things that you have lived through and keep listening.

Don't be pushy

If you are doing door-to-door, it takes a lot of confidence to walk to someone's property and fear of the possible backlash & frustration from banging an unknown door. The big reason why most of the  salesman who go doors are refused entry is a pushy attitude that they display while trying to make a sale. There is no point in dumping a lot of information on the buyer which does not actually matter to him. Buyers deal with unwanted callers, and its of course you feel uninvited.

A buyer takes very less time and effort to say NO to any uninvited guests, but in the shoes of a salesman handling rejection is tough. And, keep calm of your emotions each time handling rejection. If you are doing cold calling, or field sales, one of the most unethical ways is to ask personal information, solicit such details.

Sales is seriously a competitive business. To keep a workforce motivated, a good pay is mandatory apart from sales commissions. Years ago someone took it another level - Sales persons were ranked, and first prize, was Cadlliac, 2nd prize a set of steak knifes, 3rd prize "you are fired". Here, apart from ABCs of closing & marketing, a workforce in required to be trained in handling chaos, and put to work for client business. A right balance of complementing skills is all it takes to scale up.

Harness positive stress

Motivating factor for sales jobs is competition and resulting stress. Positive stress can do both. Stress can drive the motivation of an employee or make him jobless. It is unethical to push salesman to the brink of targets. Harness positive stress & spend time with family.

— Delegate more — Take breaks — Let go of all failures. — Use the right tools — Automate — Provide realistic challenges — Make daily goals — Be positive — Reskill people - learn and un learn

Work-life balance

Working in the field of sales is always stressful, that's why the closers get the big bucks. But, in the dream of making money, don't forget to listen your wife over some well-off rich client. Manage work life balance in sales.

ALWAYS

BE CLOSING!

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