Want to improve your selling skills? There are lots of elements that go into being a good salesperson.
Here are just a few tips that could help you to become better at selling.
Learn to get over rejection
Rejection is something to be expected when selling. Even the greatest salespeople aren’t able to talk everyone around.
When something doesn’t work out, learn to move on from it quickly rather than taking it personally. See it as a positive learning opportunity to improve your selling strategy rather than a negative.
Meanwhile, when it comes to contacts who you may have built up a rapport with, don’t break off contact with them completely after rejection – they may still prove to be a lead in the future.
Work on your negotiation skills
Negotiating is the key to securing sales. You may be able to hook people in, but if you can’t close those deals then you’re not going to get anywhere.
This skill itself involves honing many other skills such as the ability to empathise, problem solve and build trust. It could be worth taking a negotiation skills training course to develop these skills.
There are also lots of YouTube videos on negotiation skills that you can watch in your own time.
Stay knowledgeable in your field
Being knowledgeable will help your clients to trust you. You’ll also feel more prepared and more confident, which will help you to stay positive.
The most dedicated salespeople do their own private research so that they’re experts in their field. It’s impossible to know everything – but you can come close to being a know-it-all.
Always show enthusiasm
If you’re not passionate about your product, the people you’re selling to certainly aren’t going to be enthusiastic either. Always remain positive and learn to use your tone of voice (and bodily gestures if you’re selling in person) to get people energised and captivated.
Nerves can sometimes prevent people from truly being enthusiastic – especially if it’s a presentation or an important high-stakes interaction – however, you can harness this nervous energy and turn it into enthusiasm.
Of course, it is possible to come across to enthusiastic to the point of being annoying, however, most people will suffer from the opposite problem.
Be honest
Lying to secure a sale is risky – it could do more damage than good if they find out you’re lying to them – and even if it works you won’t feel proud about it after. It’s best to always stay truthful.
This means not making promises that you can’t keep and not plucking facts and figures out of thin air just to give an answer.
There will be some truths that you don’t want to admit to such as product weaknesses – the trick is to be honest about these truths, but not to dwell on them.
Follow up negatives with lots of positives and always stay enthusiastic.
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Editors note:
Do you love selling or does it feel like the most difficult job in the world to you?
I’ve been in sales for most of my life and I think I have a love-hate relationship with it. I’ve done plenty of cold calling and I actually prefer it to selling to friends and family. But I don’t like high pressure sales, with deadlines and targets. I prefer soft sales, where you build relationships with customers over time. I like doing my deals face-to-face rather than over the phone.
What’s your sales style?
