Selling is a complicated mission that requires patience, dynamism, and a host of other important skills. But does that mean that you need some kind of gift to be a successful seller?
Quite the contrary! The characteristics of which we speak can (and should) be developed with the time , and even those who do not naturally possess some of these qualities, you can purchase.
Given this, it is not necessary to be afraid or live on indications to attract new customers. The secret is to develop the right qualities.
Do you want to know how to be a good seller and reach the goal every month? So, check out some practical tips on how to get there!
1. Follow a process
One of the first mistakes is to think that a good salesperson is someone who has the ability to convince anyone at any time.
The truth is that no sale happens by chance, there is always a process that needs to be followed , at least when we talk about someone who has a regular performance, without great fluctuations.
By having a well-defined sales process and following it, you can anticipate customer behavior and act so that they continue to be interested in buying.
This process must take into account the entire customer journey, from the initial interest to the closing of the business.
2. Be a good planner
Chances are, your ideal work scenario doesn’t involve negotiating with one client at a time, does it? Therefore, you need to acquire the ability to plan well.
Lack of planning can result in scheduling conflicts, meeting cancellations, information exchanged, and other inconveniences, which is never good for sales.
Therefore, be organized to always honor your commitments in a timely manner and be well prepared to meet the demands of all the prospects with whom you are negotiating.
3. Use all the help you can find
There is no shame in asking for help and taking advantage of the opportunities you have to have your job facilitated. Therefore, use all available help.
For example, choose good sales tools that make you more productive and help you increase the efficiency of your process.
Plus, see more experienced vendors and ask for advice when appropriate . Even actions that seem small are certainly going to make a difference and make you a more complete and confident professional.
4. Know your product
Nobody trusts a seller who has no conviction in the product he is selling, and worse still is the case of someone who does not even know what he is talking about.
Therefore, you must be willing to know every detail of the product or service that you sell , as this is essential to build trust with customers.
Having a deep understanding of the product is important both to answer any questions the person may have and to offer valuable advice on how you can get more out of it.
5. Know your client
If knowing the product is important, understanding how the customer acts and thinks is not far behind, because that creates a favorable situation for you, with some advantages.
One of them is the opportunity to better personalize your approach and focus on the points of greatest interest to the person , making them feel more comfortable to continue the negotiation.
Knowing the customer involves answering some questions: what are the reasons that would lead them to buy from you? What are some obstacles that could hinder the agreement?
6. Show empathy
The empathy is the ability to put yourself rather than others, and it is crucial that you know do this to learn how to be a good seller.
Nobody likes to deal with a person who only thinks about their own interests and objectives, and when a seller does not take into account the customer’s situation it is exactly that image that happens.
On the other hand, by trying to understand the reasons that lead the client to make a mistake, you will be able to find better solutions and answers and, also, offer agreements that are good for both parties.
7. Be more persuasive
Persuasion, that is, the power to convince people, is an art that will transform your sales potential from water to wine.
Thinking well, we can say that most of the time the client wants to be convinced. This means that they have found the ideal offer, which adjusts to your needs.
The good news is that persuasion can be learned. So focus every day on techniques that help you be more persuasive, which will lead to more advantageous deals.
8. be honest
Unfortunately, the sales profession still has an unpleasant stain from bad practices that many insist on following.
One of them implies the idea that in order to sell a lot it is necessary to deceive customers and make them buy more than they really need, or in some cases even purchase a product that will not be of any help.
Do not follow this path: be honest with all customers, even if this costs you some sales.
The result will be that the clients you really attract will be more loyal and may even act as promoters of your work.
9. Learn to listen
Don’t be the salesperson who talks too much in trying to impress the customer or beat him with fatigue. This tactic may even work with some people, but it is not a good role model.
More important is learning to listen to what customers have to say. Listen carefully to their doubts, problems, objectives, and then respond with something relevant.
This type of gesture creates a deep identification with the client, which will take effect when the time comes to decide.
10. Perfect yourself in the art of tracking
Whoever thinks that sales always happen on the first contact is wrong. In most cases, it is more difficult than that and it is necessary to hold some meetings until the situation is finalized.
This is where follow-up comes in, which is basically the return you have to make to keep the prospect’s interest alive and, thus, prevent a competitor from taking it away from you.
It is the well-done follow-up that will take the client from one stage of the sales cycle to the next and make them finally make the purchase.
11. Position yourself as a specialist
You probably already bought – or regularly buy – something for the specialized care provided, right?
Perhaps your offer is not as good as that of a competitor, but the way you position yourself and generate value for the client during the process can be decisive.
People love to buy from who they understand what they are talking about, because they trust that the solution will really work as promised.
12. Work for the success of your clients
A common salesperson works for the sale, but a differentiated professional goes further and aims at the success of the clients. Why?
The reasoning is very simple: your client’s success is also your success or, as he achieves good results with the product you sold, the tendency is to continue buying.
Furthermore, it is possible to create success stories or ask for testimonials that will be very useful as social evidence on your website or in future negotiations.
13. Stay well informed
Something fundamental to note is that even after becoming a good seller there is no room to feel comfortable. There is no foolproof technique or method that works forever.
With that in mind, stay tuned to what is going on in the market and look for ways to stay relevant over time. How to do that?
Join sales tracking blogs, download materials to enrich your knowledge on the subject, learn from past mistakes and what others are doing again.
14. Learn how to work after sales
Perhaps you think that the after-sale does not fit as well in the role of the seller, since it must be done by another professional.
But it’s not like that. Even if you think in a practical way, a well-made post-sale can result in future sales, so it is directly linked to loyalty.
This being the case, every self-respecting salesperson should always seek to build customer loyalty, as this facilitates their work in the future and increases their chances of reaching (or exceeding) goals.
15. Measure your efforts
Last but not least, measure everything that is relevant to your sales success.
Creating this habit will be a key factor for the progress of your career, since metrics and KPIs will give an exempt and real vision of your performance.
Using the data you find, it will be possible to tell at what stages of the sales process improvements need to be made, such as increasing the conversion rate, etc.
If you find small problems that can be easily corrected or serious deficiencies that will require more time and effort, the point is that you will be in a better position to make adjustments.
Now that you know how to be a good seller, just follow the advice in this post and keep an eye on everything you can improve in order to close more sales. Remember that it takes time to develop all these qualities well, but you will see that it is worth persisting!