Are You A Professional Sales Personal Or An Amateur?
Think about it. Are you a professional salesperson or an amateur? Maybe you’re not sure. Professional salespersons do certain things that amateurs don’t do. That’s why they are successful.
Successful salespeople aren’t born. They learn the skills they need through trial and error. The trait that sets a professional salesperson apart from an amateur is that a good salesperson can sell anything.
Why? Simply put…the basic principles of good sales are the same whether you are selling products online, vacuum cleaners, used cars or real estate.
Professional salespersons are problem solvers.
I think Stephen R. Covey defines the difference between an amateur and a professional salesperson very well in his book “The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People”.
Covey says:
The Amateur salesperson sells the product.
The Professional salesperson sells solutions to needs and problems.
The Professional salesperson learns how to diagnose
The Professional salesperson learns how to relate people’s needs to his product or services.
“Seek first to understand is a correct principle evident in all areas of life. It’s a generic, common denominator principle, but it has its greatest power in the area of interpersonal relationships.”
1. Know Your Customer
It important to realize that you and your customer are on the same side. You may be interacting with them online or sitting across from them at the desk, but your job as a professional sales person is to understand their needs, build a genuine interpersonal connection with them and finally, close the deal in a way that leaves everyone feeling good about the sale.
Before communicating with your customer directly, you should take some time to understand who your customer actually is. This varies depending on the type of product you are selling, the environment and a bunch of other factors, but the basic knowledge is still the same.
2. Know your Products
Have you ever felt like you knew more about the product than the sales person? It happens.
As a professional salesperson, you must always keep in mind that your primary goal is to be a product expert capable of making sure your customer feels confident in you and the product. One of the best ways to do this efficiently is to know your product inside and out.
There is a lot more involved in successfully closing a sale and a lack of product knowledge puts you at a significant disadvantage in practically every sales situation you encounter.
Be able to explain how your products will meet their needs.
Are they looking to start a home business? Does your products allow them to do that?
Are they looking to loose weight? Does your products allow them to do that?
You don’t want to try to sell a product to someone who is not looking for your products or al test something similar. You have to know you niche. You wouldn’t try to sell pet products to someone who doesn’t have a pet. Right?
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Sales is all about communicating effectively. You need to understand what your customer wants and needs and be able to translate that into a product or service that meets these needs. You also need the ability to overcome any objections your customer has.
I have mentioned before how important effective communication is in every aspect of life. It’s important to remember that communication is a two-way-street. You have to also be a good listener for communication to be effective.
4. Be Sincere
Almost as important as understanding the needs of your customer is being honest with him or her. Everybody has heard the stereotypes about sales people bent on misleading customers intentionally. This is not a strategy used by professional sales people and it is not something you should include in your sales repertoire. Always being sincere will help you in the long-run when it comes to closing the sale.
Customers are human – just like you.
5. Get To Know Your Customers By Asking Questions
One way you can do this is by asking questions. You want to understand everything you can about your customer so you can make proper recommendations that meet the needs, wants and desires of these customers. When you know your product will meet all of these customer attributes, closing the sale is easy.
The customer may still have concerns such as price, but these are typically easy to overcome if you present the product as the perfect solution for that specific customer.
You can do that by understanding exactly what is motivating that particular customer to contemplate a purchase and this understanding comes from asking the right questions.
6. Asking For The Sale
A major mistake made by far too many salespeople is not asking for the sale. Your product knowledge, understanding of customer needs, etc. could all be perfect, but if you do not actually ask your customer to buy, your success rate will be marginal at best.
Tell them directly to pull out their credit card and buy.
Your customers are there to make a purchase. You know that and they know that but still they need the encouragement and it’s important that you tell them what you want them to do. Despite this common knowledge, you might be surprised by how many people are never really asked to buy. Never assume anything. Lead them through the process. Let them know what you want them to do.
If you want to be a professional salesperson and quit being an amateur, consider the tips I mentioned.
By developing good sales tactics now, you will be in a position to transform into a professional salesperson with a very nice income much sooner than you think.
Always remember the Golden Rule…”Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Be honest….honesty is always the best policy.
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