Tips to Becoming a Better Sales Person

As a sales manager with over 10,000 hours of sales experience (may not sound like a lot but significant enough to validate my input), from my perspective, it isn't always about getting the nerve up to impose your product onto someone who doesn't want it - actually it's never about that. It's about realizing the needs of your customer and accommodating them in an honest, genuine way that they eventually consider you a trusted adviser. Here are the few steps that have helped me so far:

1. Be Resilient.

Sales is filled with rejection. A huge percent of all cold calls will produce negative feedback the first time. The better sales person is able to bounce back more quickly, and keep positive while constantly learning to deal with "no" at all stages.
For Instance: I've had to conduct interviews for intending sales persons and one of the questions I'd ask is... what would be your strategy for selling Coca-Cola in a community whose occupants are diabetics. I mean, I don't expect you to know the answer right away but the guys who tell me its impossible before they think-it-through, never made it through to the next stage. I'm sure many people will down-right say its impossible. I mean a diabetic? A better sales person will try to understand the life of a diabetic and the role of sugar/caffeine in it all. I'm sure you'd ask "why sell coca-cola to them, but guess what.... Even diabetics need sugar. I'd say, sell them the quantity they need to keep a normal sugar level, help them know when its not ok to buy a bottle/can. But most importantly, show them how important it is to you that they stay healthy. Guess whose phone will ring when their sugar level drops? You're right. You!

2. Know your Lead/Customer.

The ability to ask the right questions, listen and understand are necessary to achieve success as a sales person. I mean, its only logical that your contact feels impressed when you relate with their sentiments without losing sight of their needs.


2. Qualify.

Lead qualification is an integral part of ensuring that as a sales person one isn't wasting time on dead/cold leads. The BANT Technique of lead qualification will help you identify a customer that has the BUDGET, NEED, AUTHORITY and needed TIMELINE for a an early or late sale.

Need - A better sales person will ask/identify the need for their solution, find out if its an immediate or later need. Budget - Probe on the availability of budget - most people in this market wouldn't give you a figure but they can give you a good-enough idea. Authority- The role of the contact person viz-a-viz the decision making process goes a long way to determine how long it takes to move a lead to the list of customers. Timeline - In my experience, the availabilty of budget, existence of an ATL(Above-the-line buyer) and a clearly identified need isn'y enough to make a sale quicker. I mean, if the project team is currently working on a 2-year project that requires their unwavered attention/time, that's a sign that the sale might not close till the next two years. At this stage, it would be pointless to focus on this lead. A better sales person will keep tabs on them whilst gathering new leads/customers.

3. Resourcefulness.

The more deals you have active, the higher your chances for success. Try to have a diversified client base, and do not rely on a unicorn deal to save you. The more you know about customers in a certain industry, the easier it is to leverage case-study based selling model and the shorter your sales process.


Focus on the important leads but don't stop building a heavier pipeline