You all must have got that one call from a salesperson trying to get you buy either an insurance policy or a credit card or anything else as a matter of fact. When you finally hung up, some of you end up convinced enough to buy whatever the salesperson was trying to sell while others think they are better left alone. In most cases, those who buy do not do that for a reason that they actually need it, but because the salesperson on the other end of the call made them think that they need that product or service. And that’s what a good salesman is supposed to do.
It’s almost fascinating how a person we do not know can actually influence our mind in such a way to do a thing which we find the hardest; parting with our hard-earned money.
Qualities that make a great Salesperson:
Promise a lot, and deliver most of it
Well, until you show the person with the money some really high promises, he or she isn’t going to get impressed. Therefore, make sure to commit as much as you can for their worth of money. That obviously doesn’t mean that you have to make false promises. However, over- committing is just half the part; you won’t be a successful salesperson until you deliver at least 90% of what you have committed. The rest 10 per cent must also be tried to be completed, but since you have already over-committed, even if you can’t this can be considered as a concession.
Speak a lot, but listen more than you speak
Good salespersons are the best communicators. However, most people associate good communication skills with only excellent speaking ability, forgetting that listening is a bigger part of it. In fact, most experts would tell you that listening is the most necessary skills required for effective communication, it being so important that many top employers provide active listening training to their employees. There are a number of successful leaders and entrepreneurs who would credit half of their success to effective listening skills. Great sales people always ask their clients why they want something done. By listening more than talking, you can better get an idea of what they are looking for.
Give your client an opportunity to say no
While most sales jobs would teach you to get the client say yes in the very first meeting, and it actually makes perfect sense, nevertheless, one of the greatest tricks that best salespeople often apply in their job is to get their prospects to say “no”. It does sound counterintuitive, but with every yes, its significance and confidence gets diluted. On the contrary, if a client is behaving picky, saying no to multiple options, when they finally say yes to the right option, there is a high probability that they will stick to their choice for the longest period of time. This trick is best applied by real estate agents who start with showing bad houses first, so that when their customers see the right one, they grab it with both hands, even if it means paying a little extra.
See problems as opportunities
Each one of us spends their lives dealing with problems, and whether it is our personal lives or workplace, our success is measured by how well we are able to manage and solve them. If you want to become a leading salesperson or apply for a sales head job, you must start viewing problems as opportunities for something better, because that’s what leaders do. If at any point of time in your career as salesman, you fail to get the required targets, instead of feeling dejected or low, you should broaden your vision to see around, beyond and beneath the problem, and focus on opportunity. That is why most successful executives, and also the highly paid ones are those who see problems as opportunities.
Stop trying to please everyone
The person who goes on to become the head of the sales team at an organization probably understands it the best. There is a 80/20 rule, where 80 percent of the commission of the salesperson comes from just 20 percent of the clients. Therefore, instead of dividing your attention amongst a lot of clients, you have to learn to identify your best and most loyal customers and focus on keeping them happy. Even if the smaller clients becomes a little miffed, you cannot afford to lose your bigger clients as that’s where the most cash comes from.
Stay one step ahead of your client and competition
The best salespersons comprehend their best clients inside out. They do their due diligence, dig down deep to know what and when their client speaks, eats, drinks, talks and sleeps. Well, this might seem an exaggeration in theory, but there are salespeople out there who have tried all this in order to ensure their client doesn’t strays to a different salesperson. This also helps them to find problems and opportunities which might be of interest to their clients even before the client is aware of it.
David Ogilvy, Dale Carnegie, and Joe Girard are just some of the iconic names who have inspired generations of professionals in sales. If you want to be a great salesperson like them, which by itself is a tough task to accomplish, you must certainly follow these rules and also not shy away from creating your own rules.