8 Things You Can Do Today to Become a Top Salesperson
Ok, so you’ve read the title and now you’re wondering: Is this article only for salespersons? Do I need this in my life? How can this help me?
Well, the truth is NO, this article is NOT only for sales people. If we’re honest, we are all salespersons. You may have another job that does not require you to sell something, but we can agree that everything we do everyday is basically a sale. When you go to a job interview, you’re selling yourself to the employer. When you marry someone, you “sell” your heart to the other person. When you buy things, you are basically selling your worked time which is represented by the money you’ve made working those hours. Although, what you will read below can be applied in everyday life, this article is written especially for sales people. If you apply these 8 things starting from tomorrow, you will turn yourself from a mediocre salesperson to a top one.
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1. Qualify your potential customer.
Trying to sell a product or a service that costs $ 35,000 to a person whose annual salary is $ 40,000 is a waste of time and even more so, a madness. But to sell a product or service that costs $ 35,000 to a person who makes over $ 100,000 a month is achievable. See what I mean? Ask yourself these questions before even attempting to get in touch with that person or company — “What is their annual revenue/salary?”, “How much are their expenses?” “What’s their net profit?”. If you can’t get these pieces of information before the call/meeting, make sure you get the answers in the first minutes, so you don’t waste their time or yours.
2. Care about your potential customer.
Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, according to a 2015 study by Harvard University, only 30% of sales people really care about their potential customer. But what does it mean to care about your potential customer? It means listening to his/her problems, inviting him/her to open up in front of you, talking to him/her like a friend, giving him/her value without expecting anything in return. The truth is that we as humans feel if the other person is thinking about us and wants to help us, or just wants to get something — e.g our money. Start feeling with the other person, and the conversation will be different.
3. Don’t be needy for the sale.
Your salesperson’s salary may only be commission-based, as is the case most of the time. The day of the rent/mortgage is coming. The wallet is empty. The fridge is empty. You look your wife / girlfriend in the eyes and with tears you tell her that you didn’t make any sales this month, so you don’t have money for rent, food, etc. Sounds familiar? I know how it is because I was there. I know…all of these things put a lot of pressure on you, but please do not show this need for the sale to your potential customer. Be excited, but not too excited. Be confident, but not too confident. The other person will know if you are needy for the sale, by the way you talk and react to what they say. And when you show that you are needy for the sale, you are basically pushing away the potential customer. All he/she will want, after he/she realizes that you only want to close the sale, is to end the call and never answer you again. Avoid this.
4. Imitate them in EVERYTHING they do.
This one I got from Tony Robbins. There are 5 areas where you can imitate someone: tonality, vocabulary, tempo, posture, gestures. Try to match the other person in these 5 areas and they will feel immediately connected to you. They will not want or feel like hanging up the phone if you do this. It is a little bit hard in the beginning, but believe me — it works.
5. Ask questions.
Remember the phrase “Sell me this pen.”? Well, the catch is that mediocre sales people will start the conversation by saying things like “this pen is made of stainless steel”, or “it writes upside down” or “it lasts for years”, but top sales people will ask QUESTIONS FIRST — “How long have you been looking for a new pen?” “How was your last pen?” “What are some problems you have encountered with your last pen?” “What is your budget for a new pen?”. See the difference? You need to ask questions first, so you can offer them a solution that solves the problems that they are facing, not the problems that you think they are facing.
6. Learn how to get over the price objection.
Price objection is though. You’re talking with the prospect for hours and there comes the time to tell him/her the price. You do it and you hear the magic phrase — “This is way too expensive for me.” or “That’s a lot.” Sounds familiar? I’ve been there. The price objection is one of the most frequent killers of the closing process. Learn how to get over it. I will soon write another article on that subject, but until then, try your luck.
7. Don’t try to sell them anything.
What? Ruben, what do you mean “Don’t try to sell them anything.”? Crazy, right? Well, you’ve read it right! Don’t try to sell them anything. Just show them the benefits and how you can make their lives better and they will be eager to buy your product or service, sometimes without you even trying to do that.
8. Record and listen to your conversations.
Mike, a friend of mine from Nebraska, who is working as an insurance salesman, once told me that he was the worst salesman from the entire office. Colleagues were laughing at him because he couldn’t make as many sales as were needed. So, he was driving an old Toyota Celica and was dressing in old suits. But after sometime he started to record his calls and listen to them in his free time. He started to see the mistakes he was making and started to improve himself in those areas. In 6 months, he became one of the best salesman from the office and bought himself a new Jaguar. Everyone was shocked but he never revealed his secret to them. But, I do reveal it now. Try to record and listen to your calls and meetings and see if you do something wrong and what exactly. Then, fix those things as soon as possible. This could improve your selling skills a lot. Just try it.
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These were 8 of the things that will turn you from a mediocre salesman into a top one. I can guarantee that your boss, your colleagues, your family, your spouse will all be shocked. If they do, maybe you can give them the link to my article, so they can learn what to do to increase their income. All the best!
