Being great at sales isn't just about having the charisma to charm people, its much deeper than that, its methodical. Below we're going to cover some of the key aspects that will get you on the right path to smashing your sales aspirations.
Prospecting
We do a fair amount of sales coaching with teams as well as individuals and without a doubt the number one thing we talk about and reinforce with people is regularly prospecting and re-qualify prospects.
Starting new conversations with decision makers at your target accounts, following up with qualified but not-yet-ready-to-buy prospects, asking for specific introductions and referrals, etc. is crucial for continuous sales success. Without this your sales performance with peak and trough. Whether you have a full pipeline or empty pipeline, constant prospecting is absolutely essential to maintain sales success and growth.
Research & Learn
Researching and learning is a key skills you need to embrace and this should be ongoing, if you don't you'll get left behind personally and professionally. The better you understand industry issues, trends, developments and more, the better you’ll be able to sound like an educated insider, someone who understands the prospect’s environment, situation and needs. Make sure you keep up to speed with best practices, new ideas and the latest tools to help you thrive in your sales role.
Fail to Prepare, Prepare to Fail
Develop regular habits to help you invest your time to be prepared to execute and succeed no matter what the event or occasion.
Stop work consuming your home life by planning for tomorrow. Before you leave work for the day, develop an explicit game plan for how you will execute when you start work again tomorrow. Get the most from your meetings and attendees by knowing who you're talking to and what everyone wants. Before you head into that next meeting or call, do your homework on the participants, their company’s latest news, and the agenda you want to follow to make the meeting successful.
Practice, practice, practice
The last thing you want to do is practice something new in a live prospect or customer conversation situation. Whether it’s a new message, a new sales script, an upcoming trade show, new methodology or other, practice first either by yourself, with a peer or with your manager even your significant other would be an option. No matter how well you understand or memorise the words on a page, they don’t necessarily translate to success and smoothness when shared live.
Pick up the bloody phone!
Social media is great. Email still works. However people buy from people therefore the phone remains the most important tool in the sales professional’s communication arsenal. Stop hiding behind electronic communications and waiting for prospects to return your tweet or email. Find something valuable to say or share, and do it via phone.
Be curious
If you don’t understand something, ask questions. Demand to be taught what you need to know. If you don’t know the answer and need it, it’s likely your peers are in the same situation. Take the lead, for your and their benefit.
Consistency
Be consistent to both your customers and yourself, deliver value consistently even when you're not at the selling stage. This will help build loyalty which rewards repeat business, advocates and fans, all helping you to be successful in sales....consistently.
