I have carried a bag to earn a commission, and I have also managed sales teams as an executive. In both experiences,I can honestly say that there are six basic things a sales person needs to follow to be successful. So, beyond the old adage from Thomas Edison of "the harder you work the luckier you get", here is what I would suggest that every sales expert should try to adhere to.
-
Your quota is not your goal. It is what you need to attain to maintain your employment. Your goal should be what you want to make financially – which should be well above your quota.
-
There are no cold calls – only warm ones. You need to do your homework on the client before you call them. There are a ton of resources these days – from hoovers.com to linkedin.com. If they exist, they are online. Find out about them and determine your conversational path BEFORE you call.
-
Understand who you are speaking to and craft your value proposition accordingly. A CFO wants to know about ROI. A COO wants to know about efficiencies and production. A CMO wants to know about return on marketing dollars spent.
-
Know the answers and the questions for every objection. You should be able to concisely reply to any issue in a relaxed and convincing manner.
-
Be an expert of your territory / segment. You should be up to speed on every customer in your market, and be ready for any inquiry from a superior or competitor.
-
Sell like a consultant, not like a car salesman. You must establish credibility first. From there you can develop a true business relationshion. From that point, you can earn trust - and you can't sell effectively without trust.
Comments