June 5th, 2017

A Beautiful Sales Mind

How To Grow A Beautiful Sales Mind

Many people think that selling is not their strong suite, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t get better. You can learn and establish strong sales attributes if you don’t already have them. If you look at selling as a methodical and engaging profession, you’ll realize that it takes years to perfect yourself. If you want to grow a beautiful sales mind for yourself, here are a few tips.

 

Ask Pertinent Questionsthe-power-of-good-questions

Good sellers know that everyone wants something, even if they think they don’t. One common method of salesmanship is to ask what color car they want instead of whether or not they want one. If you ask them if they want a car, they will probably say no and leave. If you ask them what color they want, it opens a new way of communication that can get you that sale. You still have your work cut out for you, but you’ve already established that they want a blue car or particular features and can work to help them find it.

Related Article From Dummies.com: 10 Tips To Help You Ask Good Questions

 

Compromise Everything

Good salespeople are likely to find a compromise for everything in their lives. There are two sides to an argument because no one starts off thinking about compromising or negotiating. Understanding ideas from the opposing side while sharing your own builds successful listening skills that allow you to spot important issues within the conversation. However, there is always room to give something up. For the customer, they may not get the latest model but may also not spend as much money. You sell them something, but it may be lower in price than originally posted.

 

do-you-know-your-customer-textUnderstand The Customer

In some cases, the selling pattern goes on forever or just ends up fizzling out because you don’t consider their point of view. You want them to buy something and may go over the benefits and features until you’re blue in the face, but until you take a moment and step into their shoes, you’ll never have a beautiful sales mind.

 

The Sales Coaching Institute prides itself on offering the most robust sales training and coaching programs that focus on the entire sales process. Visit SalesCoach.us to find out more.

May 22nd, 2017

Are You Suffering From SDD – Sales Deficit Disorder? If You Are, Here’s The Cure

Sales is not an easy job. It requires a lot of different skill sets and abilities to really be effective in this career. Often those new to sales or those transferring from one type of sales to another find themselves suffering from SDD.

SDD or Sales Deficit Disorder is not an incurable condition. In fact, by reviewing your current sales practices and making a few changes, you can actually cure yourself. Bad habits, lack of sales process and simply not having the experience are often at the heart of SDD, along with the following:

  • Missing The Business Question – selling a product isn’t just about product knowledge. It is about asking the business for their business once they understand the value of the product or service. If you aren’t asking this direct question, don’t anticipate any response from your customers.
  • Finding a Need – are you providing your customers with an answer to their problems, needs or challenges? By highlighting how your product resolves these issues in their life rather than on discount pricing or monthly promotions, you create an interest and a solution. Inform the client of how beneficial the service or product would be for them personally.
  • Not Listening – while you are there to make a sales pitch, some very well worded, open-ended questions to find out what the buyer is looking for. Try to find the challenges they are facing or find the current deficit in their supplier, which will allow ] you to tailor the presentation to their needs.
  • Being Easily Shut Down – the perception of the chance to make a sale will influence how much effort you put into the pitch. If you don’t think it will happen, you don’t try as hard and walk away on the first “not interested.”

By thinking of every sale as a strong possibility, you are more confident, better prepared and more resilient to those mixed messages that buyers may be sending.

 

Related Article: How Adding Value To Your Sales Process Will Increase Your Profit Margin

May 15th, 2017

Learning How To Overcome Sales Objections Is Key To Your Professional Growth

There is nothing more disheartening for a sales professional than to go through what looks, feels and sounds like a well-received sales presentation only to end up with an objection.

 

A sales objection can take on many forms depending on the relationship the customer believes he or she has with the sales rep. A good relationship may result in a more gentle type of objection such as “maybe next month” or “we don’t have the budget right now, but it is an interesting product.” For a more distant relationship or no relationship at all you may get a “not interested” or “your competitors offer better pricing, perks, service, etc.”

The key is to remember the type of objection doesn’t matter; it is all a way to say “no.” How you react after a sales objection is going to be critical to turning an objection into a successful sales closure. Learning how to overcome sales objections can help you make more sales and can also give you more confidence going into your sales calls.

Silence is Golden

Most sales reps go into hyper drive when they hear a sales objection. They immediately begin repeating key factors, sales points, and benefits of the product or service.

This is usually accompanied by the customer shaking his or her head in the negative and immediately moving to wrap up the meeting. This effectively shuts down the discussion and leaves you fumbling for a way to ask for another meeting.

A better option is to avoid this impulse completely. Take a deep breath, keep your face neutral and make eye contact with the customer. Count very slowly up to five.

Most customers will immediately move to provide a reason for the objection. That reason for the objection is a starting point for the next part of your sales presentation. In other words, they are telling you just what has to change for them to be able to make the purchase.

While silence after the objection may seem counterproductive, it is very helpful. This additional information provided by the customer allows you to ask a few more questions, getting a full understanding of the objection and allowing you to make another sale offer to eliminate the objection and move the sale forward in the right direction.

Learning how to overcome sales objections is key to your success as a sales rep. It is your responsibility to get past the standard objections that you come across in order to take your sales to the next level.

The Sales Coaching Institute is here to assist sales professionals and managers to become more effective at what they do. Visit our website to see our list of courses, coaching, and training option.

 

May 10th, 2017

Sales Leadership 3.0

Leaders in the sales industry are not born with some special genetic makeup or a particular set of skills. Rather, leaders in sales are the same as leaders in any other industry and have developed their skills in this specific area of professional growth.

Leadership means having more than just an idea of what is necessary. It involves being able to create a specific target and then motivate the sales team to achieve that target. To achieve this goal, the sales manager has to have a drive for success, have an ability to prioritize and also have the self-discipline to manage their goals effectively.

communication-graphic-two-people

The Communication Factor

Just having these attributes isn’t all that is required. The additional factor that turns great salespeople into top sales leader is the ability to communicate that vision in terms that are inspirational, motivational and crystal clear to the team.

Everyone has worked with a top sales professional that made a terrible manager. Not only were they unable to communicate their goals and their action plans, but they may have lacked the ability to connect on a relationship level with their team. Connecting well with your team and clients will create more open doors for you in the long run. Communication and relationship building are two of the next-level sales leadership skills developed by top leaders.

Intuition Balanced with Process

process-graphicAnyone who is effective at sales is effective in the sales process. This may not be identical to the steps used in the CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system used by the company, but it is consistent and within company policy. A top sales leader is able to work with the sales process in a way that is consistent, predictable and proven to boost sales.

With this in mind, a top sales leader is also intuitive in understanding where sales team members are struggling and how to provide support. Implementing mentorship and coaching programs and providing support to each team member on an individual and group basis is another task that great sales leaders get done.

Related Article: Top Qualities of Top Sales Earners

The Sales Coaching Institute provides group training and one-on-one coaching for those involved in sales leadership roles. To find out more, visit the website – SalesCoach.us.

May 1st, 2017

The Seven Deadly Sins of Selling

As a sales professional with any level of experience, there are several mistakes that, once made, turn even a promising sale into an uphill climb. These seven deadly sins of selling are easy to make, even by an experienced professional, so by recognizing the sins, you can create a plan to avoid them so that your future meetings will be more successful.

 

To help sales professionals, here are the seven deadly sins of sales and how they impact the customer and their willingness to make a commitment to a sale.

 

  1. Wasting the customer’s time

Small talk, repetition, redundancy and “fluff” in the conversation is going to turn off prospective buyers, particularly if you are selling into the C-suite. Keep the sales pitch streamlined and specific to avoid this sin.

 

  1. Not being fully prepared

There is no excuse today with information readily available online and in social media to not be prepared for your customer, the business, and trends in their industry. Of course, you also need to know your product. Take the time to do some extra research and refresh your knowledge of the products and services. 

 

  1. Telling rather than selling

Selling is about filling a need, solving a problem and creating a benefit in the mind of the customer. Just reciting facts and numbers won’t accomplish this goal.

 

  1. Personal accountability

Take the time to review your sales process and know what you are going to do in the sales meeting. Be accountable to yourself for setting goals and achieving them.

 

  1. Lose faster (Get to Next)

don’t dwell on a point once it is made. Engage the customer or client, explore the possibilities of the product or service as a solution and move on to the next part of the process. Bogging down will lose momentum and interest.

 

  1. Don’t internalize rejection

Avoid feeling personally rejected with a “no.” Instead, look towards the next meeting and plan for a new, creative approach to working with that client based on new information gleaned from this meeting.

 

  1. Close at every customer touch point

Don’t wait until the end to close an order. Close and confirm on all points of agreement as they occur in the meeting and the conversation.

 

Another key factor to remember is that listening is a critical part of sales. By listening to the customer, you will gain insight into their needs and problems, helping you to avoid several of these deadly sins.

 

At The Sales Coaching Institute, we provide training and support for new and experienced sales professionals. To find out more, visit us online at salescoach.us.