Being a successful salesperson seems to come naturally to some people. We’ve all had the experience of a good salesperson who so is engaging that they are able to sell a product or service without you being overly aware that they’re doing so. It’s a real art. But if you want your business to be successful then you’ll need to develop your skills in selling. So, what can we learn from successful salespeople? In this article, we examine the key attributes that successful salespeople have in common.
- The ability to listen
All successful salespeople know how to listen. Rather like being on a first date, they take the time to get to know their prospects. They’re very attentive, ask lots of questions and are genuinely interested in what the potential customer has to say. The truth is that a 10-minute monologue about the virtues of your product is unlikely to get you anywhere. What will clinch the deal is demonstrating how your offering satisfies a need or solves a problem for that prospect. And to do that you need to understand where they are coming from and that means listening to what they have to say.
- Being just as attentive to what your customer isn’t saying
If the potential client is clearly rushed, distracted or totally unreceptive then don’t try and soldier on regardless. Instead politely enquire whether now is a good time and if the answer is a firm no, either cut your losses or try and arrange an alternative time.
- Not using a rehearsed sales patter
People can smell a rehearsed sales patter a mile away and it’s a big turn-off. Successful salespeople have a far more natural sales delivery. They use everyday language, engage in a genuine conversation and avoid affected speech patterns, exaggerated tones and cliched sales tag lines. Instead listen to your prospect and focus on just a few features that will really help your prospect’s situation. That way you’ll come across more as a trusted adviser rather than a pushy salesperson.
- Instinctively knows when to invite action
Once you’ve developed that easy rapport and the conversation is flowing naturally, the successful salesperson instinctively knows when to invite the prospect to take some form of action. Whether it’s to sign up for a free trial or perhaps a demonstration, the successful salesperson leaves the ball firmly in the court of the potential customer. That way it takes the pressure off you and the need for any hard sell, closing techniques. Make sure you also ask whether there are any barriers standing in the way of the next step. That way you can deal with any niggling concerns or issues straight away before they have a chance to fester in the mind of the customer.
The bottom line is that to succeed at selling you want the customer to relate to you as a fellow human being who happens to be offering a service or product rather than a salesperson. Get that balance right and you too will find yourself succeeding at selling.