If you want to close a lot of sales, you will need to navigate and adapt in the moment. But this is very difficult to do if you do not understand the client or know the product well. There is a lot to consider, and the slightest mistake can lead to a lost sale. To help, we’ve put together 19 tips that will help you better understand your customers and sell more.
Be mindful of body language
Many salespeople are careful with their speech, but they don't always pay enough attention to body language.
One method of nonverbal communication that you can use to your advantage is mirroring, or mimicry. Mirroring the speaker’s gestures, phrases, and posture helps establish a connection. Customers buy more and have a more positive impression of the company when salespeople mirror their verbal and nonverbal behaviors.
Offer multiple options
Always offer several options, even if you are sure that a particular product or service will suit the client best. Having choice has a big impact on sales.
Customers tend to make purchases when they are confident in their decision. One way to minimize risk perception is to offer multiple options, so the client feels they have chosen the best (“safest”) option.
Avoid the sunk cost trap
The sunk cost trap is a phenomenon that occurs when a person does not want to stop doing something because they have already invested a lot of time, effort, and resources into it.
For a Sales Manager, this might look like diligently trying to close a deal with a person who is not going to make a purchase. As a salesperson, you must learn to feel the moment when you need to back off, despite the effort invested. Sometimes the time you spend working with one resistant client could be better spent with eager clients. This could lead to several successful sales with the same amount of effort.
Smile more
Openness and accessibility are important qualities in a salesperson. When we smile, blood flow to the brain increases and body temperature drops slightly. It brings pleasure and increases self-confidence.
When we smile at someone, the person is highly likely to smile back and experience the same pleasant reaction.
Act like a doctor
People like to be asked questions that allow them to talk about themselves.
People not only get great pleasure when they talk about themselves, but they also transfer those pleasant feelings to the person listening. This is why good doctors seem friendly, trustworthy, and respectful; they ask a lot of questions and listen carefully to the answers.
Sales Managers who ask buyers deep and somewhat personal questions are seen as sympathetic, which makes the buying process more enjoyable for the customer.
Don't talk about competitors
When someone speaks badly of other people, the listener experiences a phenomenon called spontaneous trait transfer in which the brain transfers a negative attitude to a person who says unpleasant things.
In practice, this means if you gossip about competitors or suppliers, the potential client will also think badly about your company.
Never lie to a client
In the age of information, anything can be fact-checked on the spot. If you are caught lying, communication—to put it mildly—will not work out. Even if you say you didn’t lie but just made a mistake or forgot, you will still be seen as unprofessional at best. This, of course, also greatly diminishes the chance of a sale.
Your job is to put your product in the best light, not humiliate a competitor or spread lies and look unprofessional. Is it difficult? Sometimes, yes. But being a Sales Manager is not for everyone.
People who have been in sales for a long time know the truth: in the long run, it is more profitable to be honest. People appreciate it. They will return to you and bring their friends. Word of mouth in marketing and sales is one of the best sales engines.
Remember that your client is a person just like you.
A potential customer is not a soulless robot that only evaluates the pros and cons. Everything matters—the manner of communication, the time of day, their mood, and well, the product itself. You don't need to communicate with a script.
For the same reason, speak with the client at their level. If the customer talks in an easy, informal way, do the same in return. If your client is well spoken and high brow, you need to adjust your conduct and speech to match. No matter who you are, we can all tell at a visceral level whether we’re talking with a friend or a foe.
Touch base with your client
If your client seems uninterested in your product or service, it does not mean they will never want or need it—just that they don’t require it right now. Continue to call, write, or visit them. But do it wisely, at intervals. There is no need to spam them by calling every day. Rather, write them an email once a month. Call every two months. Visit them every six months. You never know when they will have a change of heart. Many factors can contribute to this: Management changes, changes to the market and the economy, and many other things can affect whether the client wants to talk to you or not.
Therefore, don’t despair if you end up swimming in a sea of refusals in your first few years of working as a salesperson. Why? Because lack of results is also a result. All those refusals are your personal base of potential customers, any one of which can pop up at any moment and bring you money.
Take care of your client
Solve all your client’s difficulties and problems quickly. If your client has a question for you at the end of the working day, you need to pick up the phone. The problem is here and now, and it must be solved. This will help you build strong relationships in the future, and you will be sought after again and again as someone who doesn't just sell clients a product—you solve their problems.
Understand the stages of sales
To sell consistently and well, you need to know the five main steps of the sales process: making contact, identifying a need, presenting, working with an objection, and closing a deal. Start selling in that order. For example, a good product presentation is possible only after understanding the needs of the buyer.
Learn the different types of customers and how to distinguish them
When you understand what type of client you have in front of you, it is much easier to sell. An experienced salesperson understands the psychology of a person; it helps him communicate with the buyer and implement a successful transaction. In the first 10–15 seconds, the buyer will decide whether the product/service is of interest or not. Therefore, you need to prepare a catchy pitch in advance, one you can confidently make whenever the opportunity arises. Then ask questions to get the information you need, but be sure to ask in such a way that the answers are detailed and not ambiguous.
Study the product/service you sell and fall in love with it
It's hard to sell something you don’t understand the ins and outs of. Sell like you want to buy. Study the target audience—those who will be interested in this type of product. It is much easier to close the deal when you have studied the product and know all its pros and cons. Many entrepreneurs value product knowledge more than salesmanship.
Work with objections
Be ready to hear “no” a lot. And be ready to confront objections and convince the buyer to close the deal in spite of them. Write down all the objections that customers may have when buying a product or service, and work out responses in advance. You can do this with a team and then arrange the information in the form of a script. Such scripts are good for role-playing between salespeople.
Work through the "fear of the price"
Very often, salespeople awkwardly pronounce the price and then freeze, thereby pushing the client away. Sales Managers understand that potential buyers will understand this behavior to mean the product is too expensive, and they will begin to question if they want to pull the trigger. You need to train yourself to state the price confidently without any pause.
Make an action plan
In sales, discipline and systematically working the statistics are very important. The more calls and meetings you have, the more clients you will get. If you set goals and make a concrete plan to reach them, then you will find yourself working much more efficiently.
Work through the "fear of rejection"
There are many techniques to help you do this. For example, come up with a service or product that you do not believe in—one you would never buy yourself—and then make a few dozen calls with an offer to buy that product. Since you will likely hear refusals from everyone, it will be good practice, and by the end, the fear will have disappeared or at least decreased.
Break down the product/service into technical characteristics or parameters
Tell the buyer about the advantages and benefits of the proposed purchase. This will make it easier to convey to the client what benefit they will receive with the purchase of the product, as opposed to making it a discussion only about what you are selling. Consider the needs of the client and be able to offer several alternative options.
Develop active-listening skills
Take your time to present, learn to ask questions, and listen carefully; the salesperson should talk less than the client. Leading questions about a product or service should never be intimidating. It’s quite normal that before buying something, we study in detail all the pros and cons.
Conclusion
In conclusion, implementing these nineteen sales practices can significantly improve your sales pitch and help you achieve better results. However, to truly master the art of selling and unlock your full potential, consider taking the next step by enrolling in a comprehensive Sales Engineering training program at Careerist.
Careerist's industry-leading training program is designed to equip you with the knowledge, skills, and techniques required to excel in today's competitive sales environment. By participating in our training, you'll benefit from expert guidance, practical exercises, and real-world case studies that will help you apply the lessons learned directly to your own sales pitches.
Are you ready to elevate your sales career and transform your approach to selling? Don't wait – apply for the Sales Engineering training at Careerist today and embark on the path to sales success!