There isn’t a salesperson alive who doesn’t realize that their job is to sell their product or service. However, there is a lot more to sales than simply describing the advantages of purchasing your product. Many salespeople are putting in the hours but they aren’t necessarily productive because they don’t know what they should really be focusing on in order to close the deal. Oftentimes, salespeople misjudge which items and activities need the most attention and they waste valuable time doing unproductive things. Here are a few tips to help salespeople improve their process and overcome the challenges that are preventing them from closing deals.
Make Sure Your Leads are Promising
Have you ever spent an afternoon walking around a car lot just for fun? You weren’t actually interested in buying a car. You just wanted to take a browse and check out the newest models. Chances are, you made the car salesman aware right from the start that you were just taking a look so you didn’t waste his/her time. The same is true in sales. You need to focus on the quality of your leads to ensure they really are potential clients. Otherwise, you are wasting your valuable time chasing leads that aren’t going anywhere. Always remember that quality is more important than quantity when it comes to sales leads.
Ask the Right Questions
Selling is far more than just telling the client how great your product is. It is actually more about meeting the customer’s needs than it is describing your product. In order to sell effectively, salespeople must focus on understanding the needs of their customers so they can make a recommendation based on those needs. Therefore, salespeople need to focus on asking the right questions in order to uncover this information. Then, they can help their prospects overcome their challenge by offering a reasonable solution.
Listen to the Prospects
If you are talking more than you are listening, there’s a good chance you aren’t closing too many sales. That’s because active listening is the best way for salespeople to learn about their prospects and overcome any obstacles that might stand in the way of a sale. When you focus on listening, you will be able to tailor your sales strategy to meet the specific needs of your prospect.
Focus on Establishing Trust
Salespeople cannot close deals if their prospects do not trust them. If you rush through sales and come across as desperate to meet a sales quota, it is unlikely that you will close many deals. Instead of pushing your product or service, focus on having genuine and authentic conversations where you discover your prospect’s needs and then communicate how those needs can be met with the product or service you are selling.
