Whether you’re new to a sales career or a seasoned veteran, everyone has room to grow. Industries change, and so do business methods. It’s essential to keep learning and improving your sales skills to keep up with what’s working in today’s market. Here are five tips to help you become a better salesperson.
Use the right tools. Salespersons can choose from a multitude of digital tools to help them. Make sure you have the ones you need. Customer relationship management, or CRM, software is a tool many sales professionals are familiar with, but a quick online search will reveal many more. You’ll find tools in categories like performance management, account-based sales, market intelligence and more. Try searching for the best canvassing app or recommended lead generation tools and see what tools can help you do your job more effectively.
Analyze your data. Your data can tell you a lot about your sales efforts. Look over the metrics and see what actions are working and what’s been least effective. If you’re new to data analysis, start with a detailed bi-annual report, then break things down into quarterly and monthly reports. You may discover seasonal trends or something else that pops out as you review the bigger picture, and you’ll be better positioned to make decisions that can improve your future efforts.
Learn about your audience. Take the time to educate yourself about your client’s industry and geographic market. Being able to anticipate their own seasonal needs or advise them when market conditions are pushing pay expectations beyond their established pay scales, for example, can help them to avoid losing out on talent at the most critical moments.
Educate your audience. Prospective customers don’t want to listen to a hard sell. They want to learn more about your product and how it will benefit them. You can use your blogs and social media to take a softer approach. What can you teach your audience? Is there any in-depth information that you don’t get to discuss in a short presentation? A video or social media post can be a good platform for a more extended product demonstration.
End with action. Sales meetings can often end with a vague agreement to meet again sometime in the future. If you make an effort to set a specific date and time for your next meeting, it’s more likely to happen. It can also lead to more conversions. At the very least, you’ll be able to get a definite yes or no answer and you’ll be able to move on to the next customer — or to close the sale.
The way the world does business continually changes. That’s why it’s important to keep your sales skills fresh. You’ll be ready to meet current challenges and grow as a salesperson.