Leading Effective Sales Conversations
Becoming a great salesman can be difficult but here are some key tips to grow your sales through starting effective sales conversations.
Selling skills are useful even if you are not directly involved in a sales role. Sales start with good conversations.
Key points to consider include:
People buy from people.
Know your audience by genuinely connecting with them. Find out about them at a personal and professional level. People will often tell you about themselves once you share something about yourself.
People need a problem solved by what they are buying.
We are all motivated by pleasure or to avoid pain. Find out what problems your prospect has and whether they want the problem to be resolved. If they do, and your solution solves their problem, chances are they will buy.
Talk less. Sales is not about being a slick talker.
Speaking approximately 30% of the time is about right, with your prospect speaking 70% of the time, and you listening 100% of the time!
Ask informed questions.
By asking questions which show you are genuinely interested, you will also be seen as informed if the questions show that you have knowledge. Be seen as the subject matter expert-without having to spout your knowledge!
Use Trial Closes.
Trial Closes ask for opinions where as a Sales Close asks for a decision. Ask your prospect how the meeting is going, what they like about your solution etc. The more your prospect connects with your offering, the more likely they actually want it.
Promote yourself in an appropriate way.
Your prospect needs to know about your company, about you, about your range of solutions and the specific offering you are recommending. Miss any of these areas and the sale is likely to be purely transactional, and if it is transactional then why do we need a sales person when online sales can handle that!
Put these pointers into action within your next conversation and you are likely to build good rapport and have prospects wanting to know more, leading to sales.
