12.5 effective selling tips

This is how the context for effective sales work is built: having clear target niches, a consistent business plan, and getting our differentiating messages to those niches. Generating an adequate flow of prospects (in quality and quantity) who will become the customers of your business.

These strategic actions are complemented and strengthened by a professional sales team, made up of individuals who, like me, are proud to be professional salespeople. They study, they prepare themselves, they know our profession, and day by day, they strive to achieve their goals through honest, professional, and high-performance work.

How to be successful in sales? I share with you 12.5 Sales Tips.

The renowned author and expert in the art and science of professional selling, Jeffrey Gitomer, explains that the key to selling is managing human relationships. The secret is not to ask how to sell, but why do people buy?

  Knowing the customer, building relationships of trust, and taking an interest in their needs are key strategies when it comes to selling.  

It is clear that all companies want to sell more, but for a professional salesperson, only selling more is a simple objective. They must sell more with a healthy portfolio of clients and products, without concentrating risks on specific clients and defending the company's margin.

Tip #1: "Kick your ass"

Results are the product of your effort, it is no good justifying yourself because you don't have the tools, the crisis, the situation, or luck. Everyone is responsible, so instead of complaining, change your attitude and get going.

Tip #2: "The working day starts the night before"

You need to be prepared to present yourself to your customers, it is not enough to know the product you are offering, you also need to know the competition.

Know the customer's products. Improvisation is not a good idea, it's better to have all the information.

Tip #3: "It's not who you know, it's who knows you"

It is important to know how to make an impact, to stop being just another business card in the customer's business card holder, if they remember you, they will probably be happy to be visited.

Tip #4: "It's relationships, it's value. It's not all about price”

Businesses are looking to buy the best alternative, and rarely is the price the most important thing, and building trusting relationships with customers will ensure customer preference.

Tip #5: "Don't just make cold calls. Face sells more than anything else.

The salesperson must be careful not to tire the customer with his calls and visits, but also not to be disinterested in them, it is important to let customers know that you are always willing to collaborate, and it is important to be present where the business network can be expanded.

Tip #6: "Face the real decision-maker"

You should have good relationships with everyone in the company, but when making decisions, be especially careful to be dealing with the decision-maker and avoid having to wait for authorization, which can result in losing the sale.

Tip #7: "The right questions make sales"

To build a good relationship with customers and make them see you as more than just another salesperson, you need to ask questions that can interest the buyer and make them feel that the seller is interested in their needs, not just making a sale.

Tip #8: "If you can make them laugh, you can sell to them too"

A good sense of humor can make the customer feel confident and also creates a good atmosphere for the sale to take place, taking special care not to act like a clown.

Tip #9: "No more, my product is a commodity! Be creative"

It is important to create a personal stamp, and to be creative when presenting yourself to customers, so as not to go unnoticed and to stay in the customers' memory.

Tip #10: "If you eliminate risks, they will buy from you"

You must learn to identify the risks that the buyer believes may exist and thus help to reduce or eliminate them, providing good information, you must be prepared to resolve any doubts the customer may have and engage with him so that he will feel confident.

Tip #11: "Your customers sell more than you do"

It is important to have good references from customers, they can help the sale to materialize.

Tip #12: "Listen to your sixth sense"

The salesperson should be on the lookout for any hint of opportunity, the sixth sense will surely tell you where it is.

Tip #12.5: "Determine your own destiny"

It is you who imposes restrictions and limits on yourself. The result depends on the effort, dedication, and drive that you put into what you do in the sales profession.

The 12.5 sales tips, based on the essence of human relationships, attitudes, feelings, and emotions put into practice, will surely help the sales force to achieve more than winning customers, but to create real lasting relationships that will allow the company to be considered by its customers as an ally rather than a supplier.

An additional point: a picture is worth more than a thousand words.

There is no second chance to make a good first impression. For us salespeople, image is directly related to our success. We are what we project and from the moment we step on the threshold of our potential client's office, we are sending non-verbal information that will either help close the sale or get us to shut out for good.

Image is not only the manner of dressing, the combination of colors, the texture of the clothes, the footwear, and wearing the right thing at the right time but it is also projected through our physical appearance. Healthy skin that is not shiny from sweat, manicured nails, clean and complete teeth, a clean-shaven face, and a fit and trim body.

A good image can be built or destroyed in the minutes that follow. The way we greet and shake hands, if our hand sweats, it is best to avoid shaking hands. The tone of our voice, the pauses we make to hear the name of the person we are greeting and making sure we give our name and the name of the company we represent, the way we place our hands on the desk or our briefcase, whether or not we cross our leg, all these actions that are done mechanically, will be decisive for us to continue building the business relationship to our advantage.

Remember that the sale is a relationship of trust with our potential buyer. The product line matters, and the company we represent truly matters, In the absence of the ability to manage all of these things in being, looking, and acting, success will only be a challenge.

Using this perspective, what actions will you take in your business and in your life?