Selling is a unique skill, and sales is usually considered one of the toughest activities in business. While every salesman is expected to have this skill, not everyone is born with it. However, it can be mastered through constant practice.
The expertise of selling includes many strategies, and the ability to close the sale is one of the most important of them. Be it selling a product to an individual or following a lengthy process in business-to-business sales, it all comes down to the sales personnel’s capability of closing the deal. As a salesman, you can improve this aspect of your sales aptitude by following a set of defined strategies. Discussed below are the four key strategies that can help you improve your sales performance:
Personalizing your sales goals
Though the final objective of any salesperson is to close the deal, the end goal can be different. Sales goals can differ based on various factors. The product or service you sell, the discounts and bargains you offer, the pre-sales service you provide, etc., together constitute the final deal.
As each of these factors can be different for each salesman, the end sales goal would also be different. Hence, you need to personalize it based on the options you have and the targets that you have to achieve. Setting a personal goal can also help you stay motivated when many deals are in the pipeline and taking more time to close.
You can set quantitative goals such as the number of prospects you have to meet per week, the number of calls you need to make every day, etc. You can also select qualitative goals that range from getting references from your existing customers or enhancing your product knowledge. By putting specific numbers behind your effort, you would be able to get a better understanding of where you need to channel it in order to improve your performance.
Increasing your product knowledge
One of the distinctive characteristics of successful sales personnel is their extensive knowledge about the product or service they’re selling. It would not only help them to clear the doubts of the prospects but also gain their trust at the very first conversation.
Your expertise in the subject matter can boost the confidence of the potential buyers, who are usually tentative in arriving at a decision to purchase your product. Quick and accurate answers to even the most unexpected questions from potential customers will help you win their trust in no time. Subsequently, you will be able to close the deal quickly and also make the customer feel confident about purchasing your products.
For this, you need to constantly update your knowledge about the products, business, and industry. You also need to stay in tune with the latest industry news as well as know everything about your competition. Comprehensive and regular research about your competition and partners is the ideal method to achieve this knowledge. Also, knowing specific details about the customers will help you add value to them.
Supporting claims with facts & figures
One of the major issues with most sales pitches is that the salesperson makes claims that are not backed up with hard data or stats. Using quantitative data over qualitative could be the primary reason for the prospects to lose trust in your sales pitch. In most situations, this is true. However, it’s important not to blitz them with too many facts and data points.
When pitching your solutions to a potential client for the first time, it’s always advisable to avoid contentious facts altogether. Instead, narrating a story that highlights the success of your product with similar customers can be beneficial. Case studies about existing customers are some of the expressions that can be used effectively to construct the meaningful positioning of your brand. Similarly, testimonials from past and existing can also be used to building trust.
Staying calm and composed
As a salesman, you may have all the knowledge about the product and the prospect. You may also have the ideal sales pitch that any potential customer would appreciate. However, when you do not have the temperament, then it could all go haywire. Hence, it is always necessary to stay composed throughout the sales call or sales meeting. You need to remember that any hiccups in your body language could send the wrong signals to your audience, which could be enough for them to lose their confidence in you.
You should be aware that there are times when the prospect might pick apart your pitch or intend to criticize you. These are the scenarios you should plan for and practice staying calm. Addressing your point calmly without getting distracted by critical comments could be the ideal way to deal with your critics. Again getting too excited when the deal is heading towards the close should be avoided.
While there are many other tips that could make you a master at sales, refining and upgrading your skills would always make you more efficient. Consequently, practicing these strategies and adding them to your next sale call could help you close the deals with more precision.
