Perfecting your sales technique is an art. You need to keep abreast of the changing habits of the consumer and then alter your tactics accordingly. In today’s ultra-competitive world, it’s vital that sales personnel secure as many leads as they can. Here are ten tips that will help you do just that.

Listen to the customer

This might sound obvious, but it’s such an important technique to get right. You need to take some time to understand the needs of your client and what they’re looking for from you. Once you’ve listened, you need to ask relevant questions to the client. This technique shows you understand and care about the requirements of the customer.

Be honest with the client

One of the best ways to gain the trust of the buyer is by being transparent about the downfalls of your product. This technique means the customer can ask you questions and look to you for advice, and you can also provide tailored guidance on how to minimise the impact of the downfalls.

Connect with clients on social media

This is a great way of understanding the needs of your demographic and finding out what they’re interested in. You could set up Twitter polls to find out how your demographic would respond to certain products or you could invite potential clients to workshops or for a coffee, which is a great way of getting to know your target market on a personal level.

Stay clear of jargon                                                                                             

The client needs to know exactly what they could be buying, and could be put-off by technical descriptions. You need to try and find a way of simplifying down your sales pitches to really engage the client. For example, you could shorten your paragraphs into bullet points that display the key points. The buyer may lack the time and focus on finding the information they need themselves.

Personalise your communications

A client is more likely to become invested in a product if they think the sales literature you produce is aimed directly at them. Try and take some time to hone your copywriting skills, and then you’ll be able to produce concise, personal and industry-specific content that shows how your product will benefit individual clients. Generic sales terms will not inspire the buyer. This is an especially useful technique if you’re looking to incorporate some email marketing into your strategy.

Prepare thoroughly before calling

Cold calling can be a generic and unimaginative way of contacting potential clients, and conversion rates can be poor when handled in the wrong way. If you’re cold-calling a business, try and do some background research first to try and figure out how your product could fit into their company. Just like the point above, it’s all about creating personalised communications that will engage the buyer. It’s only natural that some salespeople develop a sense of fear about cold-calling, but some comprehensive background notes should help you clinch that sale.

Overcome objections

Objections are part and parcel of selling. Naturally, some buyers are likely to be sceptical of your product at first, especially if you’ve cold-called them. Having the right responses to these objections could be critical in getting the sale back on track, and this is where Frosch Learning can help. Our two-day Essential Selling Skills course will prepare your sales staff with some counter arguments to some of the most frequent objections they receive.

Follow up on sales

This is a great way of enhancing the customer’s perception of you. A couple of weeks after you make a sale, why not contact the client and ask how they are getting on with your product? This will be a great opportunity for the customer to relay any concerns to you, and gives you the chance to offer immediate feedback. If clients know that support is within easy reach, then they could be more inclined to take an interest in more of your stock.

Ask the buyer for a commitment

To move the selling process forward, it’s a good idea to present the buyer with a timeline of events. At every stage of the process, tell the client what they need to do next. This technique will keep the client engaged in the process and will stop the lead from going cold.

Be flexible

Although salespeople are often working towards targets and schedules, you should always try and be flexible about your work. Sales could take longer than initially anticipated to close, so it’s vital that you stay calm and keep on track. If you take a more aggressive approach and try to close the deal before the buyer has had enough time to make an informed decision, then the lead could go cold.