15 Forgotten Sales Skills Secrets That Close Any Deal
Are you wondering what sales skills make for a great salesperson? Well, some people say that great salespersons are just born winners. Others speculate that it is the skills and experience they have acquired over time. However, the world is yet to make any conclusive proclamations.
But don’t worry, you won’t have to die oblivious to the sales skills secrets you need to conquer the industry. We have all the answers, just for you!
So, read on to find out exactly how you can close any deal.
What Sales Skills Do You Need to Succeed?
Sales are a complex conundrum of variables that we can control and some we can’t. But if you’re looking for the secret science behind making sales, the perfect blend of sales associate skills to close the deal every single time, you need first to understand how the human brain works.
How do we make choices?
Why do we prefer some options over others?
If we’re all different, is there really such a thing as one formula fits all?
Well, to be quite honest, yes. And you can master these sales manager skills today. It doesn’t matter how you’ve been doing all your life. You can start today- now!
And guess what?
We’ll let you in on our very own secret sales skills to get you going.
#1 Focus On The Buyer
One of the first sales manager skills you need to work on is how you’re going to pitch to buyers. Many businesses tend to make it about the salesperson. Market yourself in a way that appeals to buyers, right? Actually, wrong.
What you really need to do is to focus on the buyer. Make it about them.
Why?
Well, there are several reasons:
- The buyer is the most important part of any sale
- You need to know what would influence a buyer to purchase a product or service.
- They don’t care about you. They just want to know what’s in it for them.
- Even if your product is not what they’re looking for, you need to shape it to fit their needs.
Put simply, you need to know what your buyer upholds as valuable, and then, you need to deliver your product or service to match their ideal. Solve a problem for them. Focus on what is important- for them.
The first and foremost sales representative skill you need to have is knowing that buyers want to know why. Why should they purchase your product or service? How is it going to benefit them? So, tell them.
#2 Smile
Obviously, you want to seem approachable. Make sure you’re only giving smiles and positive vibes. If you had a bad day, don’t let it affect your optimism on the job.
Because let’s be honest- clients don’t care about you. And if you’re sulking all over the place, you’ll only drive them away- and that’s the last thing you want to do. So, smile. Be friendly. Make them like you enough to stop and listen to what you’re saying.
Positivity is profitable. Negativity, not so much. Thus, you need to put on your best happy face in front of potential buyers if you want them to consider your offer. Just remember that nobody likes grumpy pants.
#3 Body Language Is Everything
Never underestimate the power of body language because your body is saying all the things you’re too afraid to let out. As a salesperson, you need to be careful of what you say. Still, you need to be even more careful about your body language.
Great sales associate skills include mastering your body language such that you always only say what you really mean. Just like you don’t want to offend people with your verbal communication, you also don’t want them to get the wrong idea because of your nonverbal tone.
Most people are quick to pick up on non-verbal cues, which means that you need to keep your body language in check. In fact, consider working on making yourself appear more approachable. Because remember, you want the customer to be comfortable with you.
#4 Give Them Options
Did you know that people are more likely to purchase from you if you give them different options? It somehow makes it harder to say no. It has something to do with them going for the ‘lowest risk option’ according to their own perception- whatever that means.
Honestly, all you need to know is that this needs to be a sales skill deeply rooted in your sales strategy. Like we said before, make it about them. Give them the wheel. Let them feel in control. Because you know what, it works. And that’s all that really matters.
So, wherever possible, make sure to present all the different colors, sizes, and other product variants. Give potential customers a brief rundown on all the different service packages you offer so that they can focus on choosing the best option instead of contemplating over purchasing the product or service.
Sales training is now accessible for everyone who wants to sell more.
#5 Be Confident
Confidence sells. Nevertheless, confidence is not a crucial sales skill. You don’t need to be confident all the time. You just need to look at the part.
You see, customers tend to have this thing wherein they just inherently believe that people are out to scam them. They won’t trust a business unless said business gives them a good reason to testimonials, reviews- anything to reassure them that they will not be scammed.
Customers’ fear of being fooled is actually bigger than their desire to obtain a beneficial product or service. Therefore, you need to be confident because if you’re doubtful, they will be too.
#6 Be Prepared
You’ve probably heard this many times before. But we’ll say it again anyways- practice makes perfect. And if you want to perfect your sales associate skills, you will need to practice.
Work on your sales pitch. Practice what you’re going to say. The truth is, if you want to avoid stuttering in between your pitch, you’ll need to work on a script and practice it enough times to get it right every time.
Also, you need to be prepared for customer questions. Customers are curious. They want to be absolutely sure that they’re going to get their money’s worth. And thus, they’re bound to ask a lot of questions.
However, they really can’t put you on the spot, at least not when you’re already prepared for all possible questions. It really helps to think of all the questions a customer can possibly ask and prepare all the answers well in advance. This ensures that you’re never caught off-guard- a crucial sales skill if you ask us.
#7 Know Your Product
Now, you’ll obviously need to know all the nitty-gritty details about your product when it comes to answering questions. This is literally the most important sales representative skill. You represent your product or service, and if you don’t even know what it is, how are you ever going to sell it?
You need to know your product or service’s strengths and weaknesses because they will help you build a strong case for them. Unless you know what your product is all about, you cannot convince people to buy it. Because come on, would you buy something if you’re not even sure of what it actually is?
Sales training is now accessible for everyone who wants to sell more.
#8 Be Picky
A lot of people are going to tell you that if you can just convince them well enough, you can get absolutely anyone in the world to purchase from you. But that is not always the case. Sure, you might be able to convince any person to buy your product or service once you’ve been after them long enough- they might even buy it just to drive you away.
But take a step back and ask yourself, was it really worth it?
Take it from us, and don’t waste your time on unqualified leads when you can spend it on pitching to people who will actually listen. Don’t waste away your sales manager skills on these people.
If you’ve successfully launched a product or service, you probably already have a target audience for it. Thus, work on targeting your target.
#9 Be Enthusiastic
Enthusiasm is contagious. You need to get people excited about your product or service. If they love it, they’ll buy it. If it’s just another product on the market, though, they might not be too eager to purchase it.
Why should they?
What is so special about it?
A great sales representative knows the importance of conveying potential value to prospects.
#10 Understand That You Are Providing Value
And since we’re talking about value, let’s get this straight. Please understand that you are providing value. You have an audience for your product and service. Your target audience needs that product or service almost as much as you need to sell it.
They are not doing you a favor by purchasing it. They are doing it for themselves. Once you realize the value you are providing, you can sell almost anything.
#11 Rejection Is Okay
It happens to the best of us, and it’s okay. In fact, some might even think rejection is actually good.
And before you go on raising those eyebrows, here’s why:
- You don’t have to waste time on people that don’t want to be convinced.
- You can focus on qualified leads.
- Not everyone likes you, and not everyone will- but that’s okay.
So, don’t let a ‘no’ bother you.
Sales training is now accessible for everyone who wants to sell more.
#12 Objections Are An Opportunity
Most people, but especially salespersons, tend to avoid objections at any cost. However, objections are not all bad. Not at all!
They might even prove favorable for you- yes, we mean favorable.
Yes, we’re talking about objections.
And if you’re still not convinced, let’s break it down.
Objections are great because:
- They present you with an opportunity to tell the other person all the good things about your product.
- Remember all the practice you did to prepare yourself to counter people questioning your product? Well, now’s your time to put that to good use.
- You can address all of your customers’ concerns and thus, sell better.
#13 Don’t Sell
Another great sales skill is to sell without really selling. What we mean by that is simple. People don’t want to be sold stuff. So, if you go and tell them to buy something, they’ll probably be turned off instantly. You need to work on selling without seeming too pushy.
Like we said before, focus on the value you are providing. Focus on the buyer. Demonstrate how purchasing your product or service will be good for them. Make it about them. Convince them that it is in their best interests to get your product or service without taking on the traditional role of a salesperson.
#14 Don’t Make False Promises
This we can’t stress enough. Honestly, If your product or service is not what you are claiming, it’s just bad marketing. Plus, it breaks a bunch of advertising laws as well. And you know, people could even sue you for it, depending on the gravity of the false pretense.
Thus, don’t make promises you can’t keep. Serve your product or service as is. Don’t lie, and don’t try to trick customers into buying a faulty product- that’s not a sales skill; it is a scam. And quite frankly, the reason most of us salespeople have a hard time trying to convince customers to buy stuff from us.
#15 Believe In Yourself & Your Product
Last but not least, a great sales representative skill to have is to believe in yourself. If you have the right mindset and believe that you can sell to almost anybody, you’ll be able to. If you’re not convinced yourself, you can’t convince anybody else either.
What’s The Takeaway?
Ultimately, the most important sales skill that you need is to believe in yourself and your product. You need to be convinced of everything that you’re saying. It also implies that it needs to be true. Remember that you are trying to sell to people, not con them. Objections are okay. Heck, even rejections are okay. So, just stay positive, and things will work out for you if you follow the above 15 forgotten sales skill secrets that are guaranteed to help you close just about any deal!
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