It is critical for small-to-medium sized businesses to develop a solid client base that generates predictable ongoing revenue as quickly as possible. To create long-term customers, salespeople must establish strong personal relationships with the clients’ decision makers and influencers.
As a veteran Business Coach, ActionCOACH founder and CEO Brad Sugars has led many clients out of a sales rut by training their sales team on the art of building relationships.
“Every book store has dozens of titles that purport to show business owners how to increase sales,” Sugars said. “Most focus on the prospective customer – the who, what, where, how, and why of his purchase decision. And that is certainly critical; however, in my experience, most salespeople need to focus on themselves first. They need to develop basic communications skills and adopt a few fundamental sales strategies.”
Sugars listed the six most common areas that need improvement in a sales team.
Listening
Despite the stereotypical image of the talkative salesperson, listening is absolutely the most critical skill a salesperson must have. Until you understand what the client wants, or where they have problems, any sales recommendation you make would be a shot in the dark.
Understand people
Each person is a unique mixture of environment, experience, heredity, and self-discovery that combines to shape his/her communication style, attitude, interests, behavior, and ethics. Since salespeople do not have the luxury of time in determining a prospect’s character – the business has to be won now – they need to be able to make high-level assessments very quickly and adapt their communication style to match.
Learn to serve
Customer service is the difference that wins most sales. Service is more than just being polite, it should distinguish the company to the customer. Placing customer service first must be a company-wide mandate, but for salespeople, as the first line of communication to customers, it is particularly crucial.
Negotiate for the next sale
When the company is seeking long-term client relationships, negotiation over any single transaction is not about winning, it is about building a trusting relationship with the client. Clients need to feel that they paid a fair price under fair terms, without having to battle every time to get that price. Salespeople should resolve to seek out the best agreement for both parties, knowing that an amicable negotiation could secure the next order as well.
Maximize Efficiency
For most small-to-medium sized companies, sales is a numbers game – more sales calls equals more prospects, which equals more proposals and more sales. Successful salespeople manage their time to be the most effective.
Close
What should seem obvious is not to many salespeople – ask the prospect to buy! The worst result – the prospect says ‘no’ – is not as bad as losing the business. The salesperson should learn why prospects buy and how to handle objections, then use that knowledge to ask for the order and overcome any hesitation by the prospect.
By focusing on self-improvement, the salesperson can project the subtle differences between the company and its competitors. For small-to-medium sized businesses, it makes sense to engage a Business Coach or training company to instill these traits in its sales team.
