Careers Hub | Sales 101: How to be a better salesperson

Everyone has their own style when interacting with people. As a result, some people just click with others and have an easier time selling. But not everyone is gifted at sales, and many of us struggle as we build our confidence and learn how to sell better. Even so, there are some small things you can do on a daily basis to help develop your sales skills and become a better salesperson. These tips may seem small, but they add up over time and will ultimately help you become a more confident salesperson. From here on out, the more confident you are, the easier it will be for you to close that deal. Ultimately, for success for your company going forward. After reading this article, you’ll discover four tips that will help you become a better salesperson.

1: Speak with confidence

Regardless of your experience level, you will feel more confident if you speak with confidence. As a salesperson, you should be confident in your ability to help people solve their problems. You should never be too eager when trying to sell someone something. It is essential to be patient when trying to get someone to buy from you. In addition, if you are not shy, you can use different tones of voice to let people know that you are trying to get them to buy. Let others know that you are trying to get them to buy by using clear, concise language, confident tones of voice, and pausing between your sentences. People will respond to these cues, making you feel more confident when trying to sell someone something.

2: Network and build relationships

As a salesperson, you are selling a product or service. And in order to sell something, you must give a reason as to why someone should buy from you. Relationships are an important part of sales. Even if you are networking with a lot of people or you are cold calling people, a relationship will still allow you to move forward. When cold calling or networking, make sure you are opening the conversation by saying something such as “Hey, how are you doing?” or “I’ve been looking for someone like you to talk to because I have something that might benefit you.” If you are networking at a party, you can also strike up a conversation with someone and invite them to network or have a drink or coffee with you. Once you have made a connection with a person, ask them if they may know someone who might be interested in what you have to offer. It does not matter if you think that person will be interested or not. You want to build a relationship with one person, and then maybe that person may be interested in what you have to offer.

3: Establishing the relationship first

One of the most important things you can do in order to better your sales skills is to establish a relationship before trying to close the deal. When you start the conversation with a potential customer, you want to make sure that you first establish a relationship with them. You can do this by learning a bit about who they are and what they do. Then you can find out what sort of issues they may be facing and try and solve them in a way that benefits both of you. You can also try to offer unbiased advice or suggest a solution that will help solve their issues and benefit them. This is a great way to start a conversation because it allows you to get to know the person a bit before trying to sell them something. It’s also a good idea because once you have built a relationship with the individual, you can then suggest solutions that will help them solve their problems without completely forcing the sale.

4: Drop the “traditional” sales cold call

There are a lot of people who like to make cold calls to try and sell something, but doing so in the traditional sense is a bad idea. It’s like you are trying to sell someone something without them wanting to buy the product or service. A better way to make a “sales cold call” is to warm up the lead. You can try reaching out to them on LinkedIn or via email, get to know them and find out if your product would be of value to them. This way, you can spend your time in a helpful way by being in contact with potential customers.

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