How do you become a good sales person?
I’m pretty sure there are a lot of people out there who have either taken a sales training course or some kind of communication training with a focus on sales and marketing. All this to no other reason that to become a good sales person.
Most of the time, it’s about techniques and methods on how to be (seemingly) more successful with customers and how to place yourself in a better and more promising way.
In our opinion, this often borders on manipulation, but you can read more about this in our other article “At what point does sales become manipulation?”
But the big question in such trainings and in such teams is always the same – What makes a good sales person and how do my people become better sales people?
The image of the salesperson
There are many people out there who are salespeople through and through, and also pride themselves on the fact that they can sell anything they feel to anyone in the world. Then there are sayings like, “He’s so good, he could even sell ice in Alaska.” Or things like, “She could even sell sand in the desert.”
Often, that’s exactly what society praises and people are also celebrated for being able to do exactly that so well and perform so well exactly at selling things or services.
But is that really the right way to handle this issue? Is it right that a salesperson can sell anything to anyone? Let’s take a look at the people first, before answering this quite obvious question.
Salespeople are usually people who are very outgoing, extroverted and go-getters. This is also exactly why these people usually end up in sales or marketing.
They like the contact with other people and look for an open, sympathetic exchange, mostly no matter what about and where.
If they also like a product they are striving for, they become equally enthusiastic about people and products and then these are exactly the people that large companies want in sales.
Well, at least in the first place.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, and it definitely takes people who are just as driven to provide companies with the sales and presence that’s needed.
Sales often sounds simple, a given talent when communicative and open-minded. An unfair advantage to others when so easily extroverted and inspiring amongst possible clients.
Of course there is more for closing a deal, but it is indeed a quite important factor and that’s why it is absolutely understandable, that sales persons are mostly quite similar….mostly.
So the answer is yes, it is desirable for the sales to be able to sell anything to anyone. But the much more important counter question is, should they so just because they are able to?
No, it shouldn’t.
Because not everything the salesperson sells is conducive to the customer and his or her desires.
And that’s when the problems start. Mostly later, but they still arise.
What makes a good sales experience?
A salesperson is only a really good salesperson, when he listens to the customer, really wants to understand him and then responds to the customer’s pain points and wishes.
A salesperson who always talks directly, interrupts and doesn’t let the customer have his say either has no experience or no feel for sales.
Of course, this very silence and listening is the worst for agitated, extroverted people, since you have so much to tell yourself.
But if they learn to master this, they experience a much more pleasant, balanced and value-added way of communicating.
There are many different statements out there about what percentage of speech the customer and the salesperson should have in a meeting, but one thing is certain: the customer must always be the focus and has by far the most speaking time.
Only those who listen properly and also want to understand, can conversely also offer a meaningful and valuable solution.
And only those who have the best intentions for the customer in mind can also propose the best long-term solutions for the customer.
In addition to the normal exchange, this also requires a deep basic understanding of the product and the various modes of operation. The deeper the knowledge, the better the advice and also the sales experience.
It is not enough to simply sell a lot. Everything must also be of good value and individually suitable, so that the project does not come back like a boomerang in a few years in a high arc leaving deep notches in the business.
A good sale is characterized by long-term success, not by short-term high turnover.
So how do I become a good sales person?
There are a few clear basic rules that a good salesperson should always remember and which we always mention in these discussions:
- Always think about the long-term success of the cooperation for your customers and your business and not only about the short-term, quick turnover.
- Learn to better assess yourself and your effect on others – keep in mind, that the characters of the people involved can be completely different to your expectation.
- It’s all about your counterparts and not about you, so let them finish their sentences and don’t ramble on, even if you have a lot to say by yourself.
- Listen, take notes and ask important questions in order to really understand and to show that you are truly and actively involved in the topic.
- Do not interrupt your counterpart and even if you really have to slow him down, do it in a polite, discreet way – exclamations like “Stop!” or “No!” in the flow of speech are a no-go here.
- Respond to the atmosphere and the present people, but always remain authentic and don’t pretend, because they will notice it.
- You don’t always have to know everything, you just have to know where to ask in order to follow up with certain answers.
Oh, and by the way, many of these tips also apply to dealing with family, friends, relatives or acquaintances.
There are only advantages to rethink your own patterns and trying to make the atmosphere more pleasant for everyone.
