How to Be Great at Selling: Sales Tips for Success

Do you want to be successful as a sales person? You and millions of others hope to succeed in this very demanding and highly competitive job. Dave Kurlan, CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc. wrote that as much as 22% of sales people are not trainable, 10% should be redeployed and only 6% are actually considered “elite”.

So the question is in which group are you? It is not uncommon for many people to work from sun up to sun down and still get no favorable results. On the other hand, some may seem to be skipping through the day without any effort and still rake in the big bucks. It may seem unfair but that is the reality one has to face. Is it just an unlucky draw of cards or a system that is made available only to a select few? Well, regardless of how you see it, there is always something you can do to improve your sales performance.

Stop selling and start acting like a consultant

One of the hallmarks of great selling is not selling at all. No, it’s not about doing nothing and trusting to hope alone. In fact, it takes a lot of effort to drop the habit of hard selling especially if one has been conditioned to make every opportunity a selling opportunity – that’s how I was trained to think. Of course the ultimate goal is to get the client to buy something from you. The only difference is that instead of focusing on “selling” itself, you simply provide a solution for your clients need (or want). As a consultant you provide options and obviously, the options are those that you are offering. The truth is that clients hate being sold to, but are more than happy to get free information and advice.

Never stop learning

Another problem with sales people is that they forget to continue learning. There is always something new out there. Don’t be the last person to know about it. Obviously choose the ones that truly matter to you and your profession.

Learn about innovations in the product and in the industry. What are the latest trends, new technology or even up coming products and services. Being in the know especially with your industry and market niche gives you a better perspective.

Likewise, learn about new selling styles, strategies and methodologies. In today’s highly technologically oriented market, there are sales opportunities that might slip by without you even noticing. For example, social networking strategies, direct selling and mailing methods have come and gone only to resurface once again – but with a twist. So scour for the latest trends and don’t be afraid to get your feet wet with these new (or refurbished) strategies.

Successful sales professionals are those who learn new things, re-learn old strategies and unlearn unproductive habits.

1. Is Selling Hard?
2. Turn Questions Into Sales
3. Selling Tangibles Vs. Selling Intangibles
4. 5 Most Common Selling Blunders: Learn What's Bad to be Good at Selling
5. 5 Most Hated Selling Strategies
6. Effective Sales Letters - How To Make It Work
7. Customer Service Mindset When Facing Angry Customers
8. If I Were A Terrorist I'd Thank Poor Customer Service

Selling Smart

Selling is a hard and difficult task. This is often the cry of many sales people – especially the new ones. But the truth is you don’t have to sweat (too much) just to land a successful closing. Selling smart is what makes selling seem easy for some. One way to sell smart is to target high priority prospects and leads first. Of course you don’t put aside inquiries simply because you think they are not worth it. But rather, choose the battles that you will focus on. As such, proper prospecting and qualification methods must be employed. Selling smart is putting your efforts and resources at the right places. Otherwise you will be wasting time and resources while others are comfortably reaping all the benefits of sales.

Whether sales persons are born or made is not the focus of this article. Rather, it posits that everybody can find success in sales. Of course, statistics may give you an idea where your future may lead. But these are just numbers, what truly counts is what you do about it. You can either be satisfied with being a sale person or start becoming an exceptional one.