As our company grows and we add new salespeople, I’ve been thinking about my past successes and some of the sales tips I’ll share with our new-hires:
Listen & Learn
Before you begin a sales call, in your own mind, think about how a therapist listens to their patients.
As salespeople, we are excited to tell everyone about everything we are selling. However, to be a top seller, you have to listen to your prospects.
When prospects talk, you receive valuable information and it gives you an opportunity to form a connection with them. Slow the pace of the conversation just slightly. When your prospect pauses, don’t jump in too soon. Take a second after they finish to make sure they have completed their thought. Given them a chance to start talking again. Some people have to fill silences, so they may offer up even more valuable information.
Start developing a talk-to-listen ratio of 50/50. It takes a bit of practice, but it’s achievable.
Focus on Value
Even in the complex telecommunications business, it helps to focus on the end result that your customer will achieve vs. technology features. Focus on value-related subjects. For example, we look to save our clients money, improve their network performance, prevent heartache by maximizing data security and provide excellent customer support.
I talk about their return on investment, their pain points, their business challenges and their project timelines.
At iTelecom, we have all the tech bells and whistles. We are more than happy to tell you about them, but at the end of the day, it’s about helping our clients succeed.
Talk About Next steps
Winning salespeople spend almost 13% more time at the end of their conversation on next steps.
Near the end of the meeting or presentation, go deeper than just setting up a follow-up day and time. Confirm what you will do to move the project forward. You will demonstrate that you have listened to them, that you understand what they need and that you are vested in their success.
