Liaquat Ali Jatoi
Achieving a good job is everyone’s dream, especially one that is financially rewarding. While luck plays a significant role in a person’s success, it’s undeniable that good strategies can help you shape your destiny.
A British agency conducted a study on the education, first jobs, and journey to becoming billionaires of the world’s 100 richest individuals. The study revealed that 75 out of these 100 billionaires were degree holders, and among them, 22 had studied engineering.
Out of these 100 individuals, 53 chose to start their ventures instead of joining family businesses. Interestingly, 19 of them started their careers as salespeople. Many young people work as salespersons during their studies to cover their educational expenses or gain experience in their desired field. For a good salesperson, this might be an easy job, but achieving excellence requires continuous skill enhancement. If you are new to this field or want to understand the basics, sales experts offer the following advice to become a successful salesperson:
These Skills Can Make You a Successful Salesperson!
Sales Techniques are Evolving:
The sales industry is changing rapidly, but certain fundamentals remain the same. To grab customers’ attention, you must create a need for your product in their minds. Treating every sales process the same will not yield results. Remember, every business has its unique nature, so start by understanding your company’s process with your managers. Learn about your product’s positioning, highlight its features, and identify ideal customers.
Set Clear Goals:
If you want to excel in sales, define your targets and evaluate your performance. Determine how many customers you or your company need within a specific timeframe. Assess how many connections you can establish and what opportunities you can secure. Multiply the revenue target by the average price of your company’s product and work toward achieving it. Additionally, set personal goals. The top 2% of salespeople in any company achieve success through focus, expertise, and consistent effort. Strive to be among them—it may not happen overnight, but persistence will pay off.
Identify Business Problems:
You should be capable of identifying potential business issues and distinguishing them from common problems. These challenges can hinder your sales efforts. Real business problems are often discussed daily in executive offices and boardrooms, whether it’s budget constraints, understaffed sales teams, or other critical issues.
As a salesperson, you need to build trust. Customers need confidence that you understand their problems and can solve them. However, this relationship shouldn’t end after the sale—you must maintain connections to fulfill your commitments ethically. Once you successfully meet customers’ needs through your product or service, you’ll have a base of satisfied clients.
Measure Sales Targets:
Measuring performance helps gauge value, and measurable goals allow for continuous improvement. After setting a target, evaluate your performance passionately. For instance, track your sales rate today and estimate where it could reach by the end of the month. Are your efforts leading customers toward your product or service? If not, consider making changes. Don’t wait until the end of the month to meet your target—achieve it early if possible. Seek assistance from your manager without hesitation.
Build Customer Relationships:
Many salespeople spend hours waiting for uninterested prospects to engage. However, with years of experience, you’ll learn to attract prospects who want to talk and listen to you. This is called inbound marketing, which is powerful in saving time and closing sales efficiently. Creating helpful, high-quality content that addresses customers’ needs enhances your chances of success.
Listening Skills:
Renowned author Sagheer Ahmed, in his book on professional sales closing techniques, emphasizes that effective negotiation starts with listening to the customer. A salesperson’s listening skills are not just critical in sales but also in every aspect of life. Listening is a powerful tool that helps salespeople gain trust and secure business. When a salesperson attentively listens to a prospect and encourages their conversation, the prospect is more likely to listen to the salesperson, focus on their presentation, and value their product.
Modern sales models emphasize that being a good listener is a fundamental skill for successful salespeople. Unlike the traditional model, which expected salespeople to talk more, today’s model advises them to ask questions about prospects’ needs and listen carefully to their answers. A professional salesperson of the modern era spends 30% of the meeting talking (mostly asking questions) and 70% listening to the prospect’s responses and needs.
The Power of Silence:
An essential rule in salesmanship is that while words are used to sell, silence is key to closing a deal. British communication expert John Finetten highlighted the importance of the six-letter word “Listen” in English, which shares the same letters as the word “Silent,” albeit in a different order. This implies that a successful salesperson should listen and understand their prospect’s words with patience and calmness.
