Corporate E-Learning

“Sales” is much more than providing the customer with the goods, in exchange for money. Sales involve a relationship not only between the sales representative and the customer, but the company and the customer. There are many traits that customers look for in not only products, but in sales people also. Being the only link between the product and the customer, it is important to develop these important traits.

We usually end up avoiding the pushy salesperson. The one that follows you around the store, asking a million questions. There are many traits in a sales representative that we all avoid. Being that salesperson that a customer wants to see and to talk to takes a little bit of practice. But with these traits, you will become that salesperson, and that will eventually lead to the customer making a purchase, and beginning a positive, long lasting relationship with you.

Customers expect you to be knowledgeable in several areas. They expect you to know your own product and your company. They also expect you to know something about them and their company. It is also helpful to know about your competition. By doing some simple research before the sales call, you can determine the customer’s values, needs, and possibly have an analysis of the needs before you arrive. Being knowledgeable with the customer and their environment is a trait that every sales person needs to possess.

Now that you have all the desired qualities in a sales person, and you have identified your customer’s values and needs, all you need is a product or service to sell them. What is your product? Do you know everything there is to know about the product? How can this information be beneficial to the customer?

The definition of a lead has changed drastically as technology has changed. Some define a lead as a click on a website; others think it’s the number of visitors to a vendor booth. But to truly be a qualified sales lead, the customer must have a need for your product or service. Just because the person has an interest in talking, does not mean that there is a sale looming soon.

Sales persons that have no idea what they are selling do not have great sales records. Sales reps that know their product, know their business, and are authorities in their field, are the sales people that have the sales records that they can brag about. But what is authority, and how is it acquired? And then once you have authority, how is it used properly?

Building trust with your clients is a key to successful sales. If the customer does not think that you have their best interests at heart, they will not buy from you. Customers buy from the people they trust. To build that trust, the customer must know that you have empathy for them, that you are genuine and honest and that they can trust your product. Using testimonials and customer reviews is one of the many useful tools that you can use to build your customer’s trust not only in the product, but in you. Without these traits, your customer will find another sales rep to give their business.

Now that you’ve started in the job that you have desired, it’s important to stay focused enough to keep this job long term and maintain your performance and achievements. Simply working the job every day is not enough – you must know what is expected of you and how your boss or manager will measure that for you. You must also know who you can ask for help if you feel that your performance may be slipping and how you can get it back on track.

Communication, this is a trait that you can use not only in your work, but in your personal life also. Good communication is something that you learn and then practice for the rest of your life. But there are many ways that you can improve your communication, from sounding natural to a reward system for your purchasing customers. There are many ways that you can reach your customer in a positive way that builds a long lasting relationship.

Learning to motivate yourself, definitely a difficult task often times. Especially if the task at hand is unpleasant or unknown. But motivation is a trait that all sales people need to have unlimited amounts of, at hand and ready at any time. You may even be asked to share your motivation with others. The following modules will give you tips on increasing your self-motivation skills that can then in turn, improve your sales and life in general.

Setting goals is critical to your performance. You wouldn’t go through life without goals, goals like getting the rent paid, being on time for work the entire month, etc. Just like in life, setting goals at work, both short and long term, are important also. Learning to set “SMART” goals, analyzing your performance and modifying your techniques are all important to successfully setting your goals.

Although this workshop is coming to a close, we hope that your journey to Understanding the Top 10 Sales Secrets is just beginning. Please take a moment to review and update your action plan. This will be a key tool to guide your progress in the days, weeks, months, and years to come. We wish you the best of luck on the rest of your travels!