Basic Selling Techniques to turn you into a Sales Super Star

Plan your Day the Night BeforeTo this day I always plan my day the night before. My head does not hit the pillow at night, before I have arranged all my appointments for the next day. I chart every move I will make the next day, detailing who I plan to meet face to face, who I will call, who I will communicate with electronically.

My plan includes the reason for the contact, any pertinent detail from any previous meetings, which may serve me in the meeting the next day. I also include all the contact details I may need, telephone numbers, email addresses or a map and directions to visit each customer. I do not waste even a second the next day, during my productive selling time searching for any information I may need.

I do not start my engine before I know the exact route I plan to take. This route is carefully charted when I am planning my calls each day. I ensure that I arrange all my calls in one area each day. I never chase across town, unless it is an emergency.

Building Real Meaningful Connection with your new PartnersAs you know there are always a number of people, who influence decisions within any sales relationship, but there is always one person whose job is ultimately on the line if they use your product and/or service and there is a royal mess-up. Your role as sales professionals is to ensure that the ultimate decision maker realises that you are in it for the long run and that you are an asset to their team.

I am a great believer in always asking for feedback from my clients. I believe that the quality of any sales relationship is directly proportional to the quality and quantity of meaningful questions that you ask and how you respond to the feedback you receive.

Many years ago I asked a client “From your perspective is my product and service working for you”? Her answer concerned me, when I first heard it as she said “You are not like any salesperson I have dealt with in the past”. I immediately felt I had let her down, until she said “I feel that your office is right next to mine that you are really interested in my business”. Since then I have always used that relationship as a benchmark and tried to build similar connection with all my partners. I try to help all my partners not only get the best solution for their needs, but I also like to help them to be successful in their careers.

Offer your Magnificent 50 clients real white glove treatmentIt is impossible to focus all your attention on hundreds of clients at one time. Carefully select what I like to call my “magnificent 50” and focus your energy on only these clients. If you can build a loyal following of 50 regular clients, who regularly buy from you, that is obviously first prize. I realise that this is not always possible and that there are certain sales people, who make sales to clients and then need to be prospecting to new clients all the time as their clients only make purchases periodically. In this case your “magnificent 50” will be the clients you are finalising deals with and a list of qualified prospects you keep adding to the list as you complete each deal.

The secret to make this work for you is to really roll out the red carpet for only these select few clients. Really give them the white glove treatment in every possible way. This is where you need to innovate, be observant and research your “magnificent 50”. The more you can blow their socks off with real meaningful caring and always going the extra mile, the more they will grow to depend on you and see you as their indispensable ally.

Differentiate YourselfIt is often difficult to differentiate your product or service for that of your competitors. The easiest way to really make a difference and to stand out from the crowd is to differentiate yourself, as an asset to their business. Focus on your clients’ needs and build your value proposition around a solution set, which includes you as a valuable asset and consultant to your new partners businesses. Research and understand your partners businesses and provide them with really insightful solutions to their needs and challenges.

Learn to analyse the person responsible for making the final buying decision. Learn to read the person you are talking to and always try to put yourself in their shoes. When you can completely understand their real needs and their agenda, you are far better equipped to integrate into their business and become a true ally. Remember sales decisions are always made emotionally, by people, so the better you become at reading and understanding people the easier it will become to help them.