The ability to sell is a skill that transcends industry boundaries and applies regardless of the product or service being sold. While certain adjustments must be made, the techniques and qualities that make a good salesperson are essentially universal, which is why the most successful salespeople can jump from industry to industry without missing a beat. This article examines five of the most effective ways new and experienced salespeople alike can improve their own handling of the sales process, exceptional lead management, leading to happier clients, faster closes, and the healthy company profits and personal commissions that follow. 

 

Focus on Relationships Over Transactional Selling

Transactional selling is the kind of experience you have when you walk into a big box store or a used car lot. The salesperson’s job is to make the sale at the moment, and as long as they can get you out the door with a product, it’s a win. That works for some consumer products, but when it comes to service industries and larger B2B sales, that approach is a disaster. Instead, salespeople should focus on relationship selling – building long-lasting, trusting relationships with customers. Relationship selling leads to a better sales process, repeat business, and word-of-mouth referrals, three primary goals for any successful sales organization. 

Master the Trial Close and Ask for the Sale

A huge part of the sales process is overcoming the objections of prospects and customers. Objections can exist for any number of reasons, from a lack of trust to something as simple as needing some more information on a product or service. The only way for a salesperson to know if they’ve truly assuaged all of a customer’s concerns is through trial closes. A trial close is a fancy sales term for asking for the sale in order to try to close the deal right then and there. If it succeeds, the salesperson has saved time and effort. If it doesn’t, it’s a clear sign that there are more objections to be met, which the salesperson can then work to draw out and address. 

Learn to Prioritize to Get the Most Out of Your Leads

Lead generation is the first step in the sales process, and a steady stream of quality leads is key to successful selling. But not all leads are created equal, and spending time working the wrong leads is a surefire way to hinder success. It’s imperative that salespeople learn to expertly qualify and prioritize each prospect to ensure that the vast majority of their time is spent on the hottest leads, and that cooler ones are only developed further once the higher priority leads have been either converted into customers or recategorized. 

Sell Benefits, Not Features

Making a purchase is an emotional act, even in the driest B2B sales settings. One huge mistake many salespeople make is selling the features of the products or services they’re offering instead of the benefits. Simply put, features don’t elicit an emotional response. Benefits do. As a result, selling benefits is key for even the most boring products. It harkens back to the age-old sales adage of “sell the sizzle, not the steak.” Salespeople should always focus not on what a product does, but on why and how it benefits the buyer. 

Embrace Technology 

Technology has changed the way we handle almost all of our daily tasks, and sales are no different. There are a whole host of tools currently available to help salespeople do their jobs more efficiently, close more deals, and generate more commissions for themselves. One of the top tools a salesperson can put to use is customer resource management software. CRM tools streamline the sales process from the start. They offer advanced lead management and valuable communications tools to supercharge lead prioritization and relationship building, as well as a host of other productivity tools designed to reclaim wasted time and make a salesperson’s job easier. 

CRMDialer is the industry leader in customer resource management tools, providing everything from lead management, to billing and electronic payments, to outbound marketing tools, to advanced analytics, and more. It has the power to revolutionize the way your team handles the sales process and deals with prospects and clients, providing better, more personalized service for them, while simultaneously making the job easier. Contact us today to find out more about how CRMDialer can change the way your sales organization operates, leading to more successful closes and improved profitability.