Written
by Rebecca White @Rebecca_White94
Just like Liam Neeson in "Taken," to be a
successful salesperson, you need to have a particular set of skills.
As your sales process evolves,
it's important to keep your skills relevant and up to date. Plus, it can
increase your sales.
In a case study by Rain Group, a global
sales training organization, they discovered that a client who went through
sales training closed 15.2% more deals and the profit margin on sales-won
improved by 12.2%.
That's why professional
development is essential for salespeople. So, how can you improve your sales
skills? Below, you'll learn how to develop your sales skills and improve your
performance on your team.
How to Improve Sales Skills
1.
Attend sales training
2.
Implement roleplay
3.
Practice public speaking
4.
Find a mentor
5.
Ask questions
6.
Become a lifelong learner
7.
Improve prospecting skills
8.
Review your sales calls
9.
Listen to feedback
10.
Stay connected to the customer
11.
Prepare for objection handling
12.
Play with your closing techniques
13.
Iterate on your sales cycle
14.
Track your progress
15.
Enhance listening skills
1. Attend sales training
Sales training and
professional development opportunities can keep your skills fresh. Being a
lifelong learner gives you a competitive advantage in the game of sales.
Besides purchasing in-person or online sales programs, you can take free
certification courses through vendors like HubSpot Academy or Sales Engine.
Courses or certifications can
specialize in sales skills such as sales presentations, sales methodology,
social selling, or sales coaching. When choosing a sales training program,
consider things like length of program, focus, location, and price.
2. Implement roleplay
When you're on an exploratory call, you
want to be prepared for every question, objection, or circumstance a prospect
throws your way. Plus, it's important to practice the flow of conversation and
learn how to ask questions authentically, instead of interrogatively.
Your team can practice roleplay
on your own once a month, or you can find a sales training course that
implements roleplay in the material.
There are several roleplay exercises your
team could try. In this blog by Michael
Pici, a vice president of business operations at HubSpot, he recommends
roleplay exercises include:
·
Dealing with extreme situations
·
Getting comfortable breaking up with prospects
·
Challenging prospects on why they're stuck
·
Overcoming common objections
3. Practice public speaking
According to Glossophobia, as many as
75% of the population has a fear of public speaking. Even salespeople, who may
be extroverted, can experience this. As with most things, practice makes perfect.
The more you practice something, the more you get used to it, and the less
nervous you'll be.
For sales reps, it's important
to be a confident communicator, so you can empathize and sell to your
prospects. During the sales process, you'll need to give sales presentations,
conduct product demos, and persuasively speak to several decision-makers.
Confident communication is critical for success.
To practice public speaking,
attend events by organizations like Toastmasters, which
provides opportunities for professionals to practice and learn public speaking
so they will become confident communicators.
4. Find a mentor
Working with a mentor or
receiving sales coaching can drastically improve your sales performance. Aja
Frost, HubSpot Sales Blog contributor, writes about it in this blog. She says, "Research from the Sales Executive
Council (SEC) examined thousands of salespeople and found
receiving quality coaching helped them improve long-term performance by upwards
of 19%.
A separate study from CSO Insights reveals
a correlation between quota attainment and coaching. When coaching skills
exceed expectations, 94.8% of reps meet quota. When coaching skills need
improvement, only 84.5% hit."
Work with your manager or ask
them if they can provide the names of successful salespeople at your company to
mentor you. You can ask your mentor for advice on sales strategies, ask them to
roleplay with you, or even have them shadow a sales call for direct feedback.
This relationship will help improve several sales skills and provide you an
opportunity for feedback.
5. Ask questions
Successful people ask
questions. The same is true, of course, for successful salespeople.
When a sales call doesn't go the way you thought it would or you get a question
or objection you aren't sure how to respond to, ask your manager or peers for
advice. It's important to ask questions, so you can quickly solve those
problems when they come up again.
In addition to asking questions
in your role, it's also important to ask your prospect the right questions. Learn about
their pain points and find out what their goals are. Only then can you truly
begin to find a solution and understand how your product or service can solve
their problem.
6. Become a lifelong learner
If I haven't said it enough,
being a lifelong learner will help you improve your sales skills. The sales
industry is continuously changing due to updates in technology and culture. To
continue being a sales expert, it's important to read articles and books, listen to podcasts, and be active
and engaged in your work.
For example, if you're a
salesperson at a software company, reading articles on the software industry will
help you prepare for questions that prospects may ask and position your product
or service in context.
7. Improve prospecting skills
Although prospecting isn't
the most glamorous aspect of sales, it's one of the skills that can increase
your sales the most. It's also a task salespeople spend the most time
completing.
That's why sales reps should
enhance their prospecting skills. In order to effectively prospect leads, you
can use several prospecting techniques,
including making warm calls, hosting webinars, and spending time on social
media.
8. Review your sales calls
You can learn a lot from reviewing
what you did well and what went wrong in recorded sales calls. Ask your sales
manager if they host film reviews — and start one with your peers if nothing's
currently available. Film reviews allow salespeople to listen to and provide
feedback on a recording of a sales rep's call.
Aja Frost says, "The same
question comes up again and again: ‘Why did this prospect take the call?' If
the rep can't answer this question, it's usually because they've failed
to identify their buyer's most
pressing need. And that indicates they may lose the deal. Without
knowing what's driving their prospect, the salesperson can't effectively
explain their product's value."
Film reviews give you an
opportunity to improve your sales skills so you can increase your sales. When
you're participating in a film review, listen more and talk less. You might get
feedback based on how personalized the sales call was, how well you understood
buyer pain points, your overall attitude and authenticity, how well you set the
agenda, or how well you knew the product.
Go into film reviews with a
rubric or template in mind so you know what items you want to cover and will
have specific action points. For example, you could ask colleagues to rank your
questions, authenticity, and product knowledge on a scale of one to five. Then,
you could ask for specific action items that you could implement to improve.
9. Listen to feedback
In the same vein, if you are
taking part in film reviews, listen to the feedback you receive from your peers
and supervisors. It can be hard to hear critiques and criticisms on your
performance, but feedback is critical to improving your sales skills.
Pay attention to critiques on
the questions you're asking, the flow of the conversation, and your rapport.
These are critical sales skills that sales reps need to master to achieve
success.
For example, during a film
review, you might get the critique that the conversation felt more like an
interview than an authentic conversation because of how quickly you went from
question to question.
In this instance, you might
adjust your sales call to include more follow-up questions or small talk at the
beginning of the conversation.
10. Stay connected to the customer
In order to effectively make a
sale, you must build rapport with your
prospects. However, this isn't easy to do in a few minutes with a stranger on
the phone. To improve your sales skills, consider your connection with your
prospects. Have you done your research, thought of interesting questions, and
practiced your exploratory calls?
The key to building
relationships is authenticity. Having an authentic, productive conversation is
one of the best ways to stay connected with your customers and improve your
sales.
For example, if you've done
your research, you can talk about something the prospect has posted online. Use
dialogue like, "I saw on LinkedIn that…" or "I
read your blog that...". These are personalized ways to strike up
authentic conversation with your prospects.
11. Prepare for objection handling
During your sales calls, you
will get objections and questions about your product or service. That's why
it's important to be as prepared as possible for those objections and have
canned answers ready.
To prepare for common objections,
learn about your buyer persona and
take time to understand their pain points. Ask questions like "Do
they need our help?" and "Can we help them?".
By putting care and attention
into your prospect's pain points, you'll
improve your sales skills and enhance your performance.
12. Play with your closing techniques
Your sales process is
constantly being iterated upon. To improve your sales skills, try different
closing techniques. Adam Wiggins, a marketing professional, formerly of SalesITV, writes about
closing techniques in this blog. He says,
"Because sales professionals are expected to generate the best possible
win rates for their effort, a large number of closing sales techniques have
been developed over the years."
Wiggins says you can use
techniques such as:
·
Now or Never Closes: This is where salespeople make
an offer that includes a special benefit prompting immediate purchase.
·
Summary Closes: With this closing
technique, salespeople reiterate the items the customer might purchase
(stressing the value and benefits) to get the prospect to sign.
·
Sharp Angle Closes: Prospects often ask for
price reductions or add-ons because they know they have the upper hand — and
they also know you expect it. If you have approval from your sales manager, try
the sharp angle close technique to catch these prospects by surprise.
·
Assumptive Closes: This closing technique
draws on the power of positive thinking. If you believe, from the first piece of
email outreach, you'll close this deal, it can have an incredible effect on the
rest of the sales process.
·
Takeaway Closes: If you have kids, you've
likely noticed taking a toy away from them makes them want it more than ever.
Use this similar psychological practice on your prospects.
·
Soft Closes: The soft close is a way to show
your prospect the benefit of your product, and then ask a low-impact question
to ascertain whether they'd be open to learning more.
By playing with your sales
techniques, you'll continue to iterate and improve your sales skills.
13. Iterate on your sales cycle
Your sales cycle is
usually a tactical approach to the way you sell your product or service.
Typically, this isn't something that's going to change. However, it's important
to iterate at each stage of your sales cycle.
For example, if your sales
cycle follows the trajectory of "prospecting, connecting, researching,
presenting, and closing," you should consistently study ways to improve
your prospecting skills. You should also read up on how to have a successful
exploratory call, practice public speaking, and try different closing
techniques.
By iterating on each stage of
your sales cycle, you'll continuously improve your sales skills and reach
higher numbers every month.
14. Track your progress
The best way to improve your
sales skills is to track your progress. To track your progress, set sales goals and
record your performance every week or month. You can even implement a sort
of A/B test.
For example, begin by working
on one item from this list. Let's say you're going to try different closing
techniques. Record your current close rate and then track your close rate using
that technique. Has your close rate improved? A test like this can help you
isolate what's working in your sales process and what doesn't have an impact.
15. Enhance listening skills
In order to be an effective
salesperson, you must hone the art of active listening.
Typically, when a prospect is talking, you might be thinking of your response
and generating answers to questions in your head.
Instead, truly pay attention
when your prospect is talking. Repeat what they said and ensure you're
understanding them correctly. This helps you understand what their problem is
and if you can solve it for them.
To increase your sales and
improve your performance, consider professional development opportunities.
Always be on the lookout for ways to continuously build upon your sales skills and
boost your numbers.
Want to learn more about sales
skills? Check out our blog, 10 Essential Selling Skills Every
Sales Rep Needs.
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