The golden rules of sales…straight from the experts

Sales is the most important activity of any business organization, be it product or service based.

From the outside, sales may appear like a ruthless way of pushing products on unsuspecting consumers or clients, but in reality, sales is the culmination of a long-term engagement in which a company or a brand works steadily to establish its expertise, win the prospective customer’s trust and convince them that their product or service is ideal to solve their problems.

So, What Does The Sales Person Do?

• Sales team often finishes what the marketing team starts. If the marketing team brings the leads and engages them, the sales team builds a convincing case as to why the customer should buy a specific product or service.

• Sales people should remember that they work with, and not against, their customers. It’s not the sale alone that is important, but the benefit that the clients would get out of the sale and how well the sale would drive them towards their own business objectives.

What CRW ( CUSTOMER RELATIONS ON WEB) says about sales rules?

Helping companies connect and build a strong customer base is something CRW has been doing for over 30 years. In an ever changing marketplace, we work hard every day to help find better ways to ensure successful outcomes. From digital targeting programs and social media content, to demonstration videos and marketing campaigns, we help you connect. From complete programs, or a single step along the way. CRW works with your staff and vendors to ensure your goals are reached.

• First and foremost, sales representatives performing the traditional sales role should build good relationship with their customers.

• A good sales person knows that the relationship never ends with just one sale. It is important the customer/client keeps coming back for more. Better customer relationship = better name = more customers.

• Ensure your product/service lives up to the promise. If your claim is that your machine will produce 1,500 steel plates an hour, it should at least be closest to the target. If you have created expectation in your customer that the product will help them achieve their targets faster and improve overall productivity, the product should live up to that promise. Also, you should keep whatever after-sale services you promised.

• Build trust. You may have the world’s best product in providing certain benefits or solving a certain problem, but if your prospective client does not trust you, you are bound to fail in your effort to sell.

HOW CAN YOU BUILD TRUST:

• Demonstrate the uniqueness of your product. Present data/facts to show how your product performs against the competition. How it solved the problem of a similar company in size and market position. Make sure it is only about the customer’s welfare and benefit. Put the focus on them and not on your sales target.
• Make sure the benefits are calculated in terms of money. For example – using your product will save them 700 units of electricity or INR 35,000 in power bills. That is something your prospect will understand better.

Don’t hide from budget or money questions

Set reasonable expectations. Make sure that the expectations are mutually beneficial and make sure the prospect understands them.

Finally, here are the three golden rules of sales which every sales person should follow

• Be genuine -practice honesty at work -be yourself. Speak from your heart and make genuine connections.

• Be a listener -Understand your customer’s requirements -think how best you can solve their problems and whether your product or service can help them to their satisfaction.

• Be confidential -whatever you discuss with your customer, it’s between the two of you. Use the information gathered only to achieve the sale. Keeping secrets is one more way of winning your customer’s trust.

How to Achieve sales target

• MEASURE YOUR SALES ACTIVITIES: You’ve probably heard that which gets measured improves sales. Choose three merits and monitor them closely all year. Consider measuring your sales generating time.

• MONITOR YOUR PIPELINE: Salesperson usually look for pipeline everyday. The rule of thumb is to maintain 3 times your quota in your pipeline at all times.

• INCREASE YOUR AVERAGE SALE: A simple strategy is to give your client something extra in their proposal. Include one additional item or a second option that you think they’d going valuable based on their issue.

• ALIGN WITH PEOPLE WHO CAN BRING LEADS: Review your LinkedIn connections and make a list of all the people who interact with your potential sales prospect and network with them. Create your own leads group.

• ASK FOR MORE REFERRALS: Referrals are the easiest way to get more business, yet the most frequently ignored prosperity strategy. Set a goal for yourself to ask for 2 referrals a week.

• FOLLOW UP CONSISTENTLY: Regardless of your sales role, you need new opportunities. Schedule time every week to check on your clients. Following up on marketing qualified leads, prosperity in a large account.

– with inputs from Nithin