8 Habits of Successful Sales People

1. They’re Prepared

“Winging it” on the fly isn’t how salespeople succeed. It’s preparation. Preparation to the point of being the expert on the industry you’re selling in, the product you’re selling, and the other options (competition) that the buyer has. That is how you gain status and become the consultant as opposed to the pushy salesperson. Here are a few things to keep in mind about preparation:

● The pushy salesperson wants to shove a product down your throat, whether it’s the best solution for you or not, and customers can sense that in a second!

● The prepared, professional consultant knows the problems the customer is facing, they know what those problems are costing in terms of time and money, they know the strengths and weaknesses of the other options available to the customer, and of course, why their product is the best solution.

● According to the Janek Performance Group, top salespeople leverage the following tools in order to better understand their client’s needs and market.

○ Account Analysis: Consider company financials, new products or services, history of growth, and knowledge of key players.

○ Social Media: These platforms can show personalities, industry trends and client interests, while providing groups that you learn and share relevant information with.

○ Industry Reports: Research and gain insights on your client’s industry as awhole and in turn, use it to devise a sales strategy.

● WORD OF CAUTION! While you have to know everything about your industry, product, etc… you do not have to share it all with your prospects until it becomes necessary. We’ve seen countless salespeople “verbally vomit” on their prospects, spewing everything they know trying to prove how smart they are, and that just turns people off.

3. Emphasize customer relationships early

While many sales reps tend to focus on the closing phase, great salespeople understand how to develop relationships with clients early. This doesn’t mean making them your best friend or kissing up to them! It means establishing a relationship of mutual trust and respect, and it’s easily done by doing two things:

● Being a prepared, respected, professional in your space.

● Caring about the potential customer and what’s best for them.
If you’re doing it right, you’re the one providing massive value to the customer! You shouldn’t have to buy them gifts, take them to lunch, or have phony conversations about their kids. All of those things are good to do if you genuinely want to do them, but you should not feel like you have to in order to get the sale.

Another way to look at it is when you walk in, the doctor is in the house. Doctors typically don’t take their patients to lunch and nor do their patients expect them to. However, there is a good, solid, professional relationship of mutual trust and respect. That’s the goal.

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4. They uniquely articulate their offer

The best sales reps take time to step into the shoes of customers and understand how their offering uniquely meets the needs or desires of each specific customer.

According to a study cited by Harvard Business Review, only 54% of buyers believe that the sales reps they meet with are adept at clearly articulating how their solution impacts the buyer’s business. This goes back to the first point, being prepared and knowing your industry, product and customer.

5. They are data-driven

Too often salespeople just “throw numbers at it,” thinking volume will solve all problems. You’ve heard the saying, “work smarter, not harder?” Well, how about “work smarter and harder?”

● According to Salesforce, 57% of high performing sales teams rely on sales analytics, compared to only 16% of their underperforming counterparts.

● In fact, high performing sales organizations are, on average, 3.5 times more likely to use analytics as part of their day-to-day prospecting and selling efforts. Therefore, imagine what your results would look like if you worked harder at the things that were actually producing results and eliminating what wasn’t working for you!

6. Excellent listening skills

Great salespeople take the time to listen for underlying clues and hidden messages, seek clarification when necessary, and use prompters such as “tell me more about that” or “go on” to encourage the prospect to share information during their sales pitch.

“Seek first to understand, then to be understood”- Stephen Covey

We were blessed with two ears and one mouth, use them in that proportion. You can’t recommend the best product unless you completely and thoroughly understand the problem you’re there to solve. No shortcuts. Consider a doctor who takes time asking his or herpatient questions so they can prescribe the right treatment to make them feel better. Even if they screw up now and again, their patient wouldn’t hold it against them because they knew he/she cares about them by taking the time to really learn about their issues. Again, be the doctor!