Key Skills to Succeed in Sales

With change in technology, the buying behavior of the consumer has undergone several changes. However, the basic of sales remain the same, i.e. to ask questions and then listen quietly and carefully to the answers provided by your customer. The best salespeople probably make fewer sales calls, but the better ones.

A Sale is a skill that is carried out in a systematic and disciplined manner. To succeed in sales, one must be sincere in listening to his customer without an agenda, and if required ask questions that will assist them in concluding in making a wise buying decision. To build a win-win relationship, the sales person must remember that it is not about what he wants but what the customer wants. Below mentioned are some of the other important key skills required to succeed in sales.

Prepare for the 'WORST' Question

A good salesperson is always prepared for the worst questions from his customers. Hard-packed information about the company, product, market and the customer is a must to know before stepping into making any sales pitch. Know your competitors well, what they are into, about their product. Many a times, the salesperson with deeper knowledge about the market wins the customer regardless of the price of the product.

Empathy Not Sympathy

Sympathy is no more a sales skill. Today, the customers want empathy from the sales person. It means the sales person need to be able to put himself in the clients shoes, look at things through his eyes, feel how they feel and genuinely care about what is important to them, putting his own ideas and feelings about what's right for him aside.

Show You Care

There is an old saying, people do not care how much you know, until they know how much you care. Making sales is not enough. You need to show your clients that you care for them and after sales service is the best way to do it. The movie 'Rocket Singh - Salesman of the Year' highlighted this sales point as one of the important element for winning clients with a long-term relationship.

Relationship Building

The sales people who succeed will have a long-term relationship building skills. Many companies spend a lot of time and money getting a client than they do to keep them. This element is outdated. Making a new client takes 80 percent of your time and money; where as keeping your existing customer will take just 20 percent of your time and energy. Once a client has purchased from you and are satisfied with your service, they become more apt to purchase from you and to become your brand advocate.

Co-ordination with other Departments

A successful sales person has the ability to work with people in other departments of their company. It is important to work together to accomplish the common goal of satisfying your client and turn it into profit for your company. One never knows when you may need a favor from other departments to satisfy your clients. So build a healthy relationship within the organization, it's not going to take much of your time and energy, but will surely pay you