A great way to draw returns on time investment is to become more efficient in sales. To sell more, buy into these principles:
Listen to customers. "Most salespeople talk too much," said Dave Anderson, author of "TKO Sales: Ten Knockout Strategies for Selling More of Anything." "They don't engage the prospect with enough questions or the right questions to do an effective diagnosis of what the customer wants and needs most."
Too much talking can also lead to missed buying signs.
"Listen with the intent to understand and not with the intent to reply," Anderson said.
Business guru Peter Drucker said, "The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said."
Practice "less is more." Avoid information dumps on customers. "We have to know everything about the product, but we have to present it selectively," Anderson said.
Anticipate objections. Salespeople quickly know the most common objections customers have for not buying a product. So sellers should tailor their presentations to answer the objections before the customer brings them up.
Diligently practice your presentations. "The level of your practice will determine the level of your performance," Anderson said.
Build relationships. "It's not what you know or who you know; it's how well you know them that counts," said Ivan Misner, author of "Masters of Sales: Secrets From Top Sales Professionals That Will Transform You Into a World Class Salesperson." "The return on investment for one's networking efforts are extremely high." He says salespeople should click with customers three ways: initial visibility, establishing credibility, and profitability from having delivered for them previously.
Relationships are built on trust. "True selling professionals don't talk about ethics; they live ethically!" wrote sales master Zig Ziglar.
Understand your audience. Try to learn as much as possible about the person making a buying decision. Misner suggests utilizing the Internet. Company profiles may help you understand clients better and help you make the sale.
Keep at it. You'll never get a sale if you don't ask for it. And "no doesn't mean never," Anderson said. "It just means not yet. Remember that 80% of deals are closed after five attempts. Thus you'll need a strong dose of persistence to sell more than you're selling."
Cultivate your attitude. Never underestimate the role it plays in sales. Customers buy people as much as products.
"An estimated 80% of your sales success is determined by your attitude," Anderson said. "Attitude is like any other discipline; you have to constantly work at it. You can't just drive negative thoughts away; you have to replace them with something else. Reading or listening to inspirational material is a key to positively influencing your thoughts and creating productive inner emotions. The earlier in the day you can do this, the better.
"Attitude," said Anderson, "is the rudder for your career, and it takes constant attention."
Source: Investor's Business Daily
