Last month we listed our top 10 golden rules of sales, but as there’s more to this than we think, here’s another 10:
11. Effective salespeople understand the needs of their customers. Ask strategic, needs-focused questions until you fully understand them.
12.Be creative in finding ways to build relationships with your customers and prospects. Your best friend was once a stranger…
13. Persist with these relationships, work at them continuously. Realise that people will buy on their timeframes, not yours.
14.Don’t bring up price. Yes we know this is #10 also, but we think it’s the #1 mistake that salespeople make.
15. Plan your sales activity. Create an activity plan and stick to it!
16. Remember the QDQ of sales activity, Quantity – Direction – Quality. Are you doing enough activity? With the right people? With skill, knowledge and enthusiasm?
17. Sell the benefits of your solution, not the features of your product.
18. Never hard sell. Ever. Your customers will hate it. And hate you!
19. Always be open and honest. If you are you’ll never have to remember what you’ve said. Good for old people like me!
20. Treat objections first as a sign of interest and second as an unmet need. Explore these needs and position the benefits of your solution to meet them.
So there you have it, 20 Golden Rules of Sales. And we could probably write another 20 or 30, which just goes to show how complex the subject can be.
Our #1 tip?
It’s always about the customer, never about you. Seek to fully understand their needs and never push your product or service.