20 Short’n’Easy Tips for Sales Success

connect-and-sell-easy-sales-imageLet’s be clear:

Sales itself is not easy.

But, these tips are simple to understand and implement.

Let me explain them, and read to the end for 4 special BONUS tips!

1. Always thank your prospects and clients for their time.

2. If you’re on a call, discuss its purpose up front.

3. Follow up at least 5-7 times to schedule an appointment. (Oops, just kidding, this was before sales acceleration, follow up with intrinsically qualified buyers dozens of times until the time is right for them to buy! Let the technology automate your attempts!)

4. Leave voicemails at 6:45 – 8:00 AM – it shows you are driven and makes a good impression. (Or use technology to reach decision makers every 2-3 minutes and stay away from voicemails!)

5. Whenever you talk to clients or customers, think about how you can leave them feeling confident in you.

6. Never recite your pitch – always ask questions until you understand.

7. Find ways to stay in contact with your prospects if they don’t buy right away.

8. Record some of your calls and review them regularly to see where you can improve. And ask a third party sales coach to review them with you!

9. Schedule prospecting and stick to it – the sales will come.

10. Sales is a numbers game to some degree, but focus on the quality of your conversations rather than the quantity.

11. Manage your time doing things that drive yourself and your sales forward – most salespeople are unproductive.

12. Write a personal mission statement that defines how you approach sales and life – and adjust every detail of your life to be in congruence with it.

13. Make everyone else the center of attention – they love to have their egos stroked, and it pays dividends for you in the long run.

14. Shoot for the highest decision-maker possible (the C-Suite). They can connect you with the right person in their organization. If you aim low, it’s almost impossible to work your way up.

15. Give value in every conversation you have with a prospect or client. That way, they have a reason to keep coming back to you.

16. Discover your prospect’s true problem in the initial conversation – then you can identify how to position your product or service as the solution.

17. The price is only too high if you haven’t uncovered the pain and articulated the value (Guess what you do next…)

18. Pay attention to your prospect’s unspoken cues. If they sound irritated, annoyed, or in a rush, ask if it’s better to have the conversation again in the future.

19. Answer questions quickly. Remember, this conversation isn’t about you – it’s about whether your product or service is right for them.

20. What’s the next logical step in your relationship? Ask your prospect if there’s any barriers to them taking that step.

As Promised – Your Bonus Tips

Bonus Tip #1 Talk to your prospect like you would to a family member or friend who’s never heard of your product or service. That makes it easier to form a connection.

Bonus Tip #2 Identify key sales performance benchmarks for yourself, and do your best to meet them. If you don’t, analyze why, revise, refine, and keep trying.

Bonus Tip #3 Do a simple Google search on your customer or prospect – you never know what useful information you might find about them.

Bonus Tip #4 Never give 100% of your sales presentation. If you do, that means you haven’t taken enough time to understand your prospect’s problem and give them the right solution. Only give some of your sales presentation once you have clear insights into your prospect’s problem.