How to be the Best Salesman

Successful salespeople have the ability to adapt to the market, build relationships, and negotiate terms. These and other sales skills are essential to successfully closing deals. While the terms are often used interchangeably, sales skills and sales techniques are not the same thing.

  • Sales skills are behavioral competencies that help navigate problems and questions salespeople encounter during the sales journey.
  • Sales techniques are more like strategies. They cover things like plans for handling price objections, cross and upselling, showcasing a product or service’s unique value, and having a range of closes.

Whether you’re selling products or services or are in B2B or B2C sales, there are sales techniques you can use to improve the sales process and achieve your sales goals.

Assertive vs. Aggressive

Before jumping into our list of tried-and-true sales techniques, a brief word on using different sales techniques with assertiveness, but without appearing to be aggressive. Everyone’s familiar with the “pushy sales tactics” many salespeople use. Knowing how to use assertive tactics to win over customers is key to sales success.

  • People who use aggressive sales techniques are relentless in pursuing a desired outcome, so much so they ignore their customers’ needs and wants.
  • Assertive salespeople are respectful of their customer’s needs yet use clear and firm communication to explain the benefits of their products or services.

Remember, it’s usually not the questions you ask a lead that comes across as pushy; it’s how you handle the response you receive.

Best Sales Techniques That Work

Use these five sales techniques to show prospects what you can provide to change their situation and persuade them to choose you over your competitors.

1. Empathize With a Customer’s Pain Points

By asking the right questions, you help potential customers articulate why your product or service can alleviate their pain points. Lead with questions like:

  • “Tell me about your current situation.”
  • “Tell me more.”
  • “What will happen if you don’t deal with this and find a solution?”
  • “What will failing to act cost you?”
  • “Why are you searching for a solution now?”

2. Anticipate Sales Objections

What objections do you frequently hear from potential leads? Rather than deal with a lead’s objections after they come up, preempt them by addressing and dissolving them before your prospect articulates them. This could be as simple as adding the phrase “some people think” to your scripted sales pitch. When you bring an objection out in the open first, it shows you empathize with what your lead is likely feeling and thinking.

3. Help People “Sell Themselves”

Some people refer to this as consultative selling. What does that mean? The best salespeople don’t need to talk anyone into making a purchase. Instead, they put the emphasis on the prospect and help them close the deal themselves. By asking the right questions and then reframing their responses, you help leads see why your product or service is the solution to their problem.

4. Create Opportunities to Cross and Upsell

These sales techniques shouldn’t be confused with bait and switch. The goal is to ensure a customer is happy with their final purchase, not unhappy that they paid for something they didn’t need. For instance, if someone is buying a piece of tech equipment that would work better with an accessory, present them with the facts on why that’s the case. In other words, if spending another $100 gets them a far better return on a product or service, your customer will thank you.

5. Arm Yourself With a Range of Closes

Closing a sale is filled with obstacles and objections. If you stick with only one or two standard closes, you could potentially lose out on a sale. Develop different closes that address things like:

  • Proper timing to buy.
  • Pain points are addressed.
  • Why your solution is the best one.
  • “If I do _____, will that close the deal?”
  • Offering multiple options.
  • Offering a discount if it seals the deal.

Using CRM software to keep track of successful (and not-so-successful) closing techniques is a terrific way to help you improve your sales techniques and their results. You can also use it to streamline the entire sales cycle, build better customer relationships, and improve customer loyalty.

OnCourse is a sales automation platform that simplifies the sales process and provides you with an integrated suite of tools designed to keep you on the right course to hit your sales goals. Ready to learn more about how it can help you significantly increase your sales outreach and gain greater visibility into crucial sales metrics? Request a sales demo today.