Question: I've just started selling and really want to do well. My company is small and doesn't have a training program. Where do you suggest I start? How can I get better without spending a lot of money?
Answer: Small companies rarely have the financial resources to train their salespeople. Instead, they hope a truly talented person joins their staff and saves them from worrying about where the revenue will come from. But sales miracles rarely occur.
If you happen to be the new seller, you likely receive little direction beyond comments such as:
- Go get 'em!
- Make lots of calls.
- Bring us in for the close.
That kind of support is essentially worthless. It's given by people who think that sales is all about strong product knowledge, motivation, aggressiveness, enthusiasm and schmoozing.
They're wrong! It takes lots of knowledge and skill to be tops in this field. Here are 3 no-cost, low cost things you can do to help you become a top sales professional.
1. Interview Top Sellers
If your product or service is being sold by others, find out who the top sellers are, contact those people and ask for their help. Don't try to talk with them right away; set up a separate time for the interview at their convenience.
When you do connect, have a list of questions prepared. Specifically, you might want to ask:
- Who are the best prospects? Why?
- What are their goals, objectives, issues, concerns, bottlenecks?
- How do you get your foot in the door?
- How many sales calls does it typically take before someone buys?
- What do they do on each call?
- What questions do they ask?
- How do they develop a need for this product?
- What common obstacles do they encounter?
- How do they address them or prevent them from occurring?
Then I would ask them to role play with you. Let them be themselves and you be their customer. Listen to what they say and how they say it. If at all possible, record these interviews and listen to them later.
If what you're selling is unique (or somewhat unique), try to find a top seller in a related field. For example, if you sell software you can interview others who sell software. If you sell to the human resources department, look for others who sell into this area. They'll be able to give you insight into your decision makers.
2. Read about Selling
There are many resources online that post articles about sales such as my site: http://www.sellingtobigcompanies.com . Much excellent advice is available to you at no cost. You'll find info on prospecting, sales calls, negotiation, motivation and much more.
If you find experts whose writing makes a a lot of sense to you and seems to be written for your marketplace, check out their books, CDs, teleseminars and training sessions in more depth. Also, find out what the successful people in your market segment are reading.
3. Experiment with Sales
Consider everything you do when you're with prospective buyers as an experiment. You are just learning sales. No one expects you to get it right the first time.
When you try to get an appointment, notice what works or doesn't work. When you ask questions, notice which ones are effective and which ones aren't. When you describe your offering, notice what people are interested in and what seems to bore them.
Integrate what was effective into your next calls. Do something different in those areas where you stumbled. It's the only way to learn and get better. You might want to bounce your ideas off others. Ask them how they would respond if they were a prospective buyer.
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