Effective Sales
These sales hacks to sell more are just fundamental changes in the way you manage your sales team (if you’re a manager) or the way you approach selling ( if you’re a sales rep).
Half of these sales rep tips below are specifically designed to help you become the successful sales manager that you’re always meant to be, and the other half, to guide sales representatives to sell more.
Your tasks as sales managers are tough at times, if not often.
You craft sales. You supervise sales reps.
In short, you play a significant role in the success of the sales department as a whole.
And when your sales team is not having successful sales as much as they should have, that can be frustrating!
The good news is that you do not have to settle for dull sales results.
In fact, when these few sales rep tips are implemented in your sales department, you may find your team’s sales skyrocketing like never before!
Ready? Let’s dig in.
1. Avoid assigning too many administrative tasks to your sales team
What’s the main task of sales reps? To sell products and services. Precisely!
That’s how they are graded at the end of the quarter: how much revenue they bring in and how that relates to the team goals (quotas).
Everything else is a distraction, a very low priority.
Think of it this way - every second they spend on an administrative task is a second that they could have spent selling one of your products to a customer.
The first of the sales rep tips is to remove everything from your inside sales reps’ role that does not include selling.
Updating databases? Nope.
Leadgeneration? Nope.
Prospecting? Nope.
What should they do then? They should just take a qualified lead and close them.
If hiring an administrative assistant isn’t in your budget, use a CRM tool that will allow you to automate these tasks.
2. Give your team the tools they need
Having the tools they need to work more productive every day will exponentially help your sales team achieve results!
A great sales rep tip is to use a good CRM system, and use it well. This helps sales reps sell more by boosting their efficiency.
A good CRM can smoothly collect all vital information, follow up on appointments or tasks, and maintain contact with your prospects.
We all know how game-changing collecting information is: your prospect’s hobbies, background, birthdays, and NAMES!
If you are not sure which tools to provide, ask your team what is slowing them down. Chances are, the issues they encounter can easily be overcome (or handled better) by incorporating a new tool into their daily workflow.
Bitrix24 can help you with this. More than just a CRM tool, this platform has got all your business needs. It’s an absolute must-try if you haven’t yet.
3. Don’t bombard them with too many meetings
Just don’t.
Don’t worry; even the best sales managers sometimes make the mistake of scheduling too many meetings with the team - which are often unnecessary.
The thing is, filling a salesperson’s day with meetings also means taking away time they could have spent talking to customers.
So the third sales rep tip is to minimize meetings if you want to increase sales.
Ask yourself if the information in the meeting you are planning could be better shared in an email or a message.
If the answer is “yes,” then, by all means, skip the urge to schedule a meeting and instead empower your team to talk to as many prospects as possible that can bring revenue to your business.
4. Foster a good company culture
A salesperson who has low morale is often less motivated to sell and will result in failure to achieve top sales results.
Make sure your sales team is provided with a non-toxic work environment.
By simply implementing the sales rep tips above, you are already boosting the morale of your team.
Here are some other suggestions:
Encourage creative thinking. Give your team a creative leeway on the sales pitch and allow them to suggest and try out new sales tactics.
A sense of teamwork. Not just tell, but show your team that you’re all working together toward a common goal of helping the company grow and succeed. Motivate them. Make them feel your presence in every step of the sales process.
Be fair and consistent. Never hold back from firing reps that aren’t performing up to your team’s standards. We all know what happens to a basket of freshly-picked tomatoes when mixed with a rotten one.
5. Improve your sales hiring process and provide coaching to your team when necessary
Successful sales are the lifeblood of the business, so it is imperative that you only choose the best in your team.
The “best” salesman is the one that does not sell you a product but rather makes you want to buy his product.
In this regard, choose to hire those with the greatest potentials rather than those with the longest experience.
According to surveys, up to 50% of “salespeople” are currently in the wrong line of work.
What does this imply? While they may be excellent communicators, they do not have, nor will they ever have, what it takes to be a top-performing salesperson.
So pre-screen candidates over the phone and use sales personality tests to identify potentials.
And of course, training and coaching shouldn’t only be given as part of the on-boarding process.
Let them know your product/service inside out.
This doesn’t just refer to memorizing the range of products/services available but also knowing the features and the benefits they provide.
Ask your team what impedes them from selling more.
Once you analyze and pinpoint their needs, create a training program that’s tailored to upgrade, improve, or bridge their individual skills and knowledge of the market.
Getting your sales team to sell more is not just about figuring out what stands in the way to selling more but also taking quick action to eliminate that problem.
6. Understand human psychology
We all are as different as we all are the same.
This collective “database” of our likes and dislikes acts as a reflection of our personalities. That’s the exact point where the salesman cashes in, to find common ground.
How?
Make people nostalgic. Find a common denominator between you and your prospect, then start from there. The concept of the “good ole times” still works like a charm these days. If the clients are born in the ’90s, make your selling point with a tinge of Harry Potter or Pokemon. You know the drill.
The illusion of scarcity. People often think that expensive things are more likely to be scarce. You can use it to your advantage. Give them the fear that their freedom of choice is vanishing sooner. Their fear of missing out will make them your main customers.
Reciprocity. Surprise your customers timely. Your old customers will bring your new ones. Ever got an extra tissue from a waiter and thought to tip him better?
If yes, then the waiter has just utilized the idea of reciprocity to his advantage. Give your prospects a freebie and see how they turn into clients.
7. Have an in-depth understanding of your prospect’s business
Make a profile of your ideal customer as to their interests. What are they looking for? How can your product fit the gap in their business similar product toss?
Analyze your competitors and find your points of difference and parity.
Also, check if the potential clients are presently using a product that is similar to that of yours and find your competitive advantages over them.
And remember: you are in a people business.
It’s never just about selling a product. It’s about creating a relationship with people.
You have to proactively communicate and anticipate the needs of your clients.
If you can talk to your client like they are a real individual with unique needs, you’re halfway there.
Everyone wants to know they are special and that you believe in what they do, what they want, or who they are.
8. Master the art of storytelling
Nobody remembers statistics or numbers. But everyone will remember a well-narrated story.
What’s the sales rep tip here? Give them a good story! An EVERlasting one.
Engaging. Valuable. Educational. Relevant.
Make your story capture their attention amid all the incessant and loud marketing noise out there.
Keep it authentic, pain-addressing, solution-giving, and distinct from your competition.
9. Choose your words carefully
Everything that you say, visualize, or write should be packed with emotions.
Every word creates a picture in mind. When I say tsunami, you picture a disaster. When I say apple, you will visualize one. Try picturing happiness on that note.
It’s all on you how you want your team to feel from your words.
Pick your words carefully and understand who and why you are speaking to that person.
In a corporate environment, the things you say are taken much more seriously, especially if you are in a higher position.
10. Be persistent but genuine
This might be the last sales rep tip, but it’s one of the most fundamental.
There is no harm in following up with your prospects regularly.
If they are not interested, they will say a no.
You believe in your product, and you know it’ll benefit the person you’re reaching out.
Don’t quit easy - not after two phone calls, not after an uneducated no, not after 5 unanswered emails.
BUT strive to remain genuine in your approach.
Ask yourself: Am I just spamming people or am I reaching out and providing value whether or not they ultimately decide to do business with me?
Everything else depends on the choices you make.
Good choices will lead you to more clients, and bad choices will lead you to experience.
