This week on LinkedIn one of my popular posts was about what I thought was the DNA or traits of a salesperson.
I covered three:
- Must have a stable personality
- Must have goal-setting ability
- Must have independence
In this blog, I wanted to reach out to the rookies that are just starting and give them some heads up on a few ways to build success in your sales career.
Building Success Habits.
Everyone knows that when you begin a career in sales, you will probably be required to do a few things to be effective.
My advice first week:
- Learn the product (90%)
- Develop relationships with your key managers
- Working with others that have BEARING on your success. IT, tech guys etc
- Understanding your market and the needs of your customer
I read recently only 1% of salespeople who start in the profession self-learn. They rely on the company to provide that service. That’s not good.
Commitment to Growth.
Any salesperson I hire for my clients usually go through a sales assessment programme. We measure lots of things and then we report back to them in a 15 page report, tips on how to help them succeed.
Here are some tips that you can use right now:
- Make a personal commitment to be successful
- Set yourself high standards and create activity
- Set daily and weekly goals for yourself
- Plan- If you do not have a plan, stay in the car
- Sit with your mentor or team manager weekly and review your results.
- Outwork the competition
Learn to Listen.
Listen to hear, not to reply. Listening is one of the hardest things that you can master in the sales process.
If you learn to listen, you can deal with any client, even the more challenging ones.
If you listen to a client without even thinking about selling your product, the relationship with that person will develop faster.
Salespeople who listen become very effective, very quickly, for the simple reason that the client knows that they are being listened to.
Call Reluctance.
Prospecting and rejection are part of selling. Just know that every call is a chance to learn.
Look at your calling and prospecting as a chance to try out approaches, let people know that you are the new guy.
People like that, especially if you are introducing yourself to your existing customers.
Study your product at every opportunity. Product knowledge is the key to overcoming call reluctance.
These tips are just a few things to get you started.
Being new to this profession is fun, embrace it.
One final tip – you won’t have picked up the bad habits of the older veterans that you may be sitting beside right now, watch out and look for positive members of the team that can help you, not hinder you.
Check out my LinkedIn page and Youtube for heaps of free stuff.
Whatever career you decide to take in sales, it’s always good to get some help.
That’s why you can get FREE in your inbox every morning for 7 days; the 7 Day Sale Challenge.
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Mike Brunel started mikebrunel.com after being a successful entrepreneur and founder of NRS Media. He co-founded NRS Media in Wellington, New Zealand, expanded it into a global powerhouse in media sales and training, and was eventually responsible for opening offices in London, Atlanta, Toronto, Sydney, Capetown, and Bogota. He has hired hundreds of salespeople around the world.
He made a lot of mistakes when it came to hiring his superstars. Check out his How to Hire A Super Salesperson Each and Every time – It’s packed with tips and ideas on how to hire great salespeople. Don’t ever Hire Bad Salespeople Ever Again. Promise!