There are millions of Americans working in the sales industry. Even if your title is not Director of Sales or Sales Representative, it does not mean that you are not a sales person. Small business owners sell their own products and services every day, because they own every role at their company. Employees in charge of new business development for organizations are also sales people, selling the services or products of their business.
No matter what industry, any business professional that interacts with customers and potential customers touches the sales process. The first Friday in March is designated as National Salesperson Day every year. This year it was March 6th.
In honor of the sales work that millions of professionals engage in every day to help businesses continue to succeed, OptifiNow has compiled a few tips that every person in the sales process can use to improve their skills. Here are the tips on how to be a better sales person in 2015:
Sell Yourself First – Sales reps also need to keep in mind that they are not just selling a product. Before a customer makes a decision about a product or service they analyze the person selling it. A kind a helpful sales rep that is knowledgeable about the product he or she is selling will always appeal more to a potential customer.
Respond Faster – the early bird does get the worm. Find ways to respond to incoming inquiries faster and take advantage of technology. If a customer is difficult to reach by phone, try using text messaging or social media.
Become an Expert – investing the time to create a personal blog, LinkedIn page or other online presence where you can present yourself as an expert in your field will help potential customers recognize you as a trustworthy source of information and someone they want to do business with.
Read the News – by staying on top of current trends in your industry you will be able to identify sales opportunities faster and incorporate those trends into your sales outreach.
Customize Everything – whether you are buying a car or enterprise software for a business, every customer likes to feel special and valuable. By taking a few minutes to customize an email or letter to a customer, you will catch their attention during a busy day and improve the likeliness that they will reply to you.