Category: Template Blog

I landed a telemarketing outbound calling position and I recall having less than a week in sales training. The sales training that I had focused more on product education and an introduction to my working environment.

This was frustrating to me as I had no sales experience and not much to my surprise did either a lot of my fellow employees. I was forced to learn on the spot while I was calling legitimate leads and potential customers. 

I had no confidence on the phone because I didn’t know what I was doing. We were given a basic sales script to follow however I didn’t understand and nor was I trained on how to handle basic objections. Which adequate training objection handling can be easily addressed.

listening to current employees but very much little to do with the sales process, what we can do to improve, what makes a salesperson stand out, and what we can do to speed up the process to learn and make sales. 

Regardless of your job title, you are a salesperson and selling is a part of your job. 

The word selling to most people implies pressuring the buyer to make a purchase in a high stakes situation. However, a true salesperson will see selling as providing value, explaining the logic and the benefits of a decision. 

Communication is a part of life and having sales skills should be viewed as having a high level of ability in communication which is critical for business survival. We also have everyday life situations where sales skills can help influence a decision whether it’s to our parents, employers, employees or even our partners. 

The art of the sell empowers us to convince others of an idea which favours us or makes sense on a practical and financial level. 

I would like to share with you some basic tips on how you can sell effectively. 

1. Research

The more information you know about the buyer, the easier it is to influence their decisions. 

2. Build rapport

Build a connection with your prospect, every consumer will go through a process to determine a level of trust.

• Are you being personable?
• Are you explaining information thoroughly?
• Are you being honest and trustworthy?
• Are you providing value?

3. Ask questions

Showing interest in a customer’s needs will always lead you in the right direction. Ask the right questions and you will collect the information you need to improve your chances when you attempt to close the deal. However, beyond closing the deal if you don’t know what your customer needs you won’t be able to help them. 

4. Pen and paper 

Having a pen and paper ready is a great idea to record all the information your customer gives you during the questioning phase. 

5. Solve the customer’s problems 

After the question and listening phases what you’ve recorded will play a key role in helping the customer solve their problem. Your product or what your offering must solve a problem otherwise you are wasting your time. 

6. Closing the deal 

Your goal as a salesperson should be to connect with the customer, provide solutions and inevitably result in a commitment from the customer. At some point you will need to ask for a decision, the close will emerge as a natural part of the conversation if you have executed the previous sales tips. 

7. Follow up

Every business should have core business values, one of which should be to build a lifelong relationship with their customer. How do you build a relationship? Follow up after the sale, give them a call and discuss how the product/solution is rectifying their problem.