The success of any businesses can be directly linked to the capabilities, Professionalism and effectiveness of its sales people. In order to maximise this effectiveness it is essential that the sales force have been professionally trained in the art of maximising sales whilst increasing the value your customers see from your product’s or service. To achieve this within your business I would recommend that all of your sales people attend a training program that has been specifically designed around your business plans and future goals. Each of the modules should be designed around and linked to the products that you sell the markets and customers that you sell them to and type of contact that you have with your existing and potential customers. If you have not yet engaged your sales people in this type of training then I’m sure you will find the next 25 tried and tested tips of great value.

1. Always Plan & Prepare before you contact your customer.
2. Believe in yourself and your products.
3. What is the USP (Unique Selling Point) of your product or Service?
4. Before any contact always decide what is your goal or objective.
5. Manage your time effectively. What can you do to be more efficient each day and create more time?
6. Ask yourself who is the best performer in your sales team/company and how can you imitate what they are doing?
7. Make sure you are talking to the decision maker.
8. Make sure you begin with an open/killer question – One that cannot be answered with a simple yes or no.
9. Take a consultative approach and try to help your customer rather than just sell to them.
10. When in initial discussions with the customer you should be doing round 30% of the talking with them doing the other 70%.
11. Ask the customer to clarify and commit to the statements they are making. I.e. so are you saying that your current supplier struggles to deliver in the timeframes that they initially promised?
12. Listen to the customer and do not interrupt them.
13. Learn to read body language and take notice of your own. What are you saying to the customer without even speaking?
14. Propose your product or service to the customer in a clear and concise manner.
15. Make sure your customer understands the Features, Advantages and Benefits of your product or service and how it will be suitable for their need.
16. Have you created enough desire to buy? The customer may understand that they have a need but do they feel you have the solution?
17. As your customer considers the cost ask yourself what added value can I offer this customer?
18. If your customer has an objection, test it and then question them in order to refine it and totally understand it.
19. Reassure the customer and answer the objection highlighting the relevant benefits of your product or service.
20. Ask for the order
21. Confirm and close the sale making sure the customers expectations can and will be met.
22. Keep up to date with the latest industry trends and technology developments.
23. Set yourself achievable but challenging targets and understand what you need to do in order to hit them.
24. Ask yourself what can I do to make buying from me easier?
25. When was the last time you refreshed your skills? Book yourself on a sales training course today.

Please subscribe to our regular news letter for further tried and tested sales tips.

We all know the importance of making a great first impression. How much easier a sales call becomes when this is achieved, whether face to face or telephone based.

There are a number of elements required in order for a First Impression to be weighted in your favour. You will require many skills that you will already possess, that is why, you have your position in sales. The hard part is being aware of them and putting them into practice on a regular basis.

Ask any top performer how to make a great first impression and there will be 1 common denominator. Consistency, they will be aware of the elements required and will put these into practice for every customer.

As you will be all too aware with Practice comes Improvement and Experience and this will ensure that the majority of your customers will have a good First Impression of you. Let’s be honest there will be some of your calls that you get wrong and some that you simply cannot influence.

The Elements

Plan your sales call

Say What? Say How?

Appeal, Intrigue, Require

Understanding & Expectation

Relationship Building

Interestingly the first and last parts of the element should be used in conjunction with all the other elements during the whole call. When planning your sales all you are looking for opportunities to build the best rapport possible with your client.

A top performer’s success will be underpinned by their ability to relate every part of the call back to the client ensuring that the First Impression they are looking for is achieved.

They will also have planned What & How to question their client. They will deal only in:

Open Questions

Penetrating Questions

Funnelling Questions

You will be aware of the need for Open Questions I am sure, now take the next 15 minutes listening to your colleagues on their sales calls or appointment calls and wonder in amazement at how many closed questions you hear… Surprising yes………. and no because there will be 1 simple factor that is causing this; your colleagues have not planned the call.

Whether you have 30 seconds or 30 minutes planning time, you will find that within this a top performer will know their opening question. It will be Relevant & it will be Open. Relevant to their business and Open to avoid that dead end Yes/No answer.

Open Questions start with:

When

Where

Who

What

Why

How

Examples of a Good opening question would be:

If the phone was to ring right now, WHAT sort of enquiry would you really like it to be?
How would you like to decrease the monthly expenditure to your business/ home?

The third element will be achieved a lot easier if the above has been followed. With the additional penetrating and funnelling questions the customer will be creating their own appeal and intrigue they will also start to appreciate the need that you have created.

You and your customer now have an understanding, interest and expectation of what will be achieved from your sales call.

All sounds so simple on paper but the classroom is different to a real customer. Of course they are and so are you different to the classroom - that is the ability that you have - and that is why you are in sales.Apply this consistently and your performance will improve, after all it is an improved performance that sets the Performers apart from the rest. For Training on Making A Great First Impression, Sales Negotiating, Sales Leadership and much more please contact us today.

I would like to thank Advance Your Sales for the excellent work you have done with our sales Induction program.

Since the implementation of your tailored induction program we have seen marked differences in our sales results as well as staff morale and retention.

Mibod is the number one company in health food vending and our sales force and franchisee network are constantly expanding. With this is mind we are looking forward to continually using your sales training & induction programs.

Yours Sincerely

Karl Omar

Business Development Director

Mibod Ltd

After being a Director of my own marketing company for 15 years, we were struggling to train a new business sales team. We had a meeting with Advance Your Sales and contracted them to progress with the training.

The results have been outstanding. We achieved an increase in sales and we could track the work of each individual, through the reports they have been trained to submit.

The impact they had on my business was that it enabled me to grow it to a certain size that I could sell it, which has now happened. Thank you Advance Your Sales!

Will Redfern

Managing Director

Protravel Ltd

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the series of sales training courses you have run for our team at Chipsaway.

Using the new processes that you have trained our people on we have already began to notice a marked difference within our results.

Our average order value has grown and we are currently seeing a 30% increase in our conversion rate. All of this has been combined with a happy and more motivated workforce.

As one of the largest Chipsaway franchise’s in the area we take our sales and service extremely seriously and we look forward to working with you in the future. We will also be recommending you to a number of the other Chipsaway franchise owners.

Yours Sincerely

Lucy Omar

Director

Chipsaway (Omar) LTD

UK Fire Safety Business

After client acquisition of established business, the client was looking to develop the Fire Alarms Division and to increase sales of products such as fire extinguishers and safety signage.

Working with the existing sales team we tailored a new sales process and sales administration procedure.

We maximised the customers existing client penetration and delivered a new target market within 6 month timeframe.

Result has seen customer business grow year on year by 165% and using same processes on target for 130% growth this year.

Effect of this has seen the company move to larger corporate offices and to double the sales force and engineers within the business.

Customer recently turned down a multi million pound offer for their business.

Corporate Travel Company - Dealing with Global Brands to UK market.

New Business Sales Team tasked with delivering penetration into vertical market on a sustained/measured basis. Developed with the client a process and structure to effectively acquire new clients and deliver measured growth in three key areas. 

1. New Client Acquisition
2. Effective Account Management.

3. Recognition as 1 of the 3 leading corporate travel companies in this market.

The client achieved three times the expected client base from original target. 90% retention of clients acquired with 60% of customers purchasing additional business.

Client became one of the leading players in this market. The effects of which ultimately resulted in a large blue chip purchasing the Business due to the success achieved and the effectiveness of the clients approach to the market.

The Company continues to grow and benefits from the support and development offered.

Dear Advance Your Sales,

Further to our recent Sales training programme for the whole sales force, I would like to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate Advanced Your Sales on the great training provided for my sales team.

Not only have my sales team benefited from the time invested in developing their potential but the company has achieved some stunning growth since this period of training.

I wish you much success in the future and will certainly continue to use the services offered by Advance Your sales.

Thank you once again.

Yours sincerely.

Keith Phillips
Managing Director
Fire X UK Fire Safety Systems