Tips & Tricks

A lot of salespeople will be familiar with the idea that sales is about three things - a positive attitude, clever sales techniques and working through the numbers.

Every day we put on our sales hat and apply an empathic and upbeat approach in our attitude to our customers.We develop and practice slick sales skills to connect with the customer, identify what they need and lead a conversation to the sale or positive outcome.

We work through the process of prospecting, presenting and managing the sale in order to bring it to a close. Yet, how many of us have figured out exactly how many leads we need? 

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Any time I think of how we use jargon and acronyms on a daily basis, I am reminded about how confusing it can be. Especially, as I am teleported back to a much earlier time in my career when I had a site visit with a client in the UK.

There were five of us in the room. Four members of the client’s team and me. I was a little outnumbered. Still, I felt very welcome.

There was great excitement that day, as we chatted about an upcoming sales project. We got stuck into discussing the logistics of the plan working out what we needed to do and by whom.

Everything was going smoothly and then I hit a wall.

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A good salesperson knows the chance of closing a sale is higher when you get in front of the buyer. Sometimes this means setting up a meeting face-to-face, on the phone or via video link – especially with B2B or higher value sales.

Many people will simply ask for the appointment. And some prospects will say yes, just because you asked. Yet, I would ask how many times have we stopped to think – “Am I doing this right?  Am I missing out on opportunities by the way I ask?”

Timing is important when asking for the appointment. If we ask too soon, we can come across as pushy and turn people off. Too late and we can look uninterested or lame. It's all about getting it right.

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There is nothing better than the feeling of giving to others, rather than receiving. However, as a wise man once said “You can’t drive on an empty tank”. When we give too much, we pay the price. The secret is getting the balance right.

Many of us are “givers” and have allowed ourselves to be at the beckon call of other people. We allow continuous interruptions to happen throughout our day. We don’t know how or when to say no, to the detriment of our own work.

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Recently, I noticed a lot more front-line staff are feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Their customers are becoming exasperated and sometimes demanding, leading to more difficult conversations. 

I decided to research some useful techniques to manage these situations, when I came across a very interesting video entitled “Don’t take it personally”.

I was captivated by the short yet practical clip by a lady called Xandria Ooi; a well-known Malaysian writer, motivational speaker, TV and radio host. Ooi’s sums up her advice by giving three reasons why we should not take things personally when someone criticises, insults or gives us a backhanded compliment. Then she breaks them down one by one.

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