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Sales - Tips from the Experts

10 Factors that will affect your level of sales success

1. Today's selling environment

Changes in the marketplace, economy, communication and technology have had a big impact in the way companies buy their products and services. The development of the Internet and technology generally, has resulted in better communication and a faster pace at work. Sales people need to adapt quickly to market trends, target account needs and expectations. Managing change remains a challenge that good sales people need to continually adapt to.

2. Developing a sale well

Developing a sale properly makes it easier to focus on the best opportunities and your time. It is achieved by doing the right things at the right time in the right accounts. It will also involve you thinking of different alternatives to an issue. If one doesn't work you will need to think of and implement others. This will give you a better chance of winning a high proportion of the sales you aim for.

3. Your determination to succeed

Desire to succeed, self-motivation and enthusiasm are some of the qualities that will help you achieve success. Other factors include patience, being a good listener and having good questioning skills. In the sales process you will make mistakes. Learn from them so that you minimise/eliminate them in the future.

Good sales people are assertive by respecting other people's views as well as expecting the same in return. You will need to be pro-active with buyers and creative in your thinking. This will help you to manage different types of sales situation and illustrate to a buyer your determination to succeed.

4. Your selling style

You will need to consider how to develop your own selling style. By looking at your role and having a good understanding of your company and market you will increase your chances of applying your skills well. Your selling style will also affect how easily you adapt to a sales role.

5. A partnership approach

With many companies offering the same or similar products and services it can be hard for customers to differentiate between suppliers. Some markets have a long sales cycle (one year or more). Developing good business relationships can be a key factor in winning a sale and growing the account's potential. This requires hard work, patience and skill. Having a partnership approach will make it easier to achieve this.

6. Being objective and taking responsibility

Good sales people look at a situation in an objective way and take responsibility for their part in managing the sales process. This maximises the chances of creating a good customer - supplier relationship.

7. Managing yourself, your targets and your time well

Being structured, flexible and disciplined will help you to manage yourself well. You will need to interpret your company's sales objectives by meeting/ exceeding agreed sales targets and key performance indicators (K.P.I's). These should be agreed, easy to understand, fair and motivational.

There are only a limited number of sales opportunities in a day, week, month and year. Good time management will help you to prioritise on what is important to you. This includes deciding which accounts are worth spending time with and what business relationships to develop.

8. Your attitude

Having a positive attitude will help you maintain the right level of motivation. There are times when selling can be challenging and frustrating. Someone with a positive attitude who enjoys selling is more likely to succeed in this type of environment. Even if there are times when you don't feel highly motivated, a positive attitude can help focus your efforts.

9. Interpersonal skills and communication

In a sales role you need to develop good interpersonal skills. This will make it easier for buyers to relax and enable you to communicate well with them. Maintaining good eye contact and paying attention to their body language will help measure their true level of commitment at each stage of a sale.

10. Being persuasive

One of the main qualities that good sales people have is their ability to persuade. This involves: -

Understanding a target account's needs and looking for commitment
Building trust when developing your business relationships
Making the most of the time you have available
Being consistent and determined
Reinforcing that your products have value
Being persuasive will mean that buyers will want to buy from you, as well as you wanting to sell to them

These points will make it easier for you to achieve your goals, make good use of your time and enjoy your job role. They will also enable you to get the best out of yourself!