What makes a good salesman? The art of the sell may seem elusive, but there are certain trends and habits that consistently define a good salesperson. So, if you want to become a better salesperson, here are some of the habits you should try to develop:
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They know that you only get one first impression.
Everybody knows impressions are vital – especially if you’re in sales where you need to gain an individual’s trust right away. Not only are first impressions important, though, but they’re made very, very quickly. Some studies have shown that you only have seven seconds to make your first impression. That means that often you’re making your initial impression before you even open your mouth. If your words don’t necessarily contribute to your first impression, then obviously it is your appearance, facial expression, and demeanor that matter. Look customers in the eye, smile warmly, and dress professionally.
They keep commitments.
Whether it’s a matter of making a deadline, or showing up when you said you would, keeping commitments is a huge part of seeming trustworthy. In other fields, keeping your commitments is important in order to make you seem reliable and able to take on responsibility, but in sales, the big plus about keeping commitments is that it means that you keep your word – and that your word is worth something. That proves to be really important when you’re hoping that people will trust your word regarding the product you sell.
They are positive.
People don’t want to hang out with negative people – and they certainly don’t want to give their business to people who are downers. If you’re having a bad day it’s incredibly important that you don’t let it affect your attitude to the extent that clients can tell. You need to be positive and enthusiastic about what you’re doing each and every day – because clients can tell if you’re not into it. A positive attitude can generally help you get further in the business world – but that’s especially true in sales.
They aren’t quitters.
In sales, you will face a lot of rejection. The key to being a good salesperson, though, is that you know that rejection doesn’t necessarily reflect on your ability as a salesperson and that it certainly doesn’t reflect on your worth as a person. Knowing that, you don’t let rejection get you down. Sometimes, it only takes one sale to flip your seeming failure on its head and make the week or month or quarter a vastly successful one. Success can always be just around the corner and good salespeople keep that in mind at all times. The sense of optimism that instills helps make good salespeople come off as successful, confident, and optimistic – all traits that a salesperson should exude.
They listen.
Listening is important so that you learn more about the client both in order to offer the best product for his or her needs and in order to gauge how to best interact with a sell to them. Also, though, listening is an important part of seeming trustworthy. Clients are more likely to trust and take purchasing recommendations from someone who they feel is actually listening to what they say instead of simply shoving a sale down their throat.
They take notes.
In sales, you can often find yourself meeting with many clients over the course of a week. It’s important to keep straight all the information each client tells you – and remember it for next time. You don’t want to accidentally congratulate a client on their marriage when they’ve been married for 20 years. Make sure that you take note of personal details and of any decisions made and keep those notes organized for future reference. Review notes before your next meeting if you think there’s any chance you may inadvertently be mixing things up or forgetting details. The more organized you seem, the more clients will trust you in business.
They like criticism.
Okay, well maybe they don’t like criticism – but good salespeople certainly welcome advice that will help in improving their sales techniques, and oftentimes that advice comes in the form of criticism. Good salespeople recognize that criticism contains valuable advice and that it is crucial to extract the valuable advice from any complaint or criticism. Plus, good salespeople remember that a complaining customer is still an engaged customer; it’s worse if they’ve given up and decided not to complain at all because by that point you’ve lost the business entirely, for good.
