Having a career in sales can be a hard job. You have know how to sell but not be too overbearing or to underwhelming. It’s all about balance and technique to be able to get you into the best sales jobs. Selling really is a social business underneath it all; being personable, friendly and happy goes a long way. A simple handshake and an inviting smile could be all the tools you need. Let’s go over some sales prospecting techniques that you could try:
- Videos This is fairly simple to understand but not so simple to execute. Sending out a video will get a lot more people watching and interested than just a worded email. The average amount of people actually opening an email and clicking through to your link has gone down to 5% but if a video of yourself speaking a few friendly words is included as an attachment, that percentage goes up significantly.
- Learn from your mistakes This may seem obvious but really delve into the deals that you did not close and find out why exactly you lost each one. A sales career is about improving and moving upwards all the time. Once you realize why you lost a client, you can figure out what you need to do better next time.
- Join Forces Find a non competing companies selling to the same people. Benefits of doing this includes less nagging on the client and making them see how these products can work together in their favor, being able to get a referral on clients that trust the company but may not know you, as well as having immediately broadened your client base.
- Forget canvassing That’s right. Going door to door to businesses just does not seem to work anymore. Most places have a ‘no soliciting’ sign on the door anyway. Instead of this, use the contacts you have; when meeting up with a friend or former colleague ask if you can meet them at their workplace and if they wouldn’t mind introducing you to their CEO. Do not be coy about this however, you do not want your friends to feel like they are being used so you can money through them. Let them know how your job works and what your intentions are. One main thing to keep in mind if you do get to meet a CEO is DO NOT ever sell while in that first introductory meeting. Make the contact, establish the relationship and then you can start the selling process.
- Re try former customers This is the last of sales prospecting techniques of this article. Former clients should not be thought of as former but more as ‘in waiting’. A lot of time, customers that were not interested previously may be in a position now where they would like to try your product. It never hurts to try. Just be sure to give them the space they need and listen to their concerns. You will have grown and learned much between the last time they saw you and now, but they do not know that. You will need to earn their trust and respect all over again, sometimes. Do not let this frustrate you; be patient and you will be rewarded.
Sales prospecting techniques are not all the same for everyone. These are some general ones that you can try but make sure you do what works for you.