How to be in the mindset of a top salesperson

Meryl Streep was probably (arguably) born a very talented woman. But it is her focus and mindset that pushed her to be one of today’s leading ladies. The same goes for a stellar salesperson. You can be naturally gifted and have a way with talking to people, but you must be in the correct mindset to really make the sale.
For top salespeople, it’s not just about the goal but also about the process. Oftentimes, the biggest reward for a salesperson is knowing that they really took the time to understand the buyer’s needs and developed a firm relationship.

So how does a buyer look at the situation? First off, they are looking at the need for the product as either an opportunity (gain) or a problem (pain). Your job is to fully understand this need and get to the root of it. The most effective way to do this is by simply listening. Listening is hard and you can read all of the guides you can about how to show you are a good listener, but the real payoff comes from actually understanding their point of view.

Here are some key psychologies behind listening:

• They begin to trust you more, thus increasing their willingness to open up to you.
• They feel like they are in control of the conversation
• By closely listening, you can catch all of their wants, needs, and desires, your solution will be right on target. This is key because it is more important to a buyer to know that you understand their needs than to understand your solution.

You can’t fully begin to sell your product until you’ve really sold yourself on why your buyer will benefit from your product. Otherwise, the buyer will feel like they are being “sold to” rather than “buying”.

Lastly, don’t go for the quick buy. Be a trusted life advisor. If you feel that your product or service doesn’t fit their needs, speak up and let them know. Recommend one that will be the perfect fit for them even if it’s not yours. Doing this once or twice will make you a trusted advisor for life.