Top Ten Skills of “Super Salespeople”: Sales Training to Inspire Them

The numbers say it all. There are millions of people in sales. A recent US census reveals that there were 25 million B2B salespeople. How many of them are top-notch? A Harvard study shows that 4% of the country’s salespeople sell the vast majority of the country’s goods and services. This indicates that roughly one million sales people are top producers. Many reach this goal through effective sales training.

So how do you become one of these “super salespeople”? There are 5 factors that top salespeople practice.

• Product knowledge: These folks know their business, their customer’s business, and the competitors very well. They do their homework, and update their knowledge base.
• Aptitude: They are born with a natural talent for sales.
• Selling Skills: This is how their natural aptitude is enhanced. Through effective sales training, they learned how to put the top-ten sales skills into action.
• Motivation: They are self-motivated, are in the right position, and are continually selling. It’s a way of life.
• Sales Processes: They are supported by companies that have best-practice branding, marketing, sales and customer relationship processes.

The notion that anyone can sell is false. Some 35% of sales forces don’t have the aptitude to reliably achieve results. The cost to a company for hiring someone without the natural aptitude can be high.

Using sales aptitude assessments can determine the personality type, their strengths and weaknesses, and provide insight on managing the salesperson to maximize sales.

The closers, the ones who can get the job done, have something in common. They not only have the aptitude, they also know how to utilize these 10 crucial skills.

1. Focus on a few top prospects: Rather than casting their net too wide, they focus on quality prospects and give them attention. They engage them through repeated contacts.
2. Use coaches: They establish a relationship with an insider to gather information on the customer’s needs. They learn about their prospect so that they can match or mirror personality types.
3. Thoroughly research prospects: Super sales people do their homework prior to a first contact. They figure out how to get buyers to talk about themselves and their business issues.
4. Ask Questions: They listen more than they talk.
5. Act as business consultant and solution provider: By gathering knowledge about their prospect, their needs, and knowing appropriate solutions, they can act as an adviser or solution architect, rather than a sales person. They can help solve problems and know how to overcome objections.
6. Provide appropriate marketing messages: Super salespeople will offer value added propositions, killer arguments, key discriminators, ROI information, and testimonial letters.
7. Recognize the buyer’s shift: They know what signs to look for and can assess when a prospect is ready to buy.
8. Know how to close the sale: Using the right tactic can bring success; use the wrong closing approach and you could see a retreat.
9. Build long-term relationships: By providing customers with excellent customer care and account management services, they keep the door open for referrals, testimonials, and future business.
10. Ask for referrals: Because they have executed the first 9 steps effectively, they have confidence in asking for referrals and know how to follow up on them.

Not everyone can sell. But for those who have the right aptitude, effective Sales Training can provide you with the skill set to become a “super salesperson.”

To learn more about acquiring these skills through Sales Training, contact us today.