Many people, especially those who are my clients, usually ask me how to improve in the field of sales continuously. I have five significant pieces of advice, which worked for me since I was still starting in the sales industry until now, for those who ask me such a question.
The first is to attend training on sales. Different skills need to be learned and developed when you are a salesperson. So even if you are already an expert on your product, it would not be enough. Do not rely on the free training that your own company conducts regularly. Instead, take every opportunity to learn and relearn. However, do not limit yourself to learning from your usual source. You also need to learn from different mentors, especially if your current learning or strategy is no longer effective. Always remember that everything is changing, so is information.
The second is to implement the lessons learned from training right away. If you keep on attending different sales training sessions or programs but do not apply the learning right away, what is the use? You are just wasting your time and resources, not to mention the opportunities lost. When you expect great results from investing time and resources for sales training, remember that you are accountable for making those learning work. Your learning is like bullets – it cannot cause harm if it’s just lying around idly, yet deadly when used with a gun.
The third is to practice every single day. Since, as they say, we are creatures of habit, we must practice any new skills we learn regularly. More importantly, practice will make you get used to using a new skill and help you master it. One of the best ways to make sure you get to practice daily and master it is to do role-play with your colleagues, friends, or family members. Make sure also to use as many lessons learned from training in your day-to-day client interaction.
The fourth one is to build your self-discipline. If not all, most salespeople find it difficult to stick to a productive routine because they find it difficult or challenging. This challenge then leads to them neglecting whatever new knowledge or skills they got and fall back to doing what they are comfortable with, even if it is not working anymore. Being consistent in producing excellent results in sales entails commitment – commitment to keep moving and improving. Teach yourself never to give up when faced with challenges and never get distracted by other fleeting things.
The last one is to work with your mentor. I will never get tired of repeating this advice to whoever needs it. We all need people who understand how the sales industry works to guide us. We need experts to teach us how to become effective salesperson, and how to serve clients better. We don’t have all the information that answers all the questions about such. But, there are people who have the expertise in each of these aspects. We need them to help us. We need them to teach us. We need them to guide us. We need to work with them. We need to be pushed by them and be able to witness our true potential in the field of adding value, solving people’s problems, and helping them get what they want.
If all these pieces of advice are followed consistently and religiously, I can guarantee that you will be a great salesperson and a champion in your industry. If you want to see an improvement in yourself as a salesperson, are you ready to take on this challenge?
by