Five Ways For New Sales People To Find Success
Most sales agents follow their intuition to guide them in what they should do to close a sale, but thanks to recent hard data, we now know the strategies successful sales reps use.
1.Picking up the phone still works
“Surprisingly, it’s still one of the most important keys to success in sales. You may think that email or social media are more productive, but Wayshak’s survey proves otherwise. Forty-one percent of respondents said that the phone is the most powerful sales tool at their control. It’s easy to get caught up in all the latest and greatest technology like GoToMeeting and chatbots, but at the end of the day, the phone is the tool that works best.
- Ask for referrals.
Top sales agents are twice as likely to ask for referrals compared to non-top agents. According to the study, 57.9 percent of respondents said they ask for less than one referral per month, while 40.4 percent report rarely asking for a referral. Only 18.6 percent ask every person they speak to if they might have a referral. Wayshak believes this is one of the most upsetting statistics.
“To be successful in sales, you have to ask for referrals. People don’t ask for them because they are scared. But consider this: Have you ever lost business as a result of asking for a referral? Referrals are free business. When you get referrals, be sure to thank the people who give them to you and keep them in the loop.”
- Spend more time on sales-related activities
Salespeople who spend three hours or less on sales-related activities have an overall average job satisfaction level of 3.45 (out of 5), while people who spend four or more hours a day on sales-related activities have a job satisfaction level of 3.8.
According to Wayshak, those four hours need to be intentional and focused on actual sales-related activities, such as setting up appointments and giving presentations. When sales agents are successful, they feel better about their job.
- Don’t pitch prospects
Top sales agents do far less pitching compared to the average-performing ISO agent. While only 7 percent of sales agents report pitching prospects, 19 percent of non-top performers say they pitch their offering to potential customers.
Instead, top performers engage prospects in discussions. Rather than starting with the hard sell, get to know your merchants via a two-way dialogue. Some questions you may ask
What is one of the biggest challenges you have with accepting payments?
What companies have you used to try to fix these challenges?
Learn what challenges your merchants face and then list those challenges. Ask merchants which of those issues ring true to them.
- Become an expert
Successful sales reps are nearly twice as likely to see themselves as experts rather than a salesperson. Warshak’s survey found that 51 percent of top agents report seeing themselves as ‘an expert in their field,’ whereas 37 percent of non-top performers see themselves as experts. Furthermore, top performers were less likely to viewed by prospects as vendors (8 percent of high performers vs. 24 percent of non-top performers) or even as salespeople (7 percent of top performers versus 20 percent of non-top performers).
Perception is everything. If you see yourself as a specialist, others will too. “When you feel like you’re an expert, you believe you’re an expert, and you become it,” said Wayshak.”
Writing Credit Marisa Sanfilippo
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