Five habits of a top salesperson

July 19, 2010 at 08:00 PM
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Xerox found that the top salespeople consistently used the same five techniques. Make these five techniques habits and they will work for you. From sales expert Hal Becker's book, "Can I have 5 Minutes of Your Time?"

Habit #1: Listen!

Spend more time asking questions and listening than talking. Begin your presentation by asking questions. This helps you tailor your talk to what the prospect is really interested in, and also gets him actively involved.

Habit #2: Features never sold a thing.

Successful salespeople translate features into benefits. Every time you think of a product feature, follow through with the benefit: what's in it for the customer.

Habit #3: Probe for more.

Selling is an investigative process. And it's all about dealing with people. Probe for more information instead of jumping to conclusions. You have to find out what the customer wants and if you can give it to them.

Habit #4: Address the negatives.

Superior salespeople do not ignore client statements or body language indicating objections, indifference or skepticism.

Habit #5: A strong close is critical.

Identify closing signals, even subtle ones like leaning back in a chair, and act upon it immediately and move to close the sale.

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