Over 10 million companies are in operation in the USA alone as reported by The Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to the Small Business Association, 600,000 new entrants enter the business space annually.
These high numbers mean stiff competition as businesses jostle for their next conversion. If your business is going to make it, your salespeople need to be on point. So, to help you stand out from the rest, here are some of the best sales training skills that reps can adopt to score big.
The art of pitching
Buyers are bombarded with sales messages almost daily, reaching a point where the buyers often become indifferent. So, to give your business a fighting chance, your pitches should stand out from the rest.
What’s the best way to create killer pitches?
Sales training experts teach that to create one-of-a-kind pitches, focus on the pain points. Seasoned sellers begin any engagement by digging into the customer’s pain points to clearly highlight how your offering meets their needs.
A product or service’s features rarely appeal to customers. Instead, people are more concerned with how your offering can help them solve their problems. So, it pays to ensure that salespeople know how to link the product’s features to the benefits that a buyer can get.
Resonating with customers
Let customers form a connection with you and your product through storytelling. A well-told story can grab attention and light the spark that leads to a powerful connection with the buyer.
Impactful stories are those where the customer can see themselves in the story. For instance, you can use testimonials that show how the product or service helped others resolve their challenges.
In addition, consider the following:
- Nurturing customer relationships. The success or failure of your business often boils down to how you can keep buyers coming back. Statistics compiled by Review 42 show that close to 65% of business comes from previous customers. As a result, salespeople need to train on how to nurture strong relationships with buyers.
- Cultivating trust. Review 24 statistics highlight the fact that 2 out of 5 buyers are willing to spend more money if they trust the brand. So, the best salespeople build robust customer relationships by earning their trust. For example, by taking the time to listen to customers. In this way, you can also show customers that you’re looking out for their best interest not just trying to push for the sale at any cost.
- Developing top-notch customer service. According to HubSpot, 93% of customers are willing to buy your products or service if your customer service is exceptional. So, customer service training is important to equip your team to deliver the best in-class high-quality customer experiences.
Growing thick skin and a resilient attitude
Regardless of the effort and time you put into closing a deal, not all of them will pan out. While a loss is inevitable, untrained salespeople fall into the trap of taking the hits personally and letting the failure sap their confidence.
So, it’s important for reps to train themselves not to allow events or outcomes to define them. The best reps learn how to take the failures in their stride Instead of allowing “no” to sour their attitude, well-trained reps take failures as learning opportunities and perfect their skills as they keep shooting for the next target.
How can reps build resilience?
- Understanding that the “no” will come. Hearing “no” from customers comes with the sales territory. Statistics compiled by Hubspot show that in 60% of sales interactions, salespeople will get a no four times before getting a yes. In addition, it takes 5 follow-up calls to hook buyers 80% of the time. It’s important for reps to be prepared so the objections don’t hit as hard.
- Learning how to handle objections. When customers say “no” to a product, it helps if reps train themselves to avoid emotional outbursts that may spell doom for a future sale. Skilled reps master how to get to the bottom of the root cause of the objection and artfully lead the buyer to a “yes” by alleviating fears and responding to concerns. Handling objections also involves learning not to be pushy otherwise you may drive buyers away.
All in all, putting your back into building key sales skills can help take your business to another level.