Top Sales Secrets Fortune 500 Companies Don’t Want You To Know

What separates successful businesses from the 45% that fail within 5 years?

Is it having a charismatic leader? How about boasting market-leading products? Or is it their keen industry awareness?

Yes, yes, and yes. It’s all of the above and more. Yet there’s another foundational element that makes a crucial difference too:

Sales ability.

That’s right, the best businesses know how to sell. To be more precise, they have founders and employees who know how to sell. Mastering this key skill is the driving force behind generating revenue and compounding growth over time.

Thankfully, there are ‘sales secrets’ out there that’ll make your life ten times easier when you embrace them. Want to know what they are? You’re in the right place!

Keep reading to discover a selection of top sales tips and tricks to try in 2021.

Understand the Customer

Empathy and understanding. Those are really the two key tenets of how to increase sales. They always have been and always will be.

To sell anything to anybody you have to understand them. You have to know who they are, what they want, what they need, and, in the same way, what their pain points are. Putting yourself into their shoes enables you to help them.

You know their struggles, which allows you to address them with the product/service. Framing a sale in terms of how it’ll benefit the customer will forever lead to better conversions.

Know Your Product

Knowing the customer isn’t enough. The next step to increase your sales is to know everything one could possibly know about whatever it is you’re selling. It doesn’t matter whether you’re selling cars to college students or software to start-ups.

You have to be an expert. Make it your mission to be able to answer customer questions in a flash. You’ll come across as a professional (because you are one), build trust, and see your sales stats go up overnight.

Be Passionate About Your Product

Knowledge is key. But it works best in cahoots with passion.

Some people assume that a good salesperson can sell anything to anybody. And they often can! The gift of the gab makes a big difference; they’re so empathic about their customers’ needs that they can frame any product/service in an irresistible manner.

However, the best salespeople love what they’re selling.

Or, at the very least, they believe in it. Trust us, there’s nothing harder than flogging something for which you don’t see the value. If you don’t want to sell a particular product/service, then you’ll never achieve the results you need.

Keep that in mind in your sales journey. Make sure you sell something you believe in and/or find a way to feel more passionate about it.

Calibrate Your Sights

Some people will never buy from you. It’s a fact. All the charm and authenticity in the world wouldn’t make a difference.

It’s your job to become proficient at spotting these prospects ASAP.

Next, you need the gall and humility to walk away. You give it your absolute best attempt. But if they’re never going to buy, then there’s no point wasting your time and energy.

Think of the opportunity cost! Every second you spend trying to convince someone to buy is time you could invest in warmer leads. You have to calibrate your sights and focus on prospects that are warm (or rapidly heating up).

Listen First, Talk Second

Remember the need to understand and empathize with your customers? There’s only one way to improve at it: listening. With two ears and one mouth, make it your obligation to spend more time listening than talking!

Too many salespeople take the opposite tack and fall flat on their face as a result. After all, listening is fundamental to solving someone’s problem(s). Better still, they’ll feel heard, which makes them like you, and trust you.

Earn their esteem and trust and you’re onto a winner. Listening makes it happen. It also contributes to a culture of sales that sets you up for success down the line (a subject this article is passionate about). 

Ask Great Questions

Asking incredible questions is part two of this all-important process.

It goes hand in hand with listening. When it’s your turn to talk, you have to probe and make sensible inquiries that facilitate your ability to sell. At all times, you’re trying to find out about their needs and uncover their concerns.

Good questions also turn what can sometimes feel like an unnatural interaction into something conversational. You’re engaged, responsive, and focused on the prospect. It’s two people connecting, as opposed to one person manipulating another into buying their product.

Forget Your Script

It’s one thing to prepare for a sales call. It’s another to have a script.

Effective selling is like ad-lib. You know the general idea of what you’re doing; maybe you have the occasional pre-rehearsed line to help things flow. In general, though, it should be spontaneous and off-the-cuff.

Remember, all prospects are individuals. You can’t apply a one-size-fits-all approach and expect to build trust and solve problems.

Be Balanced and Tenacious

The best salespeople are like master swordsmen: balanced and tenacious. They’re quick on their feet, never back down from objections, stay calm throughout the encounter and offer a riposte when it’s called for.

Many warm prospects will say they’re not interested; they won’t want to talk to you. It’s your job to expect that and know how to respond. You don’t want to be overbearing or pushy, but you don’t want to back off too easily either.

Remember, tenacity. Use protestations as opportunities to learn. Call upon your knowledge of the product/service to provide a compelling counterargument.

Never Forget These Sales Secrets

Business success relies on revenue generation. The more money you make, the better! It sets the foundation for growth and long-term success.

And that’s why selling is so important. The ability to sell your products/services with relative ease is a key attribute in any operation that plans to thrive long-term. With any luck, the sales secrets in this post will help you do exactly that.

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