5 sales techniques every salesperson should know

5 sales techniques every salesperson should know

If you are wondering why every good salesperson needs to know different sales techniques in order to do their job better, the answer is simple: there is no universally valid commercial strategy. Every customer and every situation has peculiarities that force sellers to choose from time to time the tool and the best approach to close the deal.

To help you and your team achieve (and perhaps exceed) the set goals, we have chosen the best and most effective sales techniques: 1. AIDA It is one of the most famous approaches in the world of sales, a classic made famous also by films such as "Americans" (Glengarry Glen Ross) and is based on four precise steps.

2. Caution The first thing to do, always, is to get the attention of your contact: amaze, provoke, exploit the value of your brand or talk about the most common fears... The important thing is that the person on the other side of the table (or screen, or phone) feels involved and intrigued by you.

3. Interest Now that you've got attention, it's time to bring your prospect one step closer to closing. Leave aside (at least for the moment) direct references to products and focus on solutions, strategies,

advantages and benefits that can solve customer problems. A single warning: do not overemphasize the difficulties and weak points of your interlocutor or you will risk causing irritation and reducing your chances of success to zero.

4. Desire You have come to the moment when the prospect must absolutely want to know more about your products and, better still, he must want to try and experience the advantages that your company can bring. Show in the most direct and concrete way how his daily life will change thanks to your help: it is not said that this will lead to an immediate closure but, most of the times, you will have planted a seed that will germinate positively.

5. Action You are at the moment immediately before the closing of the contract and if you have correctly managed the previous phases, your interlocutor will be very inclined to sign. Beware of haste! Never take anything for granted since you may still have to answer objections, questions or define technical aspects: give all the information you need and allow the right time to metabolize the process and make a decision. Obviously, don't keep waiting too long or interest and desire could wane.

6. SPIN It is one of the most effective methodologies for successfully closing negotiations and is an acronym for Situation, Problem, Implications, Necessities, or the four types of questions that must be asked during the negotiation to bring the interlocutor from the state of prospect to that of customer willing to purchase.

Situation: The first step is to understand who is in front of you, understanding the general picture and, in particular, if what you offer is able to meet his needs. Here it is essential to invest all the available energy to ask the right questions: the success of your sales process will depend on the effectiveness of what you will discover and therefore try to be as accurate as possible. Don't just find out who's in charge but go deeper and try to understand decision-making processes, command structures and other key aspects of your negotiation.

Problem: The second type of question to ask concerns the issues that the prospect and his company are currently facing. The purpose of this activity is twofold: on the one hand it allows you to quickly have clear ideas on what needs you are pushing your potential customer, on the other hand they help you to raise doubts and questions in the mind of the skeptical buyer, also undermining them

only partially the certainties and opening to the possibility of relying on your products and services.

Implications: Now that you have clarified the situation and identified the main weaknesses, it is time to work on the "fears" of your prospect! The questions you will need to use at this stage must focus on the potential negative consequences of the problems and the urgency to find solutions.

Need (and potential benefits) We are at the final stage of this sales technique: at this point the potential customer should have a clear understanding of the risks he runs and the needs he must answer and it is time to move on to the final move. The "trick" in this case is to make sure that the prospect himself, thanks to a process guided by your questions, realizes what are the benefits you are offering him and where is the convenience in relying on you and to your collaborators.

If you have done everything right, your chances of closing the deal will grow exponentially.

SOLUTION SELLING Of all the sales techniques, this is probably the most suitable for those who want to build a longterm business relationship with their customers. The heart of this strategy is to present itself not so much as a seller, but rather as a consultancy figure for the prospect, focusing everything on the will and ability to solve specific problems. Again, the center of everything is not the products you have to sell but the needs and difficulties that limit and afflict your interlocutor.

In this case the sales process is based on 6 distinct phases: 1) Meet and get to know Contrary to what one might think, this first moment does not coincide with the visit to the customer but begins well before, with the search for information on contact and preparation for the appointment: business sector, history and organization chart of the company, competitors and any other data that can help you qualify the type of prospect. In a nutshell you will have to become (unless you are already) a true expert of the potential buyer activity, preparing the answers to questions, objections and doubts of whom you will meet.

2) Question and listen As in all other sales techniques, asking the right questions is indispensable: start with the most generic and "simple" requests and proceed to deepen and outline the situation.

The other central aspect of solution selling is listening. Collect as much information as possible and show real interest in what you are told; pay attention to words and non-verbal language and

do not be afraid to ask for further information or more details from your interlocutor. Much of the success of your sale will depend on the quality and precision of what you will get at this stage: remember to write everything down, perhaps with a mobile CRM that is easy to use and can be used effectively also by the sales force engaged in the field.

3) Analyze the weak points Once you have discovered and the problems of your prospect it is time to study the situation in search of the best solutions: avoid thinking in terms of products but concentrate on how to be really helpful and bring a tangible benefit. Once you have gained trust and shown that you have competence, the sale will be a natural consequence.

4) Train the customer Your motivation at this stage must be very clear: you are there to help the company get out of a situation and your products / services are only the means to do it. Take time to explain to your prospect the solutions you have devised and the reasons that led you to certain choices; work on planning, define a roadmap to achieve the objectives and "educate" your interlocutors on the main technical aspects.

5) Offer valuable and relevant solutions Use the data collected in point 2 to stay on target and not digress. Concentrate your energies on the people within the company that you find most useful for your purpose, offering them really useful ideas, and find the right rhythm to cultivate the relationship: not too pressing (or you will give the feeling of being "desperate") but not too sporadic (or you will seem unmotivated).

6) Close the negotiation We have reached the crucial point, the final goal of each sales technique and, if you have worked well, you will find yourself dealing with the right person (with the decision-making power, the right budget and, above all, aware of your value). At this point the ball is in your hand and being able to bring home the result will depend on your skills!

SNAP Of all the sales techniques, this one focuses mainly on how prospects make their decisions, essentially identifying 3 precise moments in which to play your cards.

First decision: allow access.

Let's start from a fact: today customers are constantly bombarded by stimuli, requests and calls to action and all this generates confusion and distrust. Not exactly the ideal condition to start a negotiation, is it? It therefore becomes essential to differentiate yourself from this chorus of

annoying voices and be recognized as bearers of value and opportunity. But in practice, how to do it?

The answer, however banal it may seem, is simple: you have to be clear, speak (or write) in a simple and direct way, telling the customer a few things, clear and practical. Remember that time is a precious commodity for everyone, so don't waste it! Short calls, concise emails and requests for short dates are definitely a good start.

Second decision: choose the change.

Okay, you've got your date and you're getting ready for the meeting. Any salesperson with a little experience knows that this is a good start but that victory is still a long way off. At this stage it is time to highlight all the value and quality you are carrying: avoid unnecessary turns of words and concentrate on numbers, data, implementation time of your products / services ...

Third decision: define the resources You have reached the moment when your prospect must choose which products to buy and how best to manage the budget and cost / benefit ratio. Usually at this stage many salespeople make the mistake of being excessively "soft" and available in order to obtain the desired signature: nothing more wrong. Obviously you have to support your potential customer in the decisionmaking process and be flexible at the right point but, at the same time, you must be very clear on which results you can bring and which not, even at the cost of giving up a prospect that you know has not grasped the value of the your product or expecting impossible things.

In all the steps keep in mind these principles: 

identify the priorities, if you understand what really interests your interlocutor you will have obtained a significant advantage



prove your worth and prove reliable



simplicity and clarity in communications and relationships



always stay aligned with your contacts

CHALLENGE SALE In this case, the seller uses a completely different approach from the other sales techniques we have seen so far, not aiming to create a relationship with the prospect who, in fact, is very informed, suspicious and more difficult to convince than a time. The theory sees the division of sellers in the b2b world into 5 macro types: lone wolves, problem solvers, hard workers, relationship builders and challengers. The latter seem to be the most effective in terms of performance and this model was created on them in three steps.

Teaches With today's customer, well-informed and prepared on average, the chatter is zero. What works is the ability to provide precise and punctual answers, giving notions and quality contents, a different vision on prospect problems or an innovative approach. The challenging sale aims precisely to provide a stimulus, to give new inputs and to push the contact to overcome the limits!

Customize In the era of social and digital, standardized approaches no longer have much effectiveness: during all phases of the negotiation you will have to deal with different people, with different sensitivities, attentions and interests and you cannot flatten in repeating the usual pre-packaged presentation. Calibrate your language on your partner, use the keywords of the company or business you are dealing with and align with their value system.

Check it out Aim to reach decision makers and always keep the focus of the negotiation on the points you have identified as central. Always keep the exchange of information and the two-way discussion and always make sure that your value is at the center of everything and not the price of the product or service.

The heart of this technique lies in the seller's ability to challenge the potential buyer to exit the comfort zone and open up new perspectives: obviously it is not a simple approach and should only be used with certain types of customers but the results can be surprising.

CRM and data management All the sales techniques we have seen so far, despite each having their own specific characteristics, have one common factor: the central role of correct information management.

The whole field sales force bases its decisions on the data collected (in preparation for the visit to the customer or after the latter) but, if all the inputs collected are not saved accurately and shared among the various salespeople, the risk of proceeding blindly it is strong. And if the information is partial, incorrect or out of date, then both the sellers and the sales manager operate blindly.

The solution? To have a simple to use CRM, designed for mobile and capable of providing shared reports and data in real time that allows all the gears of the sales process to be always aligned and coordinated with each other.