Share
.png)
Check out these fifteen insights based on our decades of experience in the industry. They’re guaranteed to help you improve your sales skills and level up your career or business.
March 23, 2022
So before we move on, congratulations. You’re asking the right questions.
You want to improve. You want to grow. You want to be better today than you were yesterday.
That matters. Too many salespeople stand still. They allow complacency to creep in. HUGE mistake. The best salespeople never settle. They challenge themselves. They look for ways to improve. That’s you, and I’m happy to say you’ve found the right article.
Here’s how to improve your sales skills and stand out from the crowd 🙏
1. What Are Good Sales Techniques
2. How Can I Improve My No Sales Skills
3. How To Improve Your Sales Skills in 15 Steps
3. 1: Know Your Product (and industry)
3. 2: Understand Your Prospect
3. 3: Learn To Effectively Communicate
3. 4: Listen To Understand
3. 5: Excel at Problem-Solving
3. 6: Improve Your Negotiation Skills
3. 7: Experiment with Different Closing Techniques
3. 8: Measure Your Progress
3. 9: Focus on The Long Game
3. 10: Analyze The Data
3. 11: Read The Room
3. 12: Find a Mentor
3. 13: Be Open To Feedback
3. 14: Review Your Sales Calls
3. 15: Follow Up
4. How To Improve Your Sales Skills— The Conclusions
We’re the guys behind The Sales Connection, and that means we have a lot of experience honing those all-important sales skills. We’ve gone through this process ourselves. We’ve helped our clients do the same. We work with talented salespeople and help them get better.
We know the skills you need to improve.
And… we know how to improve them.
So get your notepad ready…
Although before we dive into those tips, let’s lay a few foundations.
If you’re asking what are good sales techniques, you’re asking the wrong question. It isn’t that they don’t exist (they do). But different situations require different ones. Yet too many salespeople expect a miracle cure; some blueprint that makes them millions of dollars.
It doesn’t work like that.
Sure, there are techniques to learn.
BUT the most important thing is to learn how to use them (and when!!!).
Before we go on, I have good news for you if you’re new to sales. Even if you have no sales experience, we’ll show you how to improve your sales skills in this article.
So don’t think this article is for those already at the top of their game.
It isn’t—although we have a few tips for those people, too 😎
Regardless of experience, these tips set you up for continued success. They lay the foundations for a successful career ahead. What that looks like to you… well, only you know that.
All we know is a strong sales game helps!
Now is the time to get your pen and notebook ready. Take notes. Relate each one of these tips to you and your situation. And if you’d like to take some real action, consider joining our ever-growing team.
The first thing you need is to know your product (and industry) inside and out. No two sales calls are ever the same. Sure, you can follow a script or blueprint. But this is only a guide.
Some of the time, you need to think for yourself.
You need to react. You need to speak to the other person on a deep level.
You cannot do this unless you know your product and how it relates to them!
Speaking of your prospect… you need to understand who they are:
The better you know your prospect, the better your sales game is. It’s as simple as that.
The question is… how do you get to know them like this?
If you want to better understand your prospect, you need to learn effective communication. On the call, sure, but also through other mediums like email, social media, networking, etc…
You need to talk the right way.
You need to listen the right way.
Speaking of…
Listening is one of the most important skills a salesperson ever learns. It’s easy to forget this. Too many assume it comes down to talking and having a gift with words. NOPE! Real success follows good listening. Yet there are two forms:
Most people’s default is the former. You have to commit to the latter. You need to listen so you can truly hear your prospect: their pain, their dreams, their worries, their objections.
Listen to what they say and what they don’t. Learn to read between the lines. Observe!!
As a salesperson, your job isn’t to sell… it’s to solve problems.
Each prospect differs. The help they need differs. Embrace this. Learn about your customers and learn about your products. Develop the confidence to adapt to the situation and focus on their specific problem.
Once you become a master problem-solver like this, success soon follows.
Another important skill every salesperson needs is negotiation. Again, each sales call differs. If you want the sale, you’ll often have to go off-script. There’s a right way to do this and a wrong way. At The Sales Connection, we work with our sales team to ensure they learn the right way!
Nobody has all the answers for you. No blog. No guru. No book. No mentor.
Likewise, there’s no one sales technique that works all the time. You have to accept this. In fact, you have to embrace it. Different situations require a different approach. If you commit to just one, you’ll fail. This is why we don’t focus on this tactic and that… we always focus on the big picture!
You know how it goes, I’m sure… one day becomes two, and, before you know it, another year’s passed.
Easy to lose track. Easy to lose sight of what you have and have not done. You have to fight this. You have to take control of your life. The best salespeople don’t only set goals but measure these.
They take note of the progress they make.
The question is, will you? Or will you let life pass you by?
Look, I’m not telling you short-term success doesn’t matter. Trust me, it does! At The Sales Connection, we expect our team to deliver results today. Our clients expect this from us, too.
BUT… nobody builds lasting success with short-term thinking.
You NEED to keep the long-term in mind; you need to think big picture!
Those that play the long game are those that last the test of time.
Again, is this you? Or will you become another quick success that quickly fades away?
You don’t need me to tell you how important data is these days. It’s everywhere. For a forward-thinking salesperson like yourself, it *can* be the secret ingredient you need.
But only if you listen to it!
Too many people track it only to overlook it when the time comes. Don’t do this. Base your decisions on what the data tells you. Track it, and then… listen to it!!
No matter what situation you’re in, qualifying your prospect matters. Despite what many people tell you, this isn’t a numbers game. Real success comes down to good conversions. Yet you don’t achieve this if you focus on the wrong leads.
Learn to read the room. Literally, out there in the real world. But also figuratively when online or on a call!
This is a big one… whenever possible, find someone (or a team) that’s been there and done it.
Sure, you can figure it all out on your own. But why would you want to?
All that achieves is a lot of wasted time. Do you have time like that to waste?
I imagine not. It’s why many people join The Sales Connection. We don’t just offer a great team environment, but ongoing mentorship (and training) to ensure you reach your potential.
This is another big one… because having a mentor only matters if you’re ready to listen to them.
Be open to feedback. Listen to the good and the bad. Appreciate you have A LOT to learn!
You don’t just have to rely on others to give you this feedback.
You can take charge of this yourself after each sales call. Review it. Ask yourself what went well and what didn’t. Think about where you can improve. Analyze who you spoke to and better understand your prospect.
A common skill A-Players share is the commitment to learning.
They review everything they do—whether it went well or not.
This final tip is one I’m sure you’ve heard many times before…
But this only works if you qualify your prospects.
After all, there’s little point in wasting your time on someone that isn’t the right fit.
Whereas if they are, follow up. Don’t let one call become the be-all and end-all. So many sales come from a follow-up. Not just one, but sometimes two… five… ten. Again, this comes down to playing the long game. It’s amazing how many people fail because they quit too soon.
We started this article by asking how to improve your sales skills…
Now you know. These tips guide the way. They show you what to do (as well as when and how). Yet it isn’t the whole story. It’s why we’ve written other articles like:
Study these. Don’t just read them! Make notes and follow up on them.
Implement them!!
And if you’re ready to step up and level up… Visit HERE and explore how to join our ever-expanding team. We have high standards and turn more salespeople away than we employ. But we’re always on the lookout for A-Class performers. If that’s you… explore this page and apply.
Kayvon Kay
Kayvon has over two decades of experience working with high-level closers and perfecting his sales methodologies. He has earned the title of Canada’s #1 pharmaceutical sales representative and continues to share his expertise as a keynote speaker and through his multi-million-dollar coaching program.
The Sales Connection guarantees every service we provide.
All our services have a 10x effect on your investment.
© 2024 The Sales Connection. All Rights Reserved.
