Click the image for details. There are many things to pay attention to in sales. The editor has collected some important aspects for salespeople, hoping to provide some help.
Language Using vulgar language without thinking: Everyone wants to be with cultured and refined people, and conversely, they are unwilling to associate with those who "swear like sailors." Similarly, in sales, vulgar language will have a negative impact on selling our products. For example, when selling life insurance, you'd better avoid words like "death," "lose one's life," or "done for." However, experienced salespeople often use euphemisms to express these sensitive words, such as "pass away" or "not come back," to replace these unpleasant terms.
Topics Boring, dry, and stiff topics: In sales, there are some boring topics that you may have to explain to customers, but these topics are ones that no one likes to hear, and they might even make them sleepy. However, due to business necessity, it is recommended that you keep such topics simple and summarize them briefly. This way, customers won't feel weary, and your sales will be effective. If there is something very important that you must explain clearly to your customer, I suggest you don't force it on them; instead, try a different angle during your explanation.
Opening Remarks Too many critical remarks at the start: This is a common problem for many salespeople, especially newcomers, who sometimes speak without thinking, hurting others without realizing it. Common examples include saying to a customer on the first meeting, "Your building is really hard to climb!" "This dress doesn't look good; it doesn't suit you at all." "This tea is really bad." Or "Your business card is so outdated!" "Living is not as valuable as dying!" These remarks contain criticism, even though we don't intend to criticize or blame, just to break the ice with an opening line. But to the customer, it feels uncomfortable.
Oral Language Full of professional jargon: Salespeople treat customers as if they are colleagues and train them, speaking entirely in technical terms. How can customers accept that? If they can't understand, how can they buy the product? If you can convert these terms into simple language that is clear to everyone, you can effectively achieve communication and sell products without obstacles.
Words Exaggerated and untrue words: Don't exaggerate the functions of your product! This dishonest behavior will eventually make customers realize whether what you said is true or false when they use the product. You cannot exaggerate the product's features and value just to achieve temporary sales performance, as this will plant a "time bomb" that could lead to disastrous consequences if disputes arise.
Awareness Exposing subjective opinions: In business, it's best not to participate in discussions on topics unrelated to your sales, such as politics, religion, or other subjective matters. Whether you are right or wrong, it has no practical significance for your sales.
Privacy Talking about privacy without restraint: When dealing with customers, the main goal is to grasp their needs, not to talk about privacy issues at the first opportunity. This is a common mistake made by salespeople. Some salespeople say, "I'm only talking about my own privacy, so what's the problem?" Even if you only talk about your own privacy and don't discuss others, ask yourself: if you pour out your heart about your marriage, sex life, finances, etc., will it bring substantial progress to your sales? You might also say, "We can't just jump straight into business topics; it's hard to start, so talking about this is fine." In fact, this kind of "gossip" is meaningless, wasting time and your sales opportunities.
Competitors Denigrating and attacking competitors: We often see scenes where salespeople from the same industry use aggressive language to attack competitors, even going so far as to say they are worthless, which damages the entire industry's image in people's minds. Many salespeople lack rational thinking when making these attacking remarks, not realizing that any attacking words about people, things, or objects will cause potential customers to feel disgusted, because when you speak, you are looking at the issue from one angle, and not everyone shares the same perspective. If you are too subjective, it will backfire and only harm your sales.
Signing Changing attitude before and after signing: When it comes to salespeople, the average person imagines a "grandson" appearance, like sticky candy that can't be shaken off. Of course, this is the "grandpa" treatment customers enjoy before signing. Once the customer signs, some salespeople, as if venting after enduring humiliation, start to neglect and despise the customer. This attitude change before and after signing is chilling. Little do they know that a customer canceling an order is a small matter, but damaging their own and the company's reputation is a big deal.
Quantity Having too few potential customers: Customers are the ones who place orders for salespeople. The more customers a salesperson has, the more solid the foundation for doing business. The reason excellent salespeople can continuously sell products is that they have enough customers. Research shows that salespeople with poor performance have few customers because they often make one or more of the following three mistakes: A. They don't know where to find potential customers; B. They don't identify who are potential customers; C. They are too lazy to develop potential customers. Since developing potential customers is a time-consuming and labor-intensive task, some salespeople are unwilling to do it, only satisfied with dealing with existing customers. This is a self-destructive practice. Because current customers leave for various reasons, such as production changes, bankruptcy, or personnel changes, they decrease at a rate of 15% to 25% each year. If salespeople don't continuously develop new customers to replace lost ones, their customer base will become zero in 4 to 7 years. Another common mistake salespeople with few potential customers make is the inability to make calm judgments about potential customers. They often think, "Only I know my customers best." For example, an old salesperson tells a new one, "That company is the best customer of our competitor, so it's useless to visit them." Or "The chairman of that company is very stubborn." But that salesperson, with a try-it-and-see attitude, visited and got the order. There are many examples of failures caused by such personal biases.
Excuses Too many complaints and excuses: Salespeople with poor performance often complain and have many excuses. They attribute failures to objective factors, such as conditions, the other party, or others, and never examine their own responsibility subjectively. They often say things like, "Our company's policy is wrong," "Our product, quality, and trading conditions are not as good as competitors," or "Their prices are lower than ours." Finding excuses for failure is useless; instead, it's better to think constructively, such as "What can I do to impress the customer?" or "What better methods are there?" When facing failure, these salespeople feel low, have a negative attitude, and their minds are full of thoughts of failure. In fact, when people face real difficulties, they usually can't even speak; if they can still find excuses to defend themselves, it means they haven't fully utilized their abilities. Salespeople who don't do their job well or don't know how to do it, and then complain casually, only show their immaturity and incompetence. Truly excellent salespeople never complain or make excuses, because their self-esteem would never allow them to do so.
Dependence Strong dependence: Salespeople with poor performance always make various demands on the company, such as higher base salary, travel expenses, overtime pay, and often compare with other companies, saying "That company has a high base salary" or "That company has good benefits." People with this tendency are not qualified to be excellent salespeople. Salespeople cannot demand guarantees from anyone; they must rely entirely on themselves. Those who can't act without instructions, or who slack off without supervision, can never become excellent salespeople. Truly excellent salespeople often ask themselves, "What can I do for the company?" rather than just demanding what the company can do for them.
Pride No pride in work: Excellent salespeople are very proud of their work and treat sales as a career to strive for. How can salespeople lacking confidence achieve good performance?
Promises Not keeping promises: Some salespeople are eloquent but have poor performance. They share a common flaw: "not keeping promises." They forget what they promised customers yesterday. The most important thing for a salesperson is credibility, and the most powerful weapon to gain customer trust is keeping promises.
Discouragement Giving up halfway: The problem with salespeople with poor performance is that they are easily discouraged. Sales is a marathon; you can't succeed with just a momentary impulse. You must maintain the belief in success and pursue it persistently to achieve your goals.
Care Not caring enough about customers: The key to sales success lies in whether the salesperson can capture the customer's heart. If you are not good at reading people, the deal will never close. Salespeople need to understand the subtle psychology of customers and also choose the right time to act. This requires knowing the customer's situation thoroughly. Salespeople who don't care about customers cannot grasp or create opportunities.
Correct Mindsets for Salespeople:
Absolutely believe in your product Never complain that your company's product price is too high, lacks creativity and selling points, and find seemingly reasonable excuses for your poor performance. When we enter the sales industry, the first lesson we learn is to be confident in ourselves and the products we sell. This confidence is not just simple preaching; it must be integrated into your actions, with absolute confidence and no doubt! Don't forget you are a salesperson; there is no product without defects. Existence is reasonable. Lack of creativity and selling points is more of a marketing department issue! The essence of sales work can be roughly understood as turning the already-produced "product" into "commodity." From the moment you leave the company every day, don't think about anything, don't fear the existing obstacles of the product, just remember one thing: today I must sell the product in my hands!
Not all customers are gods Many times we are taught that customers are our gods and our bread and butter. We even "foolishly" adhere to the principle: First, the customer is always right; Second, when the customer is wrong, refer to the first principle of "serving." These are not wrong, but we must not forget that customers are categorized, and their value varies in presence and size. Don't waste your precious time and energy on worthless customers. Remember: not all customers are gods. Don't fear the normal loss and elimination of customers. Maybe we are too utilitarian!
Pressure is the crucible of growth Once a director asked me in surprise (with an expression like Columbus discovering the New World): "Why do you have so many white hairs?" I replied: "All thanks to the leadership!" If you don't feel the dual pressure from performance and spirit during the sales process, there are only two possibilities: either you are "dead to shame," indifferent to good or bad, or your performance targets are not set high enough. Don't expect the company's goals to be easily achievable, because bosses are never satisfied! In sales, pressure is always present; you must remain calm, "meet soldiers with soldiers, and block water with earth." Pressure makes people mature. As the saying goes: "A pressure cooker cooks rice fast—early maturity!" Pressure is the crucible of growth! Only with pressure is there motivation. Continuously learning to grow under pressure is one of the company's core values.
Keep your thinking clear at all times Thought is the soul of action. A clear mind ensures your work is organized! Once, when handling a customer complaint, the customer first gave a half-hour condemnation speech, looking furious! During that half-hour, I didn't say a word, just nodded and smiled to express sympathy and understanding. When the customer finally stopped, I smiled and began my summary: "Mr. XX, I have listened carefully to the issues you mentioned (expressing that I am listening attentively, implying respect for the customer's speech and the importance of the issue). Let me summarize them briefly: there are three points: first, XXXX; second, XXXX; third, XXXX. Now I will address these three points one by one." A seemingly tricky complaint was resolved smoothly because I didn't let the customer's passionate speech disrupt my thinking. In sales, you often encounter many problems, and most of the time you have to think independently, so keeping a clear mind at all times will determine the success or failure of your actions!
Don't forget that performance is your shield 90% of enterprises implement a "results-oriented" management philosophy, though they may not admit it. Some companies claim to value process more, but in fact, the two are not contradictory, because valuing process is still for a good result. As a salesperson, you must remember: performance is your most fundamental shield! Without good performance as a foundation, anything you say lacks confidence. Therefore, don't hesitate any longer; act quickly and achieve results! ...
Source: Internet -END-