Mastering Sales Courses

As a sales professional, you or your employees might be naturally inclined to defend your products and services and differentiate them from what your competitors offer. Although it is a common sales technique, you must ensure that you don’t sound arrogant or condescending. Elevate your products and services, but also be careful how you talk to clients about your competitors since it reflects brand values and principles.

Moreover, you cannot entirely dodge the topic of your competitors, mainly because your customers are probably already aware of other products in the market. Instead, you can adopt these strategies to subtly deal with the competitor conversation while you learn to sell:

1. Take a diplomatic approach

Although you might think of your competitors as arch rivals, criticising and bashing them when pitching to a client will backfire. Regardless of the rivalry, your competitors deserve respect, and depicting them in a bad light will only lead customers to question your professionalism. Hence, take a diplomatic approach when talking about competitors.

2. Understand your customer’s perspective

A customer raising objections about your product and comparing it with your competitors may trigger you to retaliate with responses that come across as arrogant or petty. Instead of getting carried away with competitive threats, ask your customer what their experience with a competitor has been or if there is any specific product of your competitor’s that the customer likes. Understanding your customer’s perspective will help you respond better.

3. Speak with credibility

Another way of dealing with competitive questions is to add credibility and authenticity to your responses. Instead of using meek and low-confidence phrases like “I think…” or “What I’ve figured is…,” frame your response in the voice of your customers and experts. For example, “Customers who recently switched from them to us said it was because…” or “Gartner Magic Quadrant research points to us….”

4. Be honest with your client

Your products and services may not be the best fit for all customers, and the sooner you accept this, the better. If you feel your product or solution will not deliver the desired value to a client, don’t hesitate to suggest that they go with a different brand or provider. Competitive conversations are ideal for building trust and proving your professional integrity. Moreover, honesty is far better than landing bad-fit customers and inviting a negative reputation for your organisation.

Before you learn sales, understand that sales objections are normal and that you have to deal with them daily. A sales objection refers to any concern a prospective buyer raises about their buying experience from you. The objection could be related to the product pricing or any of its features, lack of clarity on product functionalities, or simply lack of interest in the product.

Common types of sales objections

• Product/service too expensive
• Not trusting the seller
• No need for the product/service
• No urgency
• Satisfied with the current provider/solution
• Product-related objection
• Not having time to discuss

A sales objection indicates that a specific reason prevents a prospect from purchasing your product or service. Although sales objections are annoying and tricky, how you deal with them and convince your prospects to buy from you is objection handling. In other words, objection handling is when a prospect raises a concern about your offerings, and you, as a salesperson, try to alleviate the concern and change their mind.

How to deal with a sales objection

Instead of arguing or telling your prospect they are wrong, you can adopt strategies to help them take a different perspective toward your product organically.

1. Listen to the prospect

One of the fundamentals of sales training is letting your prospects or customers speak and listen to them actively. Hence, you can be better prepared to respond to objections. Also, active listening will build trust and shows your prospect that you have genuine intentions, a step forward towards their willingness to purchase.

2. Understand the prospect’s concerns

Don’t just listen but also try and understand your prospect’s concern. Summarise and repeat what your prospect says to show your concern and interest. It removes misinterpretations and helps your prospect clarify if they have any other issues. Hence, you must ask them open-ended questions and help your prospects raise any objections they would otherwise be reluctant to reveal.

3. Validate the prospect’s concerns

A vital aspect of objection handling is that you must treat your prospects’ concerns with importance no matter how trivial they may seem. Your prospect should not feel you have no regard for their opinions. Give valid responses to their concerns and, if need be, involve your seniors or other team members. You can even ask for more time from your prospect and get back to them with a better proposition.

4. Confirm the prospect’s buying intentions

Repeat the prospect’s objection and ask them if they would like to go ahead with the deal if you address the concern. Confirming the prospect’s intentions is helpful because if you invest time and effort in helping them overcome an objection, it is reasonable that you expect them to take the deal forward. There is no point in expending energy and resources on a prospect with no intention to purchase.

As much as it is essential to master effective sales techniques, it is equally crucial that you have the necessary soft skills in sales. While individual sales approaches may vary, every sales professional must have these soft skills.

1. Communication skills

As a sales professional, you must take the time to develop your communication skills instead of blindly relying on a scripted conversation. Since every customer is different, a prepared script may not always effectively close a deal. Sometimes you need to deviate from the script and use your communication skills to sell your product or service.

2. Persuasive skills

The abundance of digital sales channels and advertisements makes it increasingly challenging to reach the target audience. Customers are overwhelmed with options, and only persuasive selling skills can help you convince your client that your product is worth their investment. Good persuasive skills involve being honest about what you sell and turning a bleak prospect into a potential customer.

3. Active listening skills

Next on the list of sales training skills is active listening skills. Active listening is a crucial part of effective communication. When you actively listen to your customer's needs and concerns, you better understand their expectations. It helps you address those concerns in your response and lets you curate your pitch in a way that aligns with customer’s likes and assures them that you care.

4. Negotiation skills

A good negotiator does not easily give in to the other party’s demands. Instead, they work out a solution that aligns with the interests of both parties while creating a win-win situation. Customers expect that they will be able to negotiate with the salesperson and get a deal that works for them. Likewise, the sales professional must be ready to negotiate in a way that works both for the business and the client.

5. Problem-solving skills

Finally, a sales professional must have excellent problem-solving skills. Dealing with a customer does not simply mean that you listen to them and negotiate a bargain; it also means that you can solve the customer’s problem, whether related to the price, features, or any other aspect of the product or service. Problem-solving skills go a long way in establishing trust and confidence with customers.

Before we understand the different types of selling, let’s briefly revisit what the term means. Selling essentially refers to any transaction involving exchanging money for goods and services. More specifically, selling entails using various communication and sales techniques to influence a prospect’s purchasing decisions.

Broadly, we can classify the selling process into the following categories:

1. Transactional selling

The transactional type of selling works for commodity products, and it is a simple and short-term sales strategy focusing on making quick sales. It means the buyer and the seller involved in transactional selling do not typically engage in a long-term business relationship.

Transactional selling involves minimal interaction between the sales rep and the customer. The buyer generally wants low-cost, self-service options while the business sells generic products and makes a profit by selling substantial quantities in the shortest time possible. Examples of transactional selling include the sale of concert tickets or annual sales at discounted rates.

2. Solution selling

Solution selling focuses on solving the client's business problems. It often involves a combination of products, services and technology to provide solutions to business problems.

In solution selling, the client’s purchasing decision is based on the value the solution offers. Therefore, the sales professional must be well-versed with the client’s business and industry. In addition, they must use various communication and sales training techniques to convince the buyer of how the solution will solve the latter’s problem. A company offering a cloud storage platform with maintenance and security services is an example of solution selling.

3. Relationship selling

As the name suggests, relationship selling is a sales technique focusing on the relationship between the buyer and the seller rather than the product or service sold. Therefore, relationship selling is prominent among companies or organisations selling products and services that heavily rely on repeat business from clients.

For example, insurance companies, therapists and private instructors engage in relationship selling. While pricing and quality remain crucial selling factors, these businesses must also focus on establishing good relationships with customers. In other words, relationship selling is primarily based on familiarity, likeability and trust.

4. Partnership selling

A smart and contemporary approach to sales, partnership selling, involves close collaboration between companies to serve customers as a partner. Partnership at every stage of the sales helps achieve sales goals faster while quickly establishing the business in new geographies and markets.

There are broadly two types of partnership selling: channel partnerships and technology/integration partnerships. In a channel partnership, a supplier and a reseller team up to sell a solution to a customer. On the other hand, a technology/integration partnership involves two software vendors offering distinct solutions to the same prospect simultaneously.

The ultimate goal of every sales technique and effort is to close. Closing can be referred to as the final step in the sales process where the prospect agrees to finalise the deal and converts into a customer. It means that the time and effort the salesperson invested has paid off and resulted in a favourable outcome.

Closing more deals is the priority for most sales professionals. However, those who close more deals than their average peers use unique approaches that set them apart, which is rewarding for both the salesperson and the company.

Here’s what goes into a power-packed sales close:
1. The First Impression

For a salesperson, first impressions can make all the difference between closing a sale and losing a prospect. How your prospective customers perceive you matters and directly impacts your selling capabilities. While it hardly takes several moments to make the first impression, the effect lasts long after the interaction is over.

Here are some tips to make a lasting first impression:

• Work on your soft skills
• Improve your communication skills
• Focus on your attitude and body language
• Take your appearance into account
• Be confident and make eye contact

2. Make Your Customers Feel Important

Making customers feel valued and significant is an integral part of the sales process. No matter how many advanced sales training techniques and tactics you use, growing a business without loyal customers and their referrals is impossible. Before everything, customers are people who are naturally drawn to what makes them feel valued and appreciated. Customers who feel valued keep returning to purchase from you and are more likely to refer your business to others.

Here are some strategies to make your customers feel important:

• Use their name to personalise customer service.

• Offer special discounts, member-only coupons and loyalty programs.

• Acknowledge customers reaching out to you with personal or automated responses

• Own your mistakes, apologise and take responsibility for resolving issues.

• Check-in with your customer after the sale is closed to know if they have any queries.

• Ask for customer feedback and let them know you are acting on their response.

• Improve customer services related to returns, exchanges, cancellations, delivery, account updates and the like

3. Sales Techniques to Build Trust

Selling requires a people-oriented approach. Whether you are selling face-to-face, via e-mail or over the phone, ensuring that your sale reaches a close depends on your ability to build trust with the client. Instead of pushing your products and showing your desperation to close the deal, your goal must be to bring value to your client while establishing goodwill and trust. Building and maintaining trust across the customer relationship lifespan requires effort, especially if some event triggers a trust crisis.

Here are some sales techniques you can apply to build trust with a customer:

• Establish credibility by providing data on how your product or service has helped other customers.

• Demonstrate your expertise by offering solutions to their pain points.

• Give your customers helpful advice and assure them they can count on you.

• Be honest and straightforward with what you can and cannot do.

• Show genuine concern and empathy toward your customer’s problems.

• If it is a face-to-face conversation, make eye contact, smile appropriately and moderate your tone of voice.

• Be consistent in your sales efforts and ensure that you follow through with your client.

4. Use the Ben Franklin Close for a Warm Ending

The Benjamin Franklin close or the Balance Sheet Close is a classic sales training technique to close a sale. Consider this context: You have made your pitch, but the prospect cannot decide whether they want to close the deal despite you trying every trick and tactic.

At this point, you use the Ben Franklin closing strategy.

The Ben Franklin Close is a sales closing technique where a salesperson makes a pros and cons list for the prospect about a specific product or service. It allows the sales rep to convey the benefits of the offering to the prospect and better understand the latter’s priorities. The Ben Franklin Close strategy is usually employed when sales negotiations seem to be heading towards a dead-end or take a turn for the worse. It works best when a buyer is on the fence about your offer and seems more inclined to cut and run.

Here are a few important steps you need to follow to make a Ben Franklin Close:

• Acknowledge your prospect’s hesitance and tactfully propose the idea of weighing the offering’s benefits and drawbacks.

• Guide your prospect into answering questions about their needs and preferences and let them come up with the list.

• Contribute to the list by suggesting benefits your prospect may not have considered.

• Once the list is prepared, ask some pensive questions to make your prospect realise that you have identified their concerns.

While the Ben Franklin Close strategy may not always close a sale, it helps you understand your prospect’s needs and preferences and lets you address objections and roadblocks you may have missed.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could get your hands on some effective sales training techniques? Look no far, as we have curated the top 7 tried and tested sales techniques to help you nail your next pitch.

1. Connect with your audience before you present

Delivering an impactful sales pitch can be a daunting task but not impossible. The first step is connecting with your prospect, whether you are a beginner or a seasoned sales professional. There are many ways you can create a human connection with your audience. For instance, actively listening to what your prospect has to say gives valuable insights on how you should craft your pitch. Try not to interrupt your prospect and let them speak. If your prospect is hesitant to talk, ask open-ended and engaging questions like ‘What are your pain points?’ ‘What type of solutions do you seek?’ and so on.
2. Know how long to talk and make it a rule

While enthusiasm is crucial in a sales pitch delivery, endless talking can do more harm than good. Hence, knowing how long to talk and adhering to it is the next golden rule on this list of effective sales training techniques. Many sales presentations go on for an unbearably long time and become an exhausting session for both the prospect and the salesperson. Essentially, your sales presentation must be long enough for you to convey your key messages compellingly but not so long that it loses its purpose. Audiences are different, and so are their attention curves. Hence, keep your sections reasonably apart to ensure that attention levels don’t drop off quickly.

3. Make eye contact with everyone present

Meaningful eye contact with your audience is a great way to establish your authority as a presenter. Positive eye contact helps you connect with everyone in the room and keeps them engaged in your presentation. Looking into the eyes of your audience communicates that you acknowledge their presence. It creates a bond between the speaker and the listeners and can turn even the most mundane talk into an engaging conversation. When you look your prospect in the eye, they are more likely to pay attention and see things from your perspective. At the same time, know when to avert your eyes, especially if direct eye contact makes any audience member uncomfortable.

4. Use humour within limits

Lighthearted humour in a healthy amount is a good thing in any sales pitch, and it significantly helps in diffusing tension and building a rapport between the presenter and the audience. Humour at your own expense is also safe, so long as you don’t portray yourself as incompetent and irresponsible. At the same time, don’t let self-deprecating humour present the product or service you pitch in a negative light. Self-deprecating humour is often seen as a form of self-awareness where a person jokes about something they don’t like about themselves. It builds trust and helps the audience see the real person behind the sales rep.

5. Try not to memorise your speech

One of the key soft skills in sales is how you speak and present your pitch. You should avoid memorising your speech at all costs, whether presenting to a single prospect or a room full of an audience. Memorised presentations sound unauthentic, rehearsed and lack the passion you need to persuade your prospects. The objective of any presentation should be to engage and involve the audience. However, when the presenter is too focused on recalling what they have learnt by heart, it is unlikely that the audience will be motivated to engage. The most charismatic speakers implement presentation skills for effective and authentic delivery.

6. Tell a story, but don’t make it too long

Storytelling is another effective sales training technique to connect with the audience and make them look at things from your perspective. It can assist you in achieving your sales quotas faster, creating meaningful connections with prospects and humanises the selling process. Moreover, storytelling works because people can relate more to characters that faced similar challenges and overcame them. However, while incorporating the storytelling punch into your sales strategy, ensure that you don’t make the entire presentation about your story. In other words, keep your account short and crisp for maximum impact and engagement.

7. Engage them by letting them do something

Finally, whip up some engaging and interactive techniques to involve your audience in the presentation. For instance, you can incorporate a hands-on demonstration of the product and ask your audience to interact with it upfront. You can even include a quick “Ask Me Anything” session. Such Q&A rounds will help you better understand your prospect’s concerns and what they are looking for. Another effective and high-tech way to engage your audience is by using augmented reality. If your resources permit, you can replace the conventional and boring slides with a 3-D representation of the product you are pitching and even let your audience interact with it.

Learning the fundamentals of sales is the foundation for mastering any sales training technique, and what better way to master the art than signing up for sales and marketing courses?

While there are many sales courses available, most candidates are faced with the dilemma of whether to learn sales online or enrol in an offline sales training course.

If you are facing a similar confusion, let us give some solid reasons why online sales training programs are better than offline ones.

• Flexibility - Online certification courses in sales and marketing have flexible schedules and let candidates take classes according to their own time and pace. On the contrary, offline sales classes typically have a fixed program with little or no room for adjustment.
• Time and cost - One of the biggest benefits of any online sales training course is cost and time savings. Online programs are less expensive than their offline counterparts. Moreover, candidates can save significant amounts of time by taking classes online instead of travelling to attend physical classes.

• Accessibility - Online sales training programs offer round-the-clock access to live lectures, videos and other learning resources. 24/7 accessibility of online sales training courses is a significant advantage over offline programs that rely on fixed schedules and office hours.

• Learning pace - Finally, candidates enrolled in an online sales course can learn at their own pace since these programs offer ample flexibility concerning timing and examinations. On the other hand, the learning course in offline programs is primarily decided by the management with almost no flexibility.