3 Sales Techniques that Drive Results

Sales Basics = Results

The success of sales professionals, marketers, or even an athletes is based on their knowledge and ability to do of the basics not just good, but great. Of course, as easy as this sounds, the basics take many hours of practice, focus, and real-world application to really get them down.

By understanding and learning the basics you will develop a strong foundation that will you help you go from average to rockstar in your organization or sport.

During this blog post I will focus on 3 sales techniques or basics that successful sales professionals use to close big deals, hit their numbers, and cash big commission checks.

3 Sales Techniques that Drive Big Results

If you study successful sales professionals and listen to them sale, you will find that they do the following basic techniques very well:

1. Discover prospects needs (Know their pain)

a. Who are you talking to?

• Who are you talking to?
• What department are they in?
• What is their buying role?

b. Why are they talking with you?

• What problems are they trying to solve?
• What keeps them up at night?
• What's their business/personal pain?
• Can you help them quantify their problem?

c. Don't fall for buzzword bingo

• Understand what a certain buzzword means
• Don't assume you know

2. Building strong relationships (Actively listen)

a. Talk less, listen more

• Talk 25%, Listen 75%
• Ask follow questions

b. Verify that you heard correctly

• State back what you heard, "So you..."
• Don't assume you heard right

c. Focus on what you learned from listening

• Don't stray from what they care about

3. Demonstrate connection to needs (Connect pains to solutions)

a. Connect product benefits to needs

• Only show what they care about or they'll tune out
• If you don't, you'll introduce risk

b. Differentiate your solution

• Make sure they know how your product or service is uniquely solving their problems (why it is better than the competition)
• I explained this in a blog post here and here

c. Less is more

• Show them what they want to see

I know what your are thinking these are elementary to sales, but that is the point the basics drive strong results. Do a quick assessment of your sales teams, how many of your sales professionals do the above techniques not just good, but great.

Are there any other techniques you would add? I would like to hear your comments.