Being a salesperson is a lucrative career because, ultimately, being able to sell a company’s product is what brings in the revenue for a company to succeed. However, a salesperson’s job is often challenging because a customer may initially be unwilling to make a purchase and it is up to the salesperson to convince them that their product is of benefit to them. Therefore, a salesperson must have a unique set of traits that enables them to move product off the shelves and into the possession of a consumer. Here are some of those key traits.
1) Product Knowledge
Before a salesperson can even begin to solicit customers, they must have a clear idea of what the product is they are selling and know the pros and cons of the product. For example, if you are trying to sell a car, understand all the features of the car and the pricing behind it. If you are trying to sell a house, you should memorize all the key attributes like square footage and the number of bedrooms, what are features of the community, and the condition of key fixtures. Knowing what your product is and is not is critical when trying to sell to a customer. They want to know what they are buying.
2) Strategic Prospecting Skills
As a salesman, it is important to understand what demographic your product is geared towards and ensure that you only try to sell to that demographic. Say you are in wholesale real estate and you are trying to sell a fixer-upper. You may not want to be targeting an elderly demographic who is generally less interested in a fixer-upper property. Instead, you would rather try to network with local flippers in the community that specializes in wholesaling real estate. Once you reel in the right demographic, it will be much easier to sell a product that adheres to your customer’s needs.
3) Advertise Your Qualifications
When it comes to selling bigger possessions, such as real estate or automobiles, customers are going to look for a reputation a lot more closely than a typical retail purchase. After all, if a customer is going to invest a large sum of money, they want to know they are not getting ripped off and that they have been informed as much as possible about the product they are getting ready to purchase. Therefore, as a salesperson, make sure your qualifications are well known, such as using social media like LinkedIn, or hanging certifications and diplomas in your office area. If you are in the environment of selling online products through a website, make sure you observe customers’ reviews and that your site appears legitimate. If you have a bad reputation, word of mouth eventually will catch up to you.
4) Master Communication Skills
Perhaps the most important skill a salesperson needs is the ability to be a good two-way communicator. Not only is it important for a salesperson to make a knowledgeable pitch, but they also must be good at listening to the customer and having a good response to any questions or concerns they might have. They must be willing to pay attention throughout the process and not worry about meeting a quota. Not being able to adequately answer any questions they have is an easy way for the customer to lose faith in your ability as a salesperson and question the quality of the product that is trying to be sold to them. Therefore, it is up to a salesperson to be the face of a solid product.
5) Developing Strong Agreements
The deal of a sale is always contingent on putting together a solid agreement. A solid agreement cannot be one-sided and must be of benefit to both the prospective buyer and seller. If you are going to sell a home in an as-is condition, then be willing to knock off a substantial price. If a used car is going to potentially have a lot of breakdowns in the near future, offer a warranty to the buyer for a piece of mind. Put together a contract that balances out liability to make both your boss and the customer happy.
