As a commission sales associate many things are outside of your control; however, there are things that you can do. All of the points discussed below “work” and you can do all of them very easily and they will significantly impact your sales.
10 WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR SALES
- Join on-line organizations such as “LinkedIn”. There is a wealth of knowledge and connections for you, if you haven’t already, take the time and create a profile. Consider making a small investment and join the premium level.
- Join community groups; make the effort and the larger organization the better, become involved, it will help the group and it will help you.
- Spend 30 minutes every day on professional development. For example, there are 100’s of tutorials on selling in LinkedIn alone, virtually everything that has ever been written on selling is available for FREE on-line, and most sales industries have on-line trade publications that are full of helpful selling tips.
- Make sure everyone you know, knows what you sell. Family, friends, former co-workers. This point cannot be stressed enough, if people like you and they know you care, most people will go out of there way to help you, it makes them feel good and they know you would do it for them.
- Ask for referrals every time you make a sale. This really is a basic step; unfortunately, the vast majority of sales people I have seen, do not do this and it is such a powerful tool. Practice it, though, just like most selling skills, this skill lives and evolves with you.
- Ask current customers “What their next major purchase will be?” Some people will tell you, some people won’t, but it is a very effective way of generating connections with people, as long as you do something with the information.
- Practice and role-play the products that you have trouble selling. Role-playing is awkward and most people hate it, but it works; make it fun and work with a friend one-on-one, remember it will never be the same as working with a customer, but it is effective for trying new techniques and covering key points in the right order.
- Contact former customers when a big sale is approaching. This is especially effective if you have asked permission initially; however, even if you haven’t, most people will appreciate that you remembered them, some will come, others will not, but each one is a bonus.
- If your company does not have a formal procedure for clearing email messages or phone messages, volunteer to do this. Customers who call should be called back within an hour of the phone call and on-line customers should be contacted immediately, they are literally at their computers or by their smart phone waiting for your response – and they won’t wait long unless you give them a solid reason to.
- If you hear a page for sales or for a phone call for sales, try to be the person who answers it. Another effective method is taking “the customer nobody wants”, we all know this happens, if you are not with a customer when these people come in, give it a shot, if nothing else it is a chance to practise your presentation with a real person.
- Keep a “lead sheet” of current customers who you have seen but did not close because they were not ready, and ask permission to stay in contact with. Some places run a VIP sale and they only invite customers they can’t close; you should always have a list of 10-20 customers that you could call anytime.
- Do thank you calls for your current customers. Most sales associates only do this when they have to, embrace it, tell them you are going to do this at the time of sale, it works because so few sales people do it, it makes you stand apart.
- Send hand written Christmas cards to your clients. A personal message, written by hand, with a person-centered genuine comment still works wonders to strengthen a personal connection.
- Where appropriate make connections with local builders, watch media for announcements on new construction projects. Depending on your industry, constantly be looking for companies investing in infrastructure that your company might provide.
- Actively support charitable organizations, most people would be amazed at the secondary sales that result from being generous to your community.
- Ask your company to feature: “Did you know about (insert your name here)” profiles on social media of their sales associates and volunteer to be first.
- Watch, listen, and learn from all of your fellow sales associates; visit your competition and watch what they do well, watch what they do poorly, and always ask them for their advice. It has been my experience that sales associates will help you if you ask and I believe that you can learn from everyone.
These points are just a few suggestions, you can do all of them today, they don’t cost much except time, and they all work. Oh, yes, I know it said 10, but always give people more than they expect.
Good selling.