A product or service successfully lands in the market as a result of a combination of factors including marketing mix, a meticulous market survey, its SWOT analysis, and studying the target customers. However, most importantly what sells the product and is instrumental in escalating its reach is the sales process. The Indian market has been heavily dominated by traditional business models where the salesperson’s role is significant in portraying the product or service as a lucrative offer for its consumer base.
It is important to acknowledge that despite the rise of Artificial Intelligence and its rapid integration into various aspects of business, mastering the art of sales remains a challenging task. India has yet to fully transition into an AI-driven market structure. This delay is primarily attributed to the profound impact of human interactions in persuading consumers to make informed choices. The personal touch and nuanced communication provided by salespersons continue to hold significant sway in the purchasing decisions of consumers, contributing to the enduring importance of the human element in sales within the Indian market.
Here is a list of ten skills that every salesperson must master in order to successfully sell the product or service:
Also Read: 10 Soft Skills That Will Make You Stand Out in the Workplace
1. Storytelling and Targeting Emotions
People do not buy the product, they buy the emotions and stories that come with it. Coca-Cola, the giant soft drink company marketed its product as ‘happiness in a bottle’ and not just a quintessential drink. Humans are bound to remember and recall more accurately when they are conditioned to associate emotions with a brand and its marketed products. The example may seem unreliable but the analogy is that a salesperson must also be able to target the consumer’s emotion and convince them to associate the product with their convenience. As a fast-food-driven market, one will find it hard to imagine celebrations, dine-outs, or simple snacking without soft drinks such as Pepsi, Coca-Cola, or Redbull by their side. This is the impact that the storytelling of a brand creates.
2. Verbal and Non-Verbal Cues
When a customer enters a store, the initial impression he forms is paramount to their overall experience. The body language of the salesperson attending to their requirements, the amount of interest he or she shows in assisting the customer, and their way of communication matters a lot in enhancing the consumers’ experience. Additionally, the choice of words is crucial. Using positive and affirmative vocabulary is important but it must be done with careful consideration to maintain a balance. The communication should be engaging, avoiding monotony, while ensuring that essential information is provided in a convincing manner. Most importantly, the salesperson should refrain from excessive self-promotion in an effort to impress the customer.
3. Value the Customer’s Time and Money
A consumer has limitless options to shop from and yet if they choose to step into the store, they anticipate efficient use of their time. A skilled salesperson can adeptly interpret the customer’s body language to gauge interest and creatively attract their focus to the product. Additionally, the amount of time invested in convincing the consumer can be wisely calculated if the salesperson researches their buying needs and patterns.
Maintaining a database of hot-selling products and popular customer choices allows businesses to streamline sales, providing factual information to expedite customer decisions. Money is another important factor that mostly becomes a barrier. It is significant to understand that if not this, there are plenty of other options that the consumer is free to choose from. Some brands employ the strategy of opting for discounting, intentionally increasing product prices before offering discounts, aiming to persuade customers that the product is already available at a reduced rate.
4. Product Knowledge
There is no way a product can be sold if the consumer is unaware of its intricacies. This is particularly critical in the case of gadgets, cosmetics, and appliances due to the technical terminology associated with them and the recent surge in fraudulent cases. The consumer needs to be aware of what they are buying and using hinges on the knowledge imparted by the salesperson. Consumers often scrutinise and cross-question the salesperson in order to ascertain the trustworthiness of both the brand and its products. In the era of the internet where information is available in abundance, accuracy in the details provided by the salesperson becomes even more essential.
The complete knowledge of a product would be judged on a spectrum including the merits, demerits, comparison with the other products, brands that sell similar products, cost of the product, features, and a plethora of other factors. This comprehensive knowledge is instrumental in building consumer confidence and facilitating well-informed purchasing decisions.
5. Patience and Rapport-Building
Consumers can have endless questions and repeated requests which can be challenging. Sales is a tedious task and the most difficult yet important part of the skill is to be able to build a rapport with the customers. They need to feel that they are being offered only authentic products, establishing a sense of trust. The salesperson must exhibit patience in handling repetitive doubts and inquiries without displaying any signs in their body language that might convey disinterest.
Additionally, rapport building also helps the salesperson to delve into the consumers’ choices. This knowledge can be beneficial for the brand or product seller, helping them identify areas for improvement and enhancing consumer engagement. Understanding the needs and lifestyles becomes a valuable tool which helps to connect and tailor sales approaches.
6. Problem-Solving
Critical thinking and problem-solving skills relate to the capacity to apply information and facts to efficiently resolve issues. For any salesperson, it is essential to be able to think critically and be able to assess situations with more attention to detail.
Here are some instances in which selling requires critical thinking:
- Hit sales targets
- Figure out how to capture the prospects’ interest
- Organising discovery meetings effectively
- Connecting potential clients’ needs with your offerings
- Settling the deal by negotiating the terms.
7. Being Empathetic
The capacity to comprehend and share the emotional experiences of another person is known as empathy. Every salesperson should be able to do this naturally,+ but if you consider it important to train in it like a skill, it becomes even more effective. You must be able to fully comprehend and reflect on the feelings of prospects when you are speaking with the customers.
Three categories of empathy exist:
- Being conscious of someone else’s emotions is known as cognitive empathy.
- Engaging with and sharing those emotions is emotional empathy.
- Acting to assist others is a crucial part of compassionate empathy.
8. The Art of Social Selling
Your salespeople don’t have to be up-to-date on the newest developments in social media. They should, however, be able to use popular networks like LinkedIn with some basic familiarity. It is important that a salesperson is socially available and aware of the changing needs of the customer giving them a upper hand in the job.
Representatives need to know what constitutes appropriate and inappropriate social media engagement. Verify that sellers are not copying and pasting your pitch into each and every direct message or LinkedIn post they make five times a day. Consistent presence combined with tailored outreach is essential.
9. Presentation Skills
Since sales representatives handle the unexpected on a daily basis, it is even more crucial that they master the skills. Thus, they can practise in advance. Demos and sales presentations most definitely fit into this category.
Many sales presentations focus too much on features when they should be concentrating more on the needs and challenges of the buyer. Engaging and informative presentation content and sales message delivery are essential to avoid losing or even putting your buyers to sleep.
10. Acquaintance with Technology
Sellers now need to have experience with new technologies, and this trend is not going away anytime soon. Your CRM, conversational marketing software, call intelligence, and sales readiness platforms are some of the tools that sales representatives need to know how to use.
Technical expertise should, of course, not be solely the responsibility of the sales staff. Your representatives ought to be knowledgeable enough to consult with sales engineering and IT when necessary.
Conclusion
No matter what, the sales industry is extremely competitive, and developing your sales skills will take years of experience and learning new things. Determine the sales techniques you need to develop in order to progress professionally and reach your next success goal. Seek out new opportunities to improve yourself whenever you can, and don’t try to rush the process. You can use case studies to gain a better understanding of sales in the interim and to get ready for your upcoming sales interview.
