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Top 5 Strategies to Improve Your Sales Approach

Written by: Leanne Hoagland-Smith

Article Overview: So you want to win more sales? The local economy is down. Contacts and leads are drying up. More and more competitors are entering an already tight market. What can you do?

Top 5 Strategies to Improve Your Sales Approach

So you want to win more sales? The local economy is down. Contacts and leads are drying up. More and more competitors are entering an already tight market. What can you do?

Now is possibly the time to revisit your overall sales approach. How you approach your potential customers (a.k.a. prospects) is very critical to your overall ability to increase sales. Approach has Latin origins and means to “come near.”

If you need to come near your potential clients, what do you need to change to increase sales? Here are my top 5 sales skills strategies to help your sales approach to be more effective that being doing the right thing.



#1: Keep an open mind

When coming nearer someone, your mind must be open. This is the time to remove all pre-existing thoughts and beliefs. Many of those thoughts could be self imposed limitations that you are broadcasting 24/7. Additionally, by keeping your brain open you are not already creating solutions that may not be truly what this individual or business actually needs.

#2: Truly understand the Socratic approach to questioning

Socrates was probably the first executive coach. His ability to ask well thought questions allowed him to move closer to the other person was exceptional. As it has been said many times, Successful selling is all in the questions.



#3: Understand what the word dialogue actually means

Again returning to the origin of the word dialogue, it means to build a relationship. Dialogue extends beyond normal conversation, but is all about both the sender and the receiver within the communication process making connections that lead to deeper ones. Some in sales converse while others truly dialogue.

#4: Accepting you do not have all the answers

Within the marketing or selling phases of any sales process, sometimes question arise that you as the sales professional do not have an answer. Be willing to say I do not know. I will get that answer to you within 24 hours. Remember, people buy from people they know and they trust. When you are forthcoming and demonstrate that you do not have all the answers, your authenticity is shining and identifying you as the Red Jacket in the Sales Sea of Sameness.



#5: Be patient in your responses

To be successful in selling does require patience. Always having a quick answer may have you sounding like Rat-a-Tat-Tat. This sound is only good for machine guns and not for exceptional sales professionals.

These 5 sales skills strategies can help improve your sales approach. Remember approach means to get closer to and does not mean to earn the sale.

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Article Tags: br 3, brain, communication process, converse, creating solutions, dialogue, doing the right thing, economy, executive coach, latin origins, marketing, origin of the word, prospects, relationship, socrates, successful selling, tight market



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