Prospecting and Sales Appointments Are the Key to Success
I have been in sales for over 10 years. During that time I have sold solid items (appliances, real estate) and intangibles (insurance, consulting). Regardless of the products you sell the method to make sells doesn't change. You must prospect, set appointments, give presentations and close sales. This is commonly referred to as the sales process.
It is hard to become a great salesperson with a dependable income stream unless you develop a system to do just that. Fortunately such a system exists if you get your information and plug it in. Let us see how to use this info and increase our sales;
Prospecting - the hardest part of the sales process for many salespeople. The reason is you have to prospect a lot of potential clients before you can get to the ones who will purchase your product. To become more effective at prospecting focus on potential clients first. These are people who fit your present customer criteria. The goal is to prospect for people who have a good chance of saying yes to your proposal.
Setting appointments - this is a necessary skill. Prospecting will do you little good if you do not set appointments. When you do this effectively you make your prospecting efforts pay off. You cannot sell unless you make an appointment to show your products and services.
Giving presentations - the heart of every sale. The quality of your presentation and your proficiency of sharing it with others will directly impact your sales. As a representative you must become an expert at giving your presentation. You must know your product inside and out, be able to answer questions and have a firm grasp of the sales cycle.
Closing sales - even with great prospecting, the ability to set appointments and giving great presentations, if you cannot close you will not make any money. Closing sales is when you ask the prospect to make a decision to purchase. You ask for the money and get the signatures. There are many ways to get to this point but unless you can 'close the sale" you won't get paid.
The key to success in a sales career is being able to engage in the activities that will increase your sales. These four pointers outlined in this article give you the nuts and bolts you need to be able to make good sales decisions.
