Monday, April 24, 2006

4 Secrets of the Saint Charles Superstar Salespeople


To be extremely effective at sales it is important to remember that cultures are different, not just around the world but, all around the country. Salespeople in Maine can not use the same approach as account representatives in California. Truly successful salespeople already know this; however, local culture is becoming more and more important to understand.

When doing business with the Saint Charles community companies should give some time to understanding the people and the corporate attitude. Saint Charles is filled with many opportunities for account representatives to increase their number of sales and assist in the growth of their companies.

How are salespeople in Saint Charles going to close more sales?

Secret #1
Positioning and Being Prepared to Sell
What does it mean to be prepared to sell? Having an order pad, laptop, pen, notes, and research of on the company? Most of the Super Star Salespeople in Saint Charles world agree it is much more. Salespeople must build a winning network, target specific companies, review their marketing materials, explore just one industry, become knowledgeable about that industry, understand their products completely, and demonstrate that the selling company can handle the order.

For example, if a beauty salon owner wants to make money by renting stations to hair stylist, it is important to provide an empty cabinet and station for the renter to put “their” things in; the salon should have rental contracts, and lease contracts prepared. Lastly, the salon owner must have marketing materials ready to hand to the prospect, this way the renter has time to think about their decision. This positing technique helps potential buyers to take ownership in the product before they even buy.

Secret #2
Provide Prospects Time to Think
Silence sells! Follow-ups are fine, but do not take it to the extreme. Saint Charles’s decision makers want time to think about the presentation they just experienced. This does not mean that salespeople must wait months to close the sale. One thing to try, when the prospect asks for a bid, is follow up with a personal visit. During this visit do not just leave the sales agreement for the purchaser, instead, explain and present the proposal.

This is the time to put the price into perspective, Super Star Salespeople in Saint Charles might say something like “this is only $2.60 per day.” Remember, when handing a bid over to the purchasing company explain the parts that are important for them to know. After the prospect has an explanation of the bid let them make a good decision and do not try to make it for them. Giving people in Saint Charles time to think gives them time to feel confident in their personal judgment.

Secret #3
Probe, Don’t Push Prospects Away
Pushy salespeople will not close the most sales in Saint Charles. In sales it is important to build long term buying relationships, if the prospect feels too much pressure coming from the salesperson, negative feelings will be brought into the overall atmosphere. When there are any negative feelings the trust built is destroyed, and the long term sale opportunities are destroyed, as well. Giving incentives to purchase products by a certain date is a good idea, but telling prospects that they have to buy today is a bad idea (special circumstances pending). The best way to improve closing ratios in Saint Charles is to ask probing questions about the business and relate purchasing reasons to those answers.

Secret #4
Prevent Misunderstandings (Use Good Communication Skills)
Use effective communication to close more sales. There are a lot of books on this topic of communication. In Saint Charles it is extremely important to prevent misunderstandings by having detailed contracts and following through on all promises. Do not bring up hidden costs at the time of the close. Lastly, restate the terms of the agreement in full before leaving, and follow up with an e-mail or phone call.

These secrets are to be used only by salespeople who want to be successful in Saint Charles, Missouri. All around the world, country, and state the techniques are different and this is why it is important to talk to the people in the area. Call up some of the people that are good at sales in the community you are targeting and ask them questions. What could it hurt, maybe they will end up being a valuable source for referrals or you might end up closing your first sale in that community.

Nathan Bush.

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