3 Practical Tips I’ve Learned That Helped Me (And Will Help You) Get Better at Selling
Sales is Income. Get better to earn better.
The ultimate skill set at work, in business, and life is our ability to sell.
Yes, I am referring to the dirty 5 letter word you have in your head now. That word is S-a-l-e-s.
Many people avoid it. They find dealing with clients and prospects a pain in the ass. They also feel small when asking for money.
I understand.
But I also think the pendulum has swung too far to the other extreme. See if you recognize the following.
- “I don’t believe in asking for money. I believe in providing immense value.”
- “A brilliant product sells on its own. I need not sell.”
- “Customers who know what they want will buy.”
I see these pieces of advice plastered all over social media. Are they correct?
I am not sure.
But I know they do not put money into my pocket. Or yours.
It begets the next question. What does?
1st Tip — Avoid Incessant Value Proposition Preaching
If I could cast spells like Doctor Strange — I would immediately remove this whacky idea known as value proposition from all our heads.
- Want to sell more?
- Want to earn more?
- Want to increase the revenue of your business?
Good.
Toss the unnecessary and incessant value proposition preaching scripts out of your window. Do it now.
Done? Good!
From this moment onwards, focus on service and execution.
Clients do not want to hear about value from you. They want value from you. Big difference.
They need to pay to extract value from you. In other words, value is materialized when a transaction happens.
That means,
- You need to provide a service.
- You need to offer a product for sale.
- You do something for them.
Now, that is real value.
Real value benefits both parties in a concrete sense.
Think about it this way.
Clients have real problems. They want genuine solutions. They will buy the solution from you if you have it.
If you don’t — Clients will buy it from others who have them.
Maybe you are the best value proposition pitcher, or preacher, in the room. Or on LinkedIn. Or Twitter.
People scroll, consume, hit like, comment, and endorse your high value-add content. But they never act on your call to action.
That means your sales revenue is $0 despite having a million impressions on your content. Is that what you want?
Think about that.
The answer is a resounding no.
You want 1,000,000 impressions and $10,000 of revenue transferred to your bank account.
If that’s you — Read on.
2nd Tip — Focus on Client Service
I asked myself reflection-based questions weekly.
- Would prospects sign a long-term contract with me because I send them content videos?
- Would anyone transfer $10,000 to my bank account because I made a call?
- Would any client pay me $100,000 because I wrote them an email?
The answer is no. And a resounding one too.
You see… we can all work to become better email marketers, video producers, and calendar fillers. But these are pipeline activities, not sales closing work.
To close, score, and earn… we must be within striking distance of our clients.
Let me share a personal story.
I believe in camping at the client’s office. I would be at Client A’s office on Monday, Client B’s office on Tuesday, and so on.
I am rarely in my own office.
It has given me an unparalleled competitive advantage.
- I get to experience first-hand how my clients work.
- I am always present for a discussion.
- I am ready for a consultation.
I often respond on-site and in real time. I would ferret out questions from my clients and then reach out to colleagues (around the world) for answers if I do not have any.
I would then share the information as soon as I have any, as fresh as possible, so it can be implemented while I am on-site.
I waste no time preparing fanciful PPTs, polished emails, or well-researched whitepapers.
Clients appreciate this. What they need is immediate support as the issue arises.
That is my competitive advantage.
Service first.
Tip 3 — Say Yes, Say No, Just Don’t Say Later.
This is a classic sales objection.
“Let me think about it.”
I hate this. It never fails to drag me and the client into a progress black hole. No one knows what to do next. Nothing moves.
No traction = No progress = No sales = No income
Many sales professionals make the same mistake too. It happens after sales. Clients would call and ask for help. We hem and haw, give excuses, and return to the classic line.
“Let me get back to you.”
Many never did. Reversing that mindset would propel us to the top 5% of sales professionals.
Clients want prompt responses from us.
- “Oh yes, that can be done. I am currently on the move. Give me some time. You will get the material from me by the end of the day.”
- “Ah, thanks for the question. We are a software product house. It is not in our core business to perform systems integration. I can recommend a contact I trust. Would that work?”
Want to increase your sales income?
Simple.
Learn to say yes. Promptly.
Learn to say no, and then show alternatives. Or possibilities. Or recommendations. Again, promptly.
Avoid sitting on the questions.
This behavior can give you a bad reputation. Gossips spread. Your chances of securing the contract renewal dip exponentially.
One more point.
Contract renewal does not start on the last day, closing week, or final month. That is the perfect recipe for losing the client.
Your follow-up starts on Day 1, after securing the contract.
Stay close, solve problems fast, and be ready to attend to clients’ queries.
That is the formula for client account penetration and increasing your income from sales.
Parting Keynotes
A lot of what I mentioned has to do with our mindset.
Clients sign us up for a reason. They paid. They want solutions. They want us to be there for them.
Do so and then more.
- Avoid incessant value proposition preaching.
- Focus on client service.
- Attend to issues fast.
Doing so allows you to bond deeper with new and long-time clients.
You will start increasing your sales income.
You will because your clients will not want to speak to anyone else… except you.
By then, you win.
As a content contributor, I write my daily life observations and business exposure. Our life experience is the bedrock of our unique perspectives.