How to become a better salesperson: definition of the concept, job description, conditions and plans, methods, trainings, secrets, motivations and expert advice

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Relatively recently, a sales vacancy has appeared. Even after more than a dozen years, this position raises many questions. Applicants who apply for such a position are not always clear about what duties they will have to perform and what results management expects.

A good salesperson: definition

It is curious that despite the high demand for salespeople, this profession is not taught in educational institutions. Usually you have to practice it. However, those who succeeded are highly valued in the labor market. According to experts, it is impossible to become a real salesperson without the special talent inherent in representatives of this specific profession.

The first representatives of this activity were called money changers. In times when there was no money, one had to exchange one commodity for another. It was the money changers who knew what to exchange for what equivalent. Whenmoney appeared, many new names arose: merchants, and later merchants. The modern title - sales manager - appeared in everyday life relatively recently.

What qualities does a salesperson need?

You need to have a remarkable set of personal qualities to succeed in the field of trade. Potential candidate needs to be:

1. Extrovert. If communication with people is difficult and requires a huge amount of energy, building a successful sales career will be incredibly difficult.
2. An optimist. People are drawn to those who radiate positive and, on the contrary, shun pessimists.
3. Active. To develop a client base, you will have to be the first to make contact, establish business ties.
4. Organized. You need to carefully plan your working hours in order to manage to make calls and meetings, while not forgetting about anyone and not making potential customers wait.
5. A good speaker. For people to listen to you, your speech must be convincing, coherent and, of course, intelligible so that no one has to ask again.

These are the basic qualities of a good salesperson. Thanks to them, you can reach incredible heights in this energy-intensive, but interesting work.

Those who have achieved excellence in the profession find it impossible to teach sales theory. The answer to the question: “How to become a better salesperson?” Is that it is better to comprehend the secrets of this work in practice.

It is curious thatsalespeople are perhaps the only ones among managers who do not necessarily have a higher education. Most vacancies require applicants to have a driver's license and knowledge of office programs, including 1C.

Responsibilities

As you begin to wonder how to become a better salesperson, also take a look at the responsibilities that this position hides. These specialists are, perhaps, in every company. Their main task is the ability to establish uninterrupted sales of products. It does not matter whether these are goods of own production or purchased from intermediaries for further resale.

Sales career

To understand in practice how to become a better salesperson, you need to be ready to go through all the steps of the career ladder, starting from the lowest. Much depends on the area in which the salesperson will have to work.

For example, in the wholesale trade, you can start with an ordinary representative who delivers products to retail outlets, and move up to the position of supervisor, then regional or territorial manager, and the top position will be the head of the sales department. If you get a job in a car dealership, then the career ladder can be much shorter. Having achieved success in the sales position, the specialist can expect to be promoted to the position of boss.

Prospects

If we talk about the timing of achieving the goal, then the entire career ladder will take 3-5 years. At the same time, it is very important to havea mentor who is willing to spend his time and share knowledge with a beginner.

When wondering how to become a better salesperson, it is impossible to lose sight of the amount of payment. As a rule, the income of a professional depends on bonuses. The ratio of salary and interest may be different. Usually the fixed part is 40%, the rest is deductions from sales. This encourages the manager to work better and close more deals.

If you trust information from sites that publish vacancies, the corridor of income for salespeople is from 12 to 300 thousand monthly. However, it is naive to believe that everything depends solely on the professionalism of the employee. Income is also affected by the size of the company he works for and the product he sells.

Trainings

Every large organization periodically conducts sales training. At such events, specialists gain new knowledge and develop skills in interacting with clients. By regularly attending the best courses for salespeople, even an ordinary employee turns into a real professional. The investment of money and time will pay off many times over. Further training will also be a great addition to a good salesperson's resume and will affect income.

Depending on the content, the training can be:

• methodological;
• motivational;
• industry;
• grocery.

According to experts, the most common methodological training for salespeople. They teach how to put into practice one or another method of trading. Trainings have great potential, where specialfocus on skill development. However, companies rarely use this format for unknown reasons.

How to become a good bank salesperson?

Working in a credit institution involves great responsibility. You need to have not only sales skills, but also excellent knowledge of banking products in order to be able to answer even the most insignificant customer questions.

First you need to inspire confidence in a potential buyer. And only then start selling. You need to think like a client, to know about his desires and doubts almost more than he does. To do this, you need to be an expert and improve in your industry. Not every company is willing to invest in employee training. That's why a salesperson who wants to reach the top of his career must learn a lot on his own.

Expert Tips

1. Don't give up.

According to statistics, most sales are made after five contacts. This is especially true when selling complex goods. Even if you didn't get a response to your first email and the call didn't work, don't despair. You can return to this client in a year or later to propose again.

2. Work with the client base.

Even after the transaction is completed, do not stop contacting buyers. Remind him of yourself with rare letters or calls, staying in touch. This is one way to become a good phone salesperson. For automation use,such as CRM systems. This method will significantly reduce time and increase efficiency.

3. Learn.

Some professionals tend to burn out. This happens when yesterday's beginner, willing to learn everything new, turns into a self-confident professional. Sales is a field in which you always need to learn new things, even if it seems that you know everything.

4. Gather information.

It's very hard to sell something you don't understand. Especially in the B2B segment. If you don't know something about a product, check with colleagues or promise the client to find out and discuss the details later. Better yet, collect information about the product in advance. Experts will quickly realize that you do not understand the product and will not trust you.

5. Look for new clients.

Even professionals who always follow a set plan are constantly looking for opportunities to expand their customer base. If you are used to selling by phone, use social networks, try contextual advertising and other methods. The more recruitment channels there are, the better. Gradually, the number of customers will increase, and with it your income.

Starting a career in sales is easy, but few manage to stay in it for a long time, and only a few become true professionals.