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Necessary Skills of Sales Part 5

 

Guest articles > Necessary Skills of Sales Part 5

 

by: Daniel Milstein

 

As a salesperson, you have to consider the different approaches you want to take when engaging with prospective customers. You should decide which sales approach you want to take.

Consider the Passive Approach: There is also the more passive, yet effective selling technique. For example, as my Gold Star colleagues will attest, I'm frequently on one of my cell phones--talking to customers or prospects. A bystander might hear my conversation and later ask about my profession, thus providing a chance for me to explain how I can help them.

A few years ago, I was flying with a few friends to a hockey game in another state. I was on the phone with a client, enthusiastically explaining how we were going to close his loan in a few days. The co-pilot overheard the discussion and when we landed he said, 'So you're in the mortgage business' and we proceeded to discuss his needs for home financing. I have been in similar situations at airports, in movie theater lines, the grocery store and the doctor's office. Some salespeople use other incentives to generate discussion and sales opportunities. For example, I know of a loan originator who wore an 'Ask Me How I can Save You Money on Your Next Home Loan' badge while he walked through a professional football game tailgate gathering. It had the desired effect. This experienced salesman was stopped several times by people who asked him how he would be able to help them save on their future home purchase or refinance. He made a lot of great contacts that afternoon and most likely obtained a few new clients as well. I have seen other salespeople do something similar at community events, creating interest among potential customers who might be ready to purchase a car, home, wide screen television, insurance policy or living room furniture.

Cross Selling: All salespeople should be skilled at cross selling, whereby they follow up their initial discussion with a mention of another product or service, as a way to expand their sales options. Of course, financial institutions typically have a variety of products, including savings and checking accounts, consumer and home loans, and credit lines. Insurance salespeople have similar options, able to offer their prospects life, disability, medical and other coverage. Even salespeople with more limited product menus can offer ancillary products or services, including accessories and extended warranties. You can take advantage of a prospect's initial interest by sharing information on related products, stressing how they can help achieve short and long-term goals. It is easy to make an appropriate shift. For example: 'Now that you are all set with life insurance, you might have an interest in some cost effective medical and homeowners' programs'

The best salespeople should sell more than just one product or service; cross selling is a very important skill in the sales industry. Each salesperson has their own technique, but you must become an expert at your craft and the technique you have chosen to become successful.

 


Daniel Milstein is the bestselling author of ABC of Sales. For more information, visit: http://amzn.to/ABCARTICLES.


Contributor: Daniel Milstein

Published here on: 29-Sep-13

Classification: Sales

Website: http://amzn.to/ABCARTICLES

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Site Menu

| Home | Top | Quick Links | Settings |

Main sections: | Disciplines | Techniques | Principles | Explanations | Theories |

Other sections: | Blog! | Quotes | Guest articles | Analysis | Books | Help |

More pages: | Contact | Caveat | About | Students | Webmasters | Awards | Guestbook | Feedback | Sitemap | Changes |

Settings: | Computer layout | Mobile layout | Small font | Medium font | Large font | Translate |

 

 

Please help and share:

 

Quick links

Disciplines

* Argument
* Brand management
* Change Management
* Coaching
* Communication
* Counseling
* Game Design
* Human Resources
* Job-finding
* Leadership
* Marketing
* Politics
* Propaganda
* Rhetoric
* Negotiation
* Psychoanalysis
* Sales
* Sociology
* Storytelling
* Teaching
* Warfare
* Workplace design

Techniques

* Assertiveness
* Body language
* Change techniques
* Closing techniques
* Conversation
* Confidence tricks
* Conversion
* Creative techniques
* General techniques
* Happiness
* Hypnotism
* Interrogation
* Language
* Listening
* Negotiation tactics
* Objection handling
* Propaganda
* Problem-solving
* Public speaking
* Questioning
* Using repetition
* Resisting persuasion
* Self-development
* Sequential requests
* Storytelling
* Stress Management
* Tipping
* Using humor
* Willpower

Principles

+ Principles

Explanations

* Behaviors
* Beliefs
* Brain stuff
* Conditioning
* Coping Mechanisms
* Critical Theory
* Culture
* Decisions
* Emotions
* Evolution
* Gender
* Games
* Groups
* Habit
* Identity
* Learning
* Meaning
* Memory
* Motivation
* Models
* Needs
* Personality
* Power
* Preferences
* Research
* Relationships
* SIFT Model
* Social Research
* Stress
* Trust
* Values

Theories

* Alphabetic list
* Theory types

And

About
Guest Articles
Blog!
Books
Changes
Contact
Guestbook
Quotes
Students
Webmasters

 

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