One of the most important success factors in all sales situations is the salesperson him/herself
In Growing Sales, we therefore focus on the more personal aspect, which we split into three areas:
Personality. There is probably no “right” personality for becoming a good salesperson. The trick is rather to use your own personality in the best way possible, and perhaps in new ways too. The goal is to build rapport with the client, where both parties feel relaxed, calm and safe. Successful salespeople have one thing in common: they are good at being themselves!
Knowledge. Understanding how a product or service works is good, obviously. Even better, however, if the salesperson can explain in what way this product or service can benefit the client. For this, we need to be able to listen to the client’s challenges, needs and wishes. The gain is huge. Not only will the salesperson come across as knowledgeable, but also as a problem solver.
Business acumen. What does the market look like? What does it want? What can your company deliver? Good business acumen is about being able to create really attractive offers, for both parties, now as well as in the future. To nurture long-term business relationships is therefore indeed a leadership skill, where the salesperson’s attitude, business ethics, personal responsibility and ability to get things done, are crucial.
When we are working with salespeople, we start with some stock-taking of the present situation within these three areas. Both the salesperson and their sales manager will perform an assessment of the salesperson, which will then serve as the starting point for the goals set for the process ahead.
We had been looking for sales training that could help our already experienced salespeople to grow further. The traditional sales courses we could find did not match the requirements we had of a training partner. We chose The New Leadership to be able to combine increased performance with less stress, both professionally and on a more personal level. Clear exercises with plenty of room for reflection have led to better planning, more client meetings and increased sales with our most strategic clients.
Stefan Bengtsson, Managing Director at Amtele