3 Advanced Sales Skills That Bring in Results
Anyone working in sales for a while will know the core basic skills needed to succeed:
Active listening
Product/ industry knowledge
Rapport-building etc.
These are the foundation stones of a successful sales career.
But does it stop there?
For salespeople looking to take it to the next level, it’s crucial to learn how to apply these core skills to more strategic goals. As you develop as a salesperson, you'll have the foundations set, allowing you to focus on building a long-term reputation.
You may also be engaging with high-ticket clients where basic sales approaches might not suffice. The top salespeople are seen as influential, knowledgeable, reliable, and empathetic.
But how do they achieve that?
Be Helpful Without Being Pushy
One of the first things you learn in sales is to solve a problem and be helpful. But to take it a step further, you need the awareness to read people's reactions to your helpfulness and adjust accordingly.
In many scenarios, salespeople can come across as too strong with exaggerated helpfulness and friendliness, trying to connect and compel prospects. This approach can actually backfire, making prospects feel overwhelmed and like they have no control over the conversation.
Of course, being authoritative is important as a salesperson, but as you develop in your career, you’ll recognize that giving the prospect some authority and power in the conversation can work in your favour. The best salespeople strike a balance between guiding the conversation and allowing the prospect to feel in control.
To achieve this:
Listen actively: Pay attention to the prospect's responses and adjust your approach based on their feedback.
Ask open-ended questions: Encourage prospects to share more about their needs and concerns.
Respect their pace: Some prospects need more time to make decisions. Respect their timeline without pushing too hard.
Don't Just Show Knowledge, Provide Value
As you develop as a salesperson, you’ll gain a wealth of knowledge about your industry, the companies within it, and the economic factors impacting it. This means when you speak to prospects, you’re not just selling a random product; you’re offering something relevant and beneficial.
But is it all relevant?
Prospects want a specific value proposition tailored to their unique pain points. Pouring out every piece of knowledge you have during a cold call can be overwhelming. Instead, show prospects that you're well-informed on their industry and how the current market impacts them, but relay this in a way that is specific to them.
This requires deeper research on a prospect, understanding any subsectors relevant to them, and narrowing down the knowledge you share. Make them feel like you're talking directly to them, not just any other company in their industry.
Talk About the Less Obvious Pain Points
Any salesperson is familiar with the idea of pain points and how bringing them up in a conversation can show that your product or service solves a problem. But some pain points are more obvious than others, and prospects may be used to hearing the same 3-5 points in every sales call.
The best salespeople go beyond that, revealing real, relevant, and timely issues that the prospect hasn’t even considered. This impresses prospects because you’re making them aware of a problem they may desperately want fixed, which can significantly improve their results.
This approach earns a degree of trust from the prospect early on, something hard to build without multiple conversations. It shows you’ve taken the time to thoroughly understand their business, have empathy for their challenges, and possess the intelligence to identify the problem in the first place.
To get better at identifying less obvious pain points, focus on a consultative approach to selling. Let the prospect talk more than you sell, prioritize providing value, build trust, and understand their needs before offering a solution.
While this may not be the most popular approach for salespeople eager to get the ball rolling, the most successful salespeople who handle the biggest clients and have the best long-term relationships are patient. They understand the importance of being intentional and careful for long-term gains.
- Written by Lauren Whiteman
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