Increasing Your Sales

Successful selling strategies are more important than ever. Start with boosting your confidence, your attitude, and time management skills. Then work on outside factors such as knowing your customer, competition, and your company. Here are some examples, or 10 tips to increase sales:1. Talk less, listen more. Ask questions. Listen for subtle cues as to what your customer wants. For example, when they say, "What I'm looking for is..." That's a buying signal. Listen and take notes verbatim. Put quotes around what they said so that when you talk or write to them again, you can use their exact words, provided your product or service meets their need. Nothing helped me more in becoming a top sales producer than the above mentioned tip to increase sales.2. Target those individuals who are your best prospects. Is there a commonality among those people who have purchased from you in the past? What were their needs, similar circumstances, and greatest challenges?3. Make yourself well-known as an expert in your field. Write articles. Post them online. Contact editors and get published in newspapers and magazines. Ask your clients for recommendation letters praising your services as a testament to your integrity, customer service and expertise. Nothing speaks louder than others singing your praises!4. Start with selling yourself. It's a fact: people buy from people they like. People buy from people considered trustworthy, credible, and honest. Present yourself professionally. Regarding attire, remember the 3 T's: tailored, tasteful, and traditional. Practice a positive attitude. Show up on time. Further educate yourself about your product, your competition, and any possible objections.5. Fail forward. When you don't make the sale, or you lose the business, find out why. What needs to be improved? What could be done differently? If you or your company made a mistake, admit it. Learn from it. Then move forward. Don't dwell on it and dig further into defeat.6. Communicate your competitive advantage. Like it or not, your potential customer is thinking, "What's in it for me?" And, "What am I going to get out of this?" Once you know their needs, mention both the features AND the benefits to them.7. Master and study your core competencies. You're only as strong as your weakest link. What areas do you need to improve? Do you need to improve time management? Do you need to improve technical skills? And, what areas must you absolutely master? For example, maybe you need to spend more time getting to the decision maker. So, work to improve your deficiencies, and master those areas you must excel at to increase sales.8. Ask for specific referrals. This is one of the biggest tips to increase sales. Once your client has complimented you on your product/service, ask them who else they know who could benefit. Tell them the kind of clients you're looking for and get specific names, phone numbers, and email addresses. See if they'll talk with that person or make a phone call on your behalf and introduce you.9. Practice professionalism and integrity to increase sales. Be a problem solver. If you don't know the answer to a question, admit it. When you lie you die. Let them know when you'll get back to them with the answer and do! People will look to see if you practice what you promise.10. Give samples. Give something away free to increase sales. Or, offer something extra as a value-added bonus. Outdistance your competitors.Above all else, ask for the order. And incorporate silence. Practicing silence while your potential client is deciding is often when they say yes! They're uncomfortable with the silence, and often end up talking and making a decision to fill the space. This is a technique I used frequently when I was honored as the number one sales producer in the history of the company breaking all previous records in the U.S. and Canada for a major Fortune 500 company. That technique...and a lot of patience, persistence, and diligence. Good luck!

Direct Sales Role

Sales representatives sell their company's products or services to customers. They could be selling cleaning or food products, ICT or electronics components, medicines and pharmaceuticals, vehicles, cosmetics - in fact almost any kind of product or service. Their customers may be individuals, businesses, factories or retail outlets.
Direct sales representatives sell directly to individuals in their homes, demonstrating products or leaving catalogues for customers to choose from. Technical sales representatives and sales engineers work in the industrial, engineering or ICT sectors, selling industrial, specialised or high-tech equipment, materials and components.
Working hours can be long and irregular, and usually depend on meeting targets for appointments or for sales. Sales representatives visit customers at their homes, offices or factories, which requires a lot of driving. If they cover a large area, they may spend most of the week travelling and staying in hotels.
Salaries range from around £15,000 to £50,000 or more a year.
A sales representative should be:
enthusiastic, ambitious and self-confident
a natural extrovert and good at networking
persuasive and good at negotiating
able to take rejection
knowledgeable about the company's products and those of their competitors
interested in meeting new people.
Sales representatives work for manufacturers and wholesale distributors in every sector. About 14 per cent of representatives are self-employed or work freelance, often on a commission-only basis. There is always a need for skilled sales representatives and there are opportunities throughout the UK and abroad.
There are no set entry qualifications for sales representatives, although most employers do ask for a minimum of GCSEs/S grades (A-C/1-3) in English and maths, or the equivalent. An increasing number of applicants have higher qualifications, and a degree or an HNC/HND in a related subject may be useful.
New sales representatives usually work with experienced sales staff until they become familiar with the product and the area they will cover. Most companies provide training on their products, organisation and the sales methods they use. They may also take a range of courses and qualifications in sales, including the City & Guilds International Vocational Qualification (IVQ) in Sales and Marketing.
Promotion possibilities for sales representatives depend on their sales results. Progression may involve taking on responsibility for a larger area or moving into sales management. Some sales representatives become national account managers, working closely with one or more large organisations and businesses. Technical sales representatives sometimes move into product development, research and production.