Great habits and etiquettes for Sales professionals

While knowledge and skills are key for a Sales professional to be successful there are some traits that differentiate the good sales personnel from a great one.

1.      Know your customer

I am not referring to the process of documentation mandated by regulatory authorities and followed by Banks and Financial Institutions. When your pre-sales team/marketing team generates a lead, do some research about your client. In the current digital age and with access to tools like LinkedIn, you have access to a lot of information which lets you understand your customer before you even meet them in person. If your product or service is sector agnostic or caters to more than one sector, then carry out a research on the sector too. This part of the prep is crucial to develop and probably even create a list of FAQs that you may be asked during the meeting.

2.      Listen

While the Job description requires you to close the sale, you might not be able to do it if you aren’t listening to your customer. Great sales guys aren’t the ones that go on and on about how great their product or service is, but those who listen patiently to their customers. This has 2 benefits

a)      Gives you a sense of the actual concern that your potential customer is facing

b)     Let’s you pitch only the part of the solution (if that is permitted) that starts with solving that particular problem for the customer.

What this does

·      Your client realizes that you are not just another salesman selling an array of products/service

·      You establish credibility with your customer

·      Your customer will appreciate your genuine intention of solving the problem

·      You build a great relationship that will let you upsell/cross-sell at a later point in time

3.      Dressing & Grooming

Dress the way your job demands you to. Most professionals in the Banking and Finance sector are expected to be formally dressed. Business casuals work just fine for a few other sectors. If you do not have a specification it is always better to be formally dressed in my opinion. What is most important is you look presentable and your confidence is represented in the way you dress. Don’t forget that, being a Sales professional, you are the face of the company and your dressing reflects on the firm you represent. Another aspect of the presentation is personal hygiene and grooming. Do you sport a beard? If yes, make sure it is well groomed. No one ever wants to do business with someone who looks like a grizzly bear. Are you a smoker? Make sure you carry a perfume and pop a mint before you step in to avoid nasty looks and embarrassment

4.      Be on time

It is extremely important that you respect your client’s time. Plan to show up 10 to 15 minutes ahead of your scheduled meeting time. This gives you a chance to look at any collateral related to the company in the reception/waiting area. Sometimes appreciating the office décor can be a good icebreaker too. Planning to reach the client’s place early can also help in case you get stuck in unpredictable traffic and the likes. It is okay to check if parking is available or if you must account for the wait time to hop into a cab. Appreciating the client’s time is the least one can do. Applications like Google maps are available at your disposal and use it efficiently.

5.      Calendar invites and reminders

Once you have confirmed the time slot for a meeting, send out a calendar invite to block the calendar. It helps plan the day better. The important aspect here is that both you as a sales personnel and the client are bound to have busy schedules and not marking it on the calendar may lead to the client setting up something else. On the day of the meeting, send out a reminder email or message if you have the mobile number. This will help avoid any last-minute changes in the plan. It also lets a client know that you are keen to meet him/her.

6.      Presentation

When you have done your homework about the customer, it may help you understand some key pain points that your customer may have. It is always a good idea to have sector-specific pitch documents ready if you are a firm that caters to multiple sectors. Also, have case studies of what your firm has helped solve for other firms in the same sector. This creates credibility and defines a track record. It is also good practice to have a standard set of FAQs to be a part of the presentation. Answering questions that the client intends to ask will always leave a good impression and the client will take you seriously.

Few other points

·      If you are using a laptop for the presentation, carry the dongles & accessories and don’t assume that the client will have it.

·      Steer away from discussions that are political and religious. There are multiple other ways to break the ice and establish a rapport.

·      Avoid jargons and keep the presentation as simple as possible. Do not underestimate the knowledge and intelligence of your customer. Convince or Confuse tactic might not always work.

·      It is not a bad thing to walk away from a sale if it is not a right fit. 

Image credits - Economic times & Cartoon stock