The Secret(s) to Sales Success

Ask any selection of high-performance salespeople to list those skills or practices that make them successful, and you will be looking at a pretty long list.

On the other hand, there are some who would like you to believe that the best salespeople are either born that way or have learned something that the rest of us just don’t know.

The truth is that all successful professionals, regardless of vocation, are good for several reasons – some tangible, some intangible. To be sure, the great ones have a certain talent for the profession, but, more importantly, they also have enormous desire, incredible discipline, an impressive work ethic, and excellent people skills.

Those of us that teach, train, coach or consult with salespeople will tell you there is no “magic bullet” to sales success. I mean, seriously? One singular thing that a salesperson could do to ensure success? ONE success secret? No chance.

In fact, let me take the wind completely out of your sails (pun intended). “Overnight success” takes years. There are no shortcuts. No easy roads. No fairy dust.

Sorry about that. It is what it is.

The grand formula for sales success probably looks something like this:

Desire + Hard Work + Critical Skills + Clear Differentiation + Effective Planning + Good Preparation + Consistently Showing Up + Learning From Your Mistakes = Sales Success.

HOWEVER.

All of that being said, there are definitely some…uh, smaller “secrets” that can dramatically impact your sales performance. In fact, I think there are five core secrets to sales success that the great ones consistently demonstrate:

• They talk less
• They prepare more
• They focus on the prospect’s goals and objectives, not theirs
• They present their products/services as a solution to a problem that provides financial benefits
• They focus their time on those prospects that provide the greatest return on your invested time

Have you ever noticed there are some salespeople who just seem to always be a step ahead? They hit their objectives. They win the awards. And, quite often, they (seemingly) make it look easy. The reason is that they have learned the 5 Secrets. Well, I suspect they must be “secrets” or everybody would be practicing them, wouldn’t they?

• Talk less. The single most common mistake that average salespeople make. They don’t obtain critical information because they don’t know what questions to ask. Or they just like to hear themselves talk. Take your pick.

• Prepare more. Average salespeople believe that big commissions are earned in front of the prospect. Great salespeople, however, know that excellent preparation is what earns the big money.

• Focus on the prospect’s goals and objectives. Average salespeople are concerned about their own sales objectives and fail to realize that success lies in helping the prospect reach their own objectives.

• Present your product/service as a solution to a problem with financial benefits. The great ones find ways to create real financial returns for their prospects. Those prospects, in turn, provide real financial returns to them.

• Focus your time on those prospects that provide the greatest return on your invested time. This is a critical key to maximizing your commissions. Average salespeople spend the majority of their time with smaller opportunities and price buyers. Go ahead, make the comparison. Compare the average revenue of the Top 20% of the salespeople in your company with the rest. Guaranteed, the account average is quite a bit higher.

So, if you’ve discovered you’re not a born salesperson, not to worry. Now you’re in on the secret.