Recently, I was scrolling on Instagram and landed on a Reels video of a woman sitting in her car talking about how she effectively handles objections in selling situations. She was confident, skilled, and bold. It was obvious that she could successfully rebut even the most challenging of prospect concerns. Almost immediately, I recognized that I might not react as rapidly or as proficiently as this person. Only for a moment, I wondered if I could adopt her practiced and effective techniques. Ultimately, I realized that she and I sell differently, and that I would never utilize her approach to closing business.
I have been, and continue to be, directly involved in complex, competitive, and often emotional B2B sales. There have been great moments in my career, as well as more than a few disappointments. I have been fortunate to work for and with individuals who do it right, and at a high level. These people showed me how to be a high-performing sales professional. Here are some of the key learnings that I have absorbed over the last 30+ years.
- Conviction: Salespeople must innately believe that the people/processes/technology that they represent will positively change the way their prospective client operates. They must enter every competitive selling situation with the certainty that the prospective client will achieve the desired results from whatever has been proposed. Sellers must know that the solution they endorse will lead to definitive changes with the target client.
- Authenticity: Sales professionals must listen well. This skill is very challenging for most of us. Sellers must genuinely want to learn about the prospective client and the businesses that they represent. That means that smart, researched questions must be asked at the appropriate time. The salesperson must care about both the trajectory of the engaged business as well as the well-being of the individuals that are involved in the evaluation process.
- Candor: Honesty is critical to being an effective sales professional. Some people do utilize devious methods to achieve their wins. Most often, these scammers are exposed, and their victories are fleeting. Salespeople must be truthful even if things are not going to work out in your favor. Take the loss and maintain your honor. Life has a unique way of rewarding those who never waver from their moral compass.
- Persistence: Smart, timely prospective client interactions are critical for successful selling. A salesperson must utilize a defined and proven methodology for presenting the right information at the right time to engaged prospects. They must be disciplined in how the appropriate messaging is disseminated. Refined relentlessness creates a sense of urgency that most prospective clients appreciate.
- Trust: Prospective clients must believe in you, your team, and your organization. Successful sales professionals must do what they commit to doing during the sales cycle. That means that salespeople must become an advocate for the client within their organization. If a client encounters a legitimate issue, it is the salesperson’s job to help them solve it. It means that a seller’s mobile phone number becomes a “favorite” of your client. Trust is reciprocal, but the salesperson must earn that connection.
- Expertise: Sales professionals must know their product/service intimately. If you don’t, find colleagues that do, and ask for help. Coworkers that believe in you as well as your effort will support you. You will learn a lot from these individuals. Don’t be so proud as to fail alone. This means that a salesperson improves their odds of winning an engagement if they earn the right to wrap bright people into the sales process.
- Relationships: Sales professionals should not expect to become friends with their clients. The objective should be for clients to eventually become their evangelizing advocate. When your client becomes an ally, they will praise you when you are not around. They will proactively refer you to others, because they are committed to your success. It is ideal if a salesperson eventually creates a harmonious bond with employees of their client. That type of alliance must be forged over time.
- Grind: Anyone who has selected B2B sales as a career path understands that working diligently is critical to achieving ideal outcomes. Grit and focus are traits that every competent salesperson must have as they will be faced with challenges at every turn. Do what is required of you and then do a bit more. Most prospective clients appreciate hard work and timely, thorough communication.
- Resourcefulness: Successful selling remains the sole responsibility of the individual assigned to the task. While a proficient sales professional relies on others to guarantee positive outcomes, ultimately, the individual contributor is responsible for guiding their company to wins. Salespeople must decipher each challenging interaction by any means necessary. They must use their imagination as well as every resource available to overcome complex issues and ultimately be victorious.
A successful career as a sales professional is one that involves both financial as well personal rewards. “Nothing happens until a sale is made” is a phrase that has and will ring true for every thriving business. There are different selling styles that are proven effective, and they should be incorporated if the practice comes naturally. While the sales methods deployed will vary, the characteristics described above will ensure a long and productive career.
