The mind is a salesperson’s most powerful tool. To use it properly, though, they need to have the right mindset. The right sales mentality, the drive to push through obstacles and reach for success, leads to top-tier sales performance.
High-performing sales teams create a team mindset, where each member pushes their teammates towards maximum potential. No matter the business model or industry, all the best sellers undoubtedly have the right sales mindset.
And the best part about a sales mindset? It can be taught. The right sales coaching empowers the team to chase after the success they know is attainable. And after setting the goal, they chase it without the slightest bit of reserve.
Passion Drives Performance
A passionate salesperson feels driven to succeed because they love the thrill of the chase. Financial success might help drive that passion a little bit, but passion can also operate independently from monetary reward. Passionate salespeople revel in the challenge, the chase and the achievement of closing.
Sales passion takes time to build and many begin their sales careers lacking this vital drive. However, mastering and honing your sales mindset is sure to inspire a passionate outlook. Sales professionals fully engage with their clients, building confidence through success and learning from failures. Having the right mindset creates passion, which continues to further fuels the
Create Solutions and Solve Customer Problems
Successful salespeople driven by passion reframe their job status from a salesperson to a problem solver. They open their minds to a creative outlook on their occupation. This creativity reaches beyond selling and helps them look outside the box for the right solution. A focus on problem-solving pushes a salesperson into the right sales personality.
The right sales mindset starts with considering yourself a problem solver more than a salesperson. Just by shifting their mindset, sales professionals set the stage for a fruitful and lasting career. Nothing can hold back a creative individual capable of practically applying a unique solution.
Customers buy From Someone They Trust
Customers buy From Someone They TrustA customer only makes a purchase when they trust and like the salesperson. Without these two crucial factors, you’ll never guide a customer to the bottom of the sales funnel. When a salesperson shifts their mindset to one of problem-solving, they feel the drive to help their customers find a solution.
Customers know when an experience is solutions-based and when it’s transactional. Treat every touchpoint as an opportunity to engender and strengthen trust, as this is the foundation for a strong and lasting relationship.
Ways to Develop an Effective Sales Mindset
The sales mindset revolutionizes the way a salesperson sees the world and interacts with customers. Now that you understand the benefits and importance of a sales mindset, here are some ways to develop one of your own.
Try these solutions out based on your own comfort level and experience. Implement one strategy at a time so that you can master it fully before moving on. Some methods work better for certain individuals than others, so it’s important to test out different strategies.
1. Understand Your Products and Services and How They Help
The basis for any successful sales strategy stems from a thorough understanding of the product and service. Without knowing the ins and outs of your product, you cannot know how it will help new customers. Knowing the product comes from extended exposure to it as well as using it. Always take the time to familiarize yourself with your product before making your first sales pitch.
You’ll gain a solid understanding of your product through hands-on use. Studying your product will help you answer questions your customers will inevitably ask. Sales managers and trainers should give their sales team recruits an in-depth demonstration of the product. This way, they know a little bit more about it beyond the basics.
Sales teams should not only know how a product works but what makes it work. This process often reveals what makes the product unique compared to competitors. In the field, team members should use this information to explain the product’s unique benefits. Additionally, salespeople need to know the basic operation of the product.
Many customers will ask questions about the physical operation of the product. When a salesperson cannot answer these kinds of questions, it gives the customer the impression that the salesperson lacks certain knowledge. When a salesperson knows all uses of a product, they possess the knowledge to pitch more creative solutions to prospective customers.
2. Be Helpful, not Coercive
The beauty of the free market lays in the fact that consumers choose with whom they do business. For that reason, all salespeople must win over their customers by taking a helpful approach. Trying to coerce your customers into making a purchase usually results in scaring them off. And to make matters worse, they often share their bad experience with acquaintances.
Salespeople should always keep a helpful mindset whenever they deal with customers. Sales pitches generally involve at least a little bit of persuasion, but high-pressure tactics cross the line. Coercive salespeople do not present strong arguments, and their customers feel that the salesman is forcing the deal.
Focus on creating a pressure-free environment that revolves around solving the customer’s problem. Take into consideration what the customer needs and then explain how the product will help. At the end of the day, the decision must rest with the customer on whether they go through with the deal.
Setting a helpful environment puts customers at ease. This increases their likelihood of returning for additional purchases. And in the event that your product does not accurately meet their needs, a friendly and helpful experience with a sales team will have them coming back in the future.
3. Have the Customer’s Best Interests at Heart
3. Have the Customer’s Best Interests at HeartTo truly earn the trust and appreciation of your customers, you need to care about their experience and situational outcome. This means that you listen to what they need and do your best to deliver a satisfactory result. Remaining honest goes a long way—even when your product or service does not meet their needs.
When you mislead a customer, whether purposely or not, they always find out. Telling a customer that your product can do something it’s not built to do is the quickest way to hurt your professional integrity. At best, the customer will return the product for a refund. At worst, they ask for a refund, never do business with you again and tell their friends to stay away.
The best way to build a good reputation is to keep your customers’ best interests at heart. A business’s favorable reputation takes a lot of time and effort to build and no time at all to destroy.
While it may seem counterintuitive, you might even have to refer a customer to a competitor that better meets their needs. In the short term, you lose out on an individual sale. But, you’re laying the groundwork for a more prosperous business relationship in the future. The customer may need your services in the future and will remember your honesty.
4. Create and Build Trust
Customers are more likely to make a purchase from a business they trust. Sometimes, in situations of necessity, customers may have to make a deal with an untrustworthy entity. If given the choice, though, consumers almost universally try to stick with trustworthy businesses. This is especially true with providers of a service.
Honesty builds trust more than anything else. As mentioned earlier, customers have a way of eventually finding out when a salesperson misleads or deceives them. Failure to deliver on a promised result leads to a bad experience and reduces trust. However, you can reclaim this trust by offering a money-back guarantee and offering the customer a better solution.
Salespeople can also build trust by developing a relationship with their customers beyond business. Asking customers about their personal lives and sharing your own helps build a sense of community and trust. The whole interaction does not have to revolve around the sale. Treat the customer as more than just a lead.
When the customer feels comfortable, they share more information. By using this information, you’ll be able to make a more informed recommendation.
5. The Willingness to Learn
No matter how long someone has operated in a trade or craft, there’s always more to learn. New techniques and guides come out all the time. Salespeople who use this information and adapt to it set themselves up for a future full of success. Those who cannot adapt inevitably start to fall behind.
The ability and willingness to learn is one of the most effective sales skills. Salespeople should go out of their way to learn as much pertinent information as possible. Seminars and workshops not only get underperforming salespeople out of a rut but also teach a new trick to anyone who pays attention.
Individuals in sales leadership positions must go out of their way to foster an environment based on cooperative sharing. Encouraging sales teams to share tips and tricks helps create a learning environment. Sometimes, salespeople stall simply because their sales leaders do not encourage them to keep learning.
Learning new information goes hand in hand with sharing new information. Instead of settling into a closed circuit, your sales teams should open up to each other and exchange information. Everyone has a unique perspective. Learning to listen to those perspectives turns a good salesperson into a great salesperson.
6. One Cannot Succeed Without First Failing
Failure paves the road to success. Even the most talented individuals often face failure in their craft—especially during the early stages. Do not look at these failures as setbacks. Rather, interpret each failure you face as a lesson.
Most people fail at something the first time they attempt it. Think back to the first time you tried to throw a ball—if you can remember it. You probably missed your mark by a long shot. But as time went on and you kept practicing, you got better and more accurate. The same concept applies to sales.
Failure works as a form of practice. And the more you practice, the better you get. Accept failures with your head held high. Pay attention to what you did wrong and keep it in mind so that you can improve it later on. This keeps you from being doomed to repeat the same mistakes.
7. Keep Your Intentions With Customers Clear
Remaining open and transparent helps set the stage for a mutually beneficial relationship. Whenever you speak with a customer, stay direct and focused when it comes to discussing your products. Make it clear that you intend to match a solution to the customer’s needs.
Trying last minute to pull a fast one and sell a customer a completely different product ruins the trust you worked so hard to build. Instead, remain straightforward and direct.
When asking a customer questions to get to the heart of what they need, they might become skeptical. This mostly happens when you do not have an established relationship. If a customer becomes uneasy or you notice skepticism cropping up, offer clarity on why you’re asking for specific information.
Putting the Mindset Into Practice
Developing and implementing the right mindset might seem like an overwhelming task. Selling Revolution is here to make it feel a little less intimidating. We offer sales consulting to help our clients understand and develop a high-functioning sales process.
No matter your industry or experience, Wizard of Sales will help guide you to success. Schedule a no-obligation introductory call to begin your journey. It only takes 20 minutes to start developing a killer sales mindset.