Top 8 Advanced Sales Skills Your Sales Team Needs

Today’s economy is one of a new world.

If you have been among salespeople for the bulk of your career, you know that.

Once, a sales rep could go to work, execute some cold calls and call it a day at 5 p.m. Now, not so much.

The sales industry has elevated. Buyers today need solutions, not just products or services.

The newer type of advanced sales requires advanced sales techniques to match.

Are you a sales rep or sales manager? Maybe you are in advanced sales marketing or you own a business altogether. Regardless of your role, your company will benefit vastly from these top eight best practices for advanced sales.

What is Advance Selling?

Advanced sales skills are not the same as advance selling. At least, not in the cut-and-dry sense. You can and should use advanced sales tactics in advance selling. But you can use them in other forms of selling as well.

You might not have introduced advanced selling into your business yet, although you may want to consider it. But before you do, it is key that you know the logistics before you take your next step.

When it comes down to it, advance selling is a marketing strategy.

It is when you, as the seller, provide consumers with the chance to pre-order a product. That is, they can order the product before it is actually available for the buyer to physically have it.

This is a beneficial situation for both sides of the spectrum. For you and your business, you increase sales and therefore revenue. For your customer base, you give them an incentive with product discounts if they pre-order. They also have the option to know about the new product and wait to buy later on in the sales process or buy now with advance selling.

What Are the Advanced Selling Skills?

Now that we have those details out of the way, we can close in on the advanced sales skills you need for your sales team.

Apparently, only 8 percent of salespeople do 80 percent of the sales in an industry. That is a significant gap. And you can bridge it within your own business if you cultivate a team with the following skills at the forefront of their collective mind.

Some of these are hard skills, some are soft skills, and a few fall somewhere in between.

Above all else, however, you need to ensure that every single staff member in your midst is putting the customer above all else. That is the not-so-secret secret to a top-performing sales department and a top-of-the-line business.

Product Knowledge

Product knowledge is crucial to sustain and grow your business with advanced sales.

Ensure that your sales team knows everything there is to know about your products. More than that, they need to understand how your products will improve your target audience’s quality of life and help them achieve their individual goals.

Listing the various features of each product is one thing. Turning those features into benefits is another thing entirely.

Take, for example, a new line of skincare that your brand is preparing to launch. Some sales reps might describe the features of the new facial cleanser with terms like: “Comes in a large bottle, has a natural scent, does not have any parabens, and removes makeup.”

That is all true information. But think of the sales reps who say things like: “Our newest bottle is double the size of our competitors’ so that you can get the most bang for your buck!” or “For all of you out there with sensitive skin, we have the solution you need. Our newest cleanser is free of parabens and harmful fragrances to help you achieve the best glow you’ve ever had.”

Obviously, the second rep closes more sales. Not only do they know every little detail about the products they sell, but they understand how they will benefit your customers.

Client Engagement

This next skill set of advanced sales is just as important as the last one.

Your target market does not want someone talking into their ear and selling to them with an egocentric approach. They recognize when someone only sees them as a source of income, so do not doubt their intelligence here.

Instead, focus on building a relationship with them. That is the most fundamental building block of advanced sales. You can do this by engaging your customers.

It goes beyond the scope of interaction. It is a mutual and collaborative effort on both ends. There are tons of sales techniques that achieve this. But your business operates differently from any other company, so you have to figure out which way is best for you. 

Social Selling

Social selling is an advanced sales tactic that emerged around the time of the Internet’s advent.

The simple fact is that we rely on the Internet and all of its services. So if you are not taking advantage of that with your target audience, why not?

So establish yourself online. It builds on your relationships and trust with your market.

Research who you are selling to online and you can determine whether your leads are worth developing. Build your online voice so that it aligns with your brand values. People will want to follow your brand and get excited when you post.

Also, acknowledge the value of LinkedIn for your business profile. It establishes you as an industry leader, and you can stay up-to-date with all that goes on in your business world.

Active Listening

Advanced sales cannot happen without the power of active listening.

Your end goal will always be to close a sale. But if you do not pay attention to what happens at every stage of the process, you cannot close the sale at all.

Rephrase what your client says in conversation and repeat it back to them. This shows them that you are listening and you care. In turn, you leave the office each day knowing you provide value for them.

Active-listening advanced sales skills also have a domino effect. Once you implement this on the sales floor, the rest of your team picks up on it, too.

Assertiveness

You need to be assertive when it comes to sales. But do not mistake assertiveness for pushiness. Nobody wants to deal with a salesperson who bothers them at all hours of the day for their benefit. On the other hand, everyone wants and respects someone who is confident.

Your sales reps should know how to set a standard for your clients. They have to know what your buyer wants more than and before your buyer knows themselves.

Work on differentiating between pushiness and assertiveness. Once you do, a huge increase in closed sales is right around the corner.

Time Management

Do you have a stockpile of top talent within your sales department? People, who have unlimited potential?

If you do, great. But know that their potential is purposeless without time management, a sales training technique that you might overlook because of its simplicity.

You need team members who meet deadlines time and again. You want to know that each team member prioritizes their work while they are on the clock.

As a leader, you have to make sure you lay out your expectations for time management, too.

Technical Knowledge

Again, we live in a tech-savvy world these days. If you want a team fluent in advanced sales techniques, you need a little more technical knowledge than the average person.

Establish a tech stack that stays on top of the latest market trends. Most importantly, use tools that are specific to your brand, what you sell, and the people who buy from you.

Conflict Management

No matter how hard you try to avoid them, conflicts happen both internally and externally. Rather than taking huge strides to avoid them, to begin with, focus on how you can manage them when they arise.

Conflict does not have to be a hassle, either. It is actually a great way to retain customers and employees. Everyone else knows that it happens naturally, too. What matters most is how quickly and efficiently you deal with them. That is how you garner trust in your industry.

Conclusion

Advanced sales techniques are aplenty. But keep in mind that your sales department should think of it as a solution selling for the needs and desires of your customers, and all else will follow.

Maybe you have a sales team that is not performing the way you or your target audience needs them to. You might not know where to start to get them to realize the importance of these skills.

A sales forum or quick Google query can only do so much to improve team talent.

That’s where we come in.

Do you need sales training? Maybe you are looking for enterprise sales training or advanced training. What about selling training courses so your whole team knows how and when to convert the right leads?

If you need any help in these areas (and so many more) for the success of your business, look no further. You might need all-around help, but we do not take an all-around approach to what you need.

At Selling Revolution, we offer customized selling systems. We also have the sales training it takes your organization to get there.

Head to our blog for more tips on how to improve your company.

But when you are ready to actually start improving, book a call with us. We will level up your business.