Sales Tips Every Rep Should Know

When it comes to sales, rejection is inevitable. Cold calls can be grueling. Generally, sales reps get told “no” more in a week than people get told in an entire year. However, rejection is a vital part of sales.

Rejection is unavoidable, and sometimes, outright exhausting. But there are ways to improve your sales experience—and it starts with the person on the other line. Feeling discouraged by your sales lately? Let’s take a look at some sales tips every rep should know.

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Prospects are People

The prospect on the other end of the line is a person, and people like to engage. They value meaningful connections and they most certainly don’t like to waste time. Remember: Everyone likes to buy things; But people don’t like to be sold on things. You want to make it so your prospect feels like it’s their idea.

When making a cold call or meeting in person with a potential lead, approach the conversation by selling them the same way you would want to be sold on something. Talk to them the same way you would like to be talked to. Your prospects are just like you, and the last thing they want is for someone to talk at them.

 

The Worst a Prospect Can Say is No

Yes, this is pretty explanatory, but sometimes we need to hear it. As a sales rep, we may feel absolutely terrified about rejection, or more so, failure. During childhood, remember when you wanted to see a Friday night movie with friends or get those cool pair of shoes at the mall? You may have been too afraid to ask at first, but nevertheless, you mustered up the courage and did it. And guess what happened? Most times, you were told no, but on the other hand, you were surprised with a few yeses also.

Don’t miss out on potential leads because you’re afraid of the turnout. At worst, you could be told “no”. You could be hung up on, and mostly, that’s it. So what is there to fear? As a sales rep, always put your best foot forward. You may be surprised where this confidence leads you.

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Don’t Manipulate Your Prospects’ Emotions

This goes along with the epiphany that prospects are people. In the end, your goal isn’t to prey on your prospects by manipulating their emotions; Instead, your goal is to deliver prospects a quality product that’s beneficial to their lives.

Many sales professionals believe that tugging on their prospects’ hearts and influencing them to respond emotionally is the best approach. However, that’s not the case. Present logic to your clients, not emotional, ingenuine pitches. When selling to a prospect, answer the question: Does this product logically make sense for their business, lifestyle, or finances?

People appreciate honesty and integrity. Be honest with clients. It’s okay to foster a meaningful connection. But if the product doesn’t make logical sense for your prospect, don’t try to sell it to them.

 

Don’t Take it Personal

With rejection, you may feel that your prospects are angry with you. They may hang up on your face before you even introduce yourself. Don’t sweat it.

Your prospects have a lot of things going on—from running errands to completing tasks to general worries about everyday things—before getting on a call with you. Don’t be dissuaded by people’s attitude or disinterest towards you. Generally, their response has nothing to do with you.

Maybe you’ve caught them at the wrong time. Maybe something at their job is taking their attention. Most likely, it’s bad timing. When a cold call goes unexpectedly sour, give it some time. Check back in within an hour or two, maybe even the next day. You’ll feel like you’re talking to a completely different person.

Fail Your Way to the Top

When it comes to sales, you can only fail forward.

Think of the act of selling as planting a seed. Every tree out there that grows is planted, and it starts with a simple seed. Some trees can take up to five years of watering and nurturing daily before it finally prospers. This is much like sales.

Embrace the nos, and remain consistent. In fact, make it a goal to increase the number of nos per week. If you maximize the number of nos you get a week into a day, and so forth, eventually, those nos will lead to yeses.

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Stay Inspired

You should constantly work to sharpen your sales efforts. When you’re not sharpening your skill sets and working to become a better rep every day, you lose your stride. In fact, it is during those rough patches or troublesome times that you need to stay inspired the most.

Combat rough patches in your sales career by exploring your resources. Watch sales tips on Youtube. Read up on sales experts, whether that may be in the form of a book or article such as this. Watch TED Talks. Find a mentor in the industry. Most importantly, explore the right resources for your field; Seek people who have the results you want.

Leaning into your resources can fuel you with the drive you need to propel you forward, even during the most troublesome times. Never think you’re learning is over.

 

Find a Company That Drives You

If you don’t feel confident about what you’re selling. If it doesn’t excite you nor would you want to buy the product you’re selling—what makes you think you can motivate others to buy it?

No matter the industry, you must have a passion for what you’re selling. Does your product help people? Does it make them feel better? How does your product benefit your prospects? Sometimes, our sales failures stem from a lack of passion more than rejection. If you’re unhappy with what you’re selling, find an industry that fits you. Sales start with motivation; the rest follows suit.

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