8 Tips for Sales Training That a Beginner Must Master

Sales is a fun and exciting career. But it can be a challenging field to break into because it’s competitive, fast-paced, and often stressful. To succeed in sales, you must always be on top of your game. 

When you're just starting as a salesperson, you might feel like there's so much to learn. Well, you're not alone. 80% of sales require five follow-up calls after the meeting. 44% of sales give up after one follow-up.

Mastering the art of prospecting and selling more with less effort takes time, patience and perseverance. 

Luckily, this article will highlight eight sales training techniques you need to master to increase your odds of closing every deal. 

So, let’s delve into it!

How to Practice Phone Selling More Effectively?

Nobody becomes a pro in a day or two. Sales are 50% methodical and 50% intuitive. A great salesperson needs to connect with customers and gauge their needs. It’s more like a superpower after months of meticulous practice. 

Practice and consistent effort will help you eliminate rookie mistakes and reduce the possibility of being hung up on, which sadly happens a lot.

Here are some practices you can adopt to be able to sell anything to anybody:

1. Practice with Your Team: You know what they say- teamwork makes the dream work. Practising phone sales call with your teammates will help boost your confidence and get genuine feedback which would further help you improve your techniques. As a bonus, it’s pretty fun!

2. Recording and Listening to Your Calls: When you practice sales pitching over the phone or as part of a role play in your team, record it. You can listen to it later to better understand

 your strengths and weaknesses and see where you need improvement. You can also share it with sales reps starting in their careers as a reference point.

8 Sales Techniques to Master As a Beginner

1. Knowing the Call Objective

Setting a calling goal is essential for every salesperson. The calling objective helps you to figure out the exact steps you need to follow to close the deal quickly and with less effort. Before preparing for or hopping on a call with a potential customer or client, it's essential to have clarity about the call's objective. 

2. Read the Room

A good salesperson knows who they are talking to. To increase your chances of meeting your goal, you need to understand your target audience, so do a little recon before the call. This way, you can ensure that your phone sales calls are realistic, action-oriented, and customised for each objective. 

3. Open Sales Calls Successfully 

Opening sales call successfully will exponentially increase your chances of converting your prospects into paying customers. Start the conversion with a question or remark that’s both intriguing and relevant to them. 

Don’t be nervous, or at least don’t let them know you are. Start the sales call in style, maintain a professional but earnest tone, and lastly, Don't get caught off guard when the prospect asks you questions because they will. Take a few moments to think about what they might ask and how you'll respond.

4. Perfect Your Timing 

Perfecting your sales pitch timing is arguably one of the most widely circulated sales training tips. Right prospect, wrong timing equals zero sales. According to HubSpot stats, Wednesday is the best day of the week to make phone calls, while the ideal time is between 4-5 PM. 

Scheduling your calls properly will help narrow your focus and keep you from exhausting all your time and effort on fruitless calls. 

5. Respect Your Prospect’s Time

Another quality that separates an average salesperson from a great one is respecting the prospect’s time. Customers are also people like you with limited time, which they can’t afford to waste on never-ending sales calls. Show your customer’s that you value their time by keeping the conversation to the point. This small gesture from your end can create a great first impression, making things easier for you down the road. 

6. Build a Good Rapport

Here’s the deal: the more you get to know your customers and the more they get to know you, the easier it is for you to seal the deal. The reason is simple. People are more likely to buy from people they trust, and that’s exactly why you, as a beginner, need to work hard on your rapport-building skill. 

7. Listen Carefully

This may sound simple enough, but it's something many people forget or take for granted when conversing with someone else. Active listening is also a part of rapport building. Listen carefully to your prospects’ words in response to your sales pitch. 

And if you don't understand, ask questions if necessary. If you don't listen carefully, you might miss out on essential details that could help you close the deal.

8. Have an Agenda and Flip It Around

A good salesperson knows how to think on their feet and adapt to situations while going through the sales process. A great way of doing this is having a basic agenda with the result in mind. As you go through it, be flexible enough to adapt as needed and create new opportunities for yourself where there were none before. 

For example, let's say you're selling a product that is designed for children. You need to have a plan that covers the benefits of using this product and why it's better than other similar products on the market. You also need to know how people will use your product so they can see its value immediately.

Parting Words of Wisdom

Perfecting the art of sales conversation takes a lot of practice, effort, and, most importantly, the ability to think on your feet. 

There are several tactics to persuade prospects, but it all starts with mastering the basics of sales. 

Juno School of Business provides sales training for beginners that is interactive and online so that you can access it from anywhere in the world. Our eight-week program will teach you everything you need to know to have a successful career in sales. So take the first step today and apply now!