11 Steps to Drive Sales

If driving sales were like a race, you could be an Indy 500 winner.

How do I Drive Sales?

Whether you sell on commission only, or any other type of income basis, there are proven ways to drive sales. Three traits are needed to become an expert at selling—knowledge, commitment, and temperament. Top-tier selling occurs when you identify a prospect’s needs, demonstrate a solution to the customer’s, satisfaction, and facilitate getting the prospect to persuade themselves to act in their best interests.

To drive sales at a high level, there are five stages of professional growth—novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient, and expert. Many in the field believe it can take years to reach expert ability to drive sales. I won Sales Representative of the Year as a rookie with a 73% closing average. I worked on commission only for over thirty years. I believe you can be on a much faster track to drive sales, and here are some of my attitudes and strategies to do so.

1. Understand Your Value

When a sale is made, the customer gains far more than the sales representative. The agent may earn commissions to buy a nice suit or take a weekslong major vacation. However, the buyer has a problem solved, and experiences long-term benefits.

When I had a termite infestation, a spray can was not the answer. A salesperson with technical knowledge explained the science of what needed to be done. They arranged for a technician to employ a protocol that has completely elininated potential major damage.

2. Prepare for Professionalism

Professional does not mean a job title like doctor or attorney. It is a way of thinking, acting, and living. A professional in their field invests their time and effort to be knowledgeable to the point where they can provide top-notch information, products, advice, or services to others.

Many people do not take the time for self-reflection and are not ready to take the steps to become highly competent. To drive sales, you must commit to a “professional” mindset. You must not be merely interested in reaching this level of accomplishment, you must be committed to it, where you will accept no excuses—only results.

3. Create Your Blueprint for a Meaningful Life

Sales are generally not made in a vaccuum. To drive sales, determine the type of person you want to be as you travel through life’s journey. How do you want to interact regarding all the types of relationships we experience.

There are three ways—independently, co-dependently, and interdependently. The primary relationship categories are family, friends, acquaintances, work, and romantic. Yes, life has its complexities, but committing to good-spirited and well-meaning interactions will simplify the navigation process.

To achieve this, take time to write down your Life Mission Statement in which you pledge or commit to certain ideals and practices with regard to the various relationships you will experience. Of course, this will mean that you are addressing your sales practices and goals. Read your Life Mission Statement often because words represent thoughts and thoughts lead to action. Long-term, consistent action will drive sales.

4. Use Proven Strategies and Approaches

We don’t try to reinvent the wheel so why wouldn’t we use proven sales strategies, attitudes, philosophies, and psychologies? Successful Broadway shows take a long time to get to opening night. Once it is a hit, they don’t rewrite the script, change the scenery, or add new music. For salespeople who have a commitment to excellence, they make the investment in thorough and ongoing training.

Start by embracing the structure your company provides. Why? You need a track to run on. You should confidently and enthusiastically represent your employer’s products and services. Why the confidence? Think logically. They are in business. They make sales. There are top producers in your company and your industry. There is a need or desire for your wares. Although you are dealing with the unpredictability and inconsistency of human nature, proven strategies and approaches, combined with professionalism, will drive sales.

5. Make an Excellent First Impression

From the movie (book by same title), “Don’t Try to Reinvent the Wheel,” there is no substitute for a good first impression. It affects so many aspects of a salesperson’s job. It affects how people view you and treat you.

Consider Your Appearance

Dress professionally. Customers will feel you pay attention to detail and will subconsciously feel you will offer top notch customer service
Be friendly. Offer a smile and handshake to lay the foundation for building rapport and trust.

Get to the Point

Unlike business to consumer calls where prospects might find your jumping right to the point to be abrupt, businesspeople do appreciate sales representatives who are ready to get down to business.

Don’t schmooze with things like, “How are you doing this morning”? Or “Did you see the game last night?” Get to the point. They will appreciate your respect for their time and will see that you are serious-minded and different than the typical sales representative. Say, “I’m glad we could invest this time to see if we possibly can be of value for you.”

Then, use a diplomatic way to push your company. “I was curious though; how did you get to be (title)? Let them talk, and acknowledge with gestures or interjections like. “I see.” Then ask, “Would it help if I told you a little about us?” They now will offer you a conversational way to start.

Plant Seeds

Great salespeople plant seeds and say things, sometimes in a subtle way, to effect change. If you say something like, “Wow, it’s been extra busy this week. My vacation to the beautiful White Mountains of New Hampshire is coming at just the right time. Do you have any travel plans for this summer?”

Aside from showing that you’re not in a rush to secure the money, you have planted the seed that your company and product is in demand.

6. Use a Hook

After making that good impression, you have to find a way to get customers interested, or better yet, excited about hearing how you can provide the outcome they want. That drives sales. Of course, as an ethical individual, you know the purchase will be right for them. But you are fighting many forces of human nature.

People are averse to significant change in their circumstances, they procrastinate, and they have trust issues. As you attempt to get them to conclude that they should buy, you will need their full attention. Otherwise, when you explain the cost, without their understanding 100% of the value, it will be difficult for them to agree with 100% of the cost.

They must hear your value statements. How would you expect to make a sale if one of the decision makers left for a significant period of time to take a phone call? Before showing your wares, you must accomplish four things. In what I call the front talk, you must:

ascertain the customer’s concerns
reassure that you have solutions
imply your expertise
build your company’s reputation
create an atmosphere of positive anticipation

ascertain the customer’s concerns
reassure that you have solutions
imply your expertise
build your company’s reputation
create an atmosphere of positive anticipation

Ask Questions

Through effective queries, you can elicit the prospect’s major concerns. For example say, “If our meeting ends in your satisfaction, what would today’s visit look like?” A hook comes in some form of communication like a statement, a question, or a visual to get the customer wanting to feel like your company has the means to be of significant help. By implying your expertise and building your company’s prestige, you are building further interest.

Heighten Their Interest

Use an enticing statement before bridging into the body of the presentation.

For example: “And the best part of all is, based on the comments and actions of those whom we explain this to, I think we’ll have a very pleasant surprise for you.”

That heightens the interest for you to get and keep their attention.

7. Questions—The Most Important Elements of a Sales Presentation

Sometimes we will leave the sales presentation without ever finding out the true needs or objections. Good and timely questions help the prospect to open up. Start with easier questions so they get used to this necessary technique.

Say, “I’m glad we could invest this time to see if we possibly can be of value for you.”
Next, use a diplomatic way to push your company. “I was curious, how did you get to be (person’s title)?”
Let them talk, and acknowledge with gestures or filler words like, “I see.”
Then ask, “Would it help if I told you a little about us?”

You now have a conversational way to start

Professionals take the time to make relevant statements. These two questions are strategic. The first one is unusual and highly complimentary. It also sets an air of friendly discourse. You are showing that you seem to be someone easy to work with and the type of person they would be comfortable doing business with. The second question intentionally informs the prospect you are a family person—responsible to others and more likely to be reliable. You are starting to build trust.

Effective questions help you with so much more. To determine their interest, ask something like:

“Do you see how our ABC process will streamline the time for you to reach your target?”

“Which part of the method do you feel is most helpful?”

Pay attention to the possible hesitation or conversely, the level of enthusiasm. Questions point you in the right direction to follow up, elaborate, bring in corroborating testimonials, change strategies, or do whatever you need to move toward the sale.

Say, “I’m glad we could invest this time to see if we possibly can be of value for you.”
Next, use a diplomatic way to push your company. “I was curious, how did you get to be (person’s title)?”
Let them talk, and acknowledge with gestures or filler words like, “I see.”
Then ask, “Would it help if I told you a little about us?”

You now have a conversational way to start

Effective questions help you with so much more. To determine their interest, ask something like:

“Do you see how our ABC process will streamline the time for you to reach your target?”

“Which part of the method do you feel is most helpful?”

8. Preparation—The Most Important Element of the Sales Process

The Boy Scouts motto, “Be Prepared” is a great one to remember for high level sales. There are often unexpected obstacles that throw a wrench into your ideal sales call.

“My husband had to work late and isn’t here.”
“My project manager had to take a call. She’s tied up the next half hour.”
“Excuse me. I have to get the children off to bed.”

Sales professionals expect the unexpected, either through experience or good training. The wrong way to handle these scenarios is to get frustrated or annoyed. Ultimately, if it takes another hour or another visit, a sale will provide you with excellent remuneration despite the extra time you had to take.

In the first two examples, preparation makes you ready to turn a negative into a positive. Rather than to look disappointed which would create an awkward situation for the prospect who is ready for the meeting, immediately (like a reflex action) smile, sound upbeat and say something like, “Oh, that works out great for me. I’m a little behind on some communications so I’ll catch up in my car and return when (the other decision maker is expected back).

You want to avoid the party that’s present to press you to start the presentation. That’s disaster. The other party would miss your rapport and trust building and they would miss your discussion of your expertise and company’s ability to solve the problem. Instead, you’re showing a friendly, businesslike demeanor.

Boy Scouts Motto - Be Prepared

The Boy Scouts motto, “Be Prepared” is a great one to remember for high level sales. There are often unexpected obstacles that throw a wrench into your ideal sales call.

“My husband had to work late and isn’t here.”
“My project manager had to take a call. She’s tied up the next half hour.”
“Excuse me. I have to get the children off to bed.”

9. Use Words and Phrases that Sell

I closed thousands of deals, one customer at a time, over the course of three plus decades. But I never sold, they never bought, and they never paid. Huh? They really did, but I used alternate words. For example, instead of asking how they wanted to pay, I asked how they wanted to “handle it.”

Some customers are more difficult to close. In those instances, the sales process may have a certain degree of fragility. Professionals need to be more diplomatic, or softer in their language. It’s important to lessen the cost and take the buyers mind away from the weighty decision they are contemplating. So, there are words and phrases that help get the job done.

Of course, ethical salespeople are not trying to trick their prospects. They are just making it easier for the customer to get over the psychological humps so that they can become adjusted to the idea of ownership and looking forward to their new acquisition. I never asked people to sign a contract, but I did ask them to acknowledge the delivery.

Devote time to hone your craft and find words and phrases that work. One of the best phrases I found was, “fair enough?” People like fairness and it seems like a reasonable enough request. “So, we’d like to set you up with the Premium Plus option and give you thirty days to decide if you want to upgrade. Fair enough?”

10. Use Statistics for a Winning Approach

In sales, there is something known as sales anxiety. When you minimize or eliminate that, you drive sales. This is a feeling of apprehension or unease about attaining satisfactory (or better) results. It can result for many reasons, like pressure to perform or maintaining relationships. However, statistics is a branch of selling that can alleviate this anxiety.

I sold on commission only for over thirty years. Imagine going to work, having two presentations without a sale and going home with no earnings for the day. That happened to me countless times. But statistics and logic reassured me to maintain my calm and confidence in “getting the next one.”

Here’s how it works:

Determine your target numbers (how many calls, appointmentsts, presentations, sales, etc)
Become familiar with your long-term sales record
Aim to meet your targets

If you work for the numbers, the numbers will work for you. By knowing your long-term closing rate, a mini-cold spell will not be alarming. In fact, it should be comforting. It tells you should expect an upcoming surge based on those long-term results.

Sales Mastery Statistics

Here’s how it works:

Determine your target numbers (how many calls, appointmentsts, presentations, sales, etc)
Become familiar with your long-term sales record
Aim to meet your targets

11. Master Closing to Drive Sales

My first year in sales I won the top sales award with a 73% closing average, competing against more than 100 other reps. At one point, I had 19 sales in a row. There are many books and online blogs that give specific closes to the usual objections. But if we focus on why sales get closed, you won’t feel like you have to come up with that killer rebuttal.

First, closing, results in your prospect seeing your point of view. There is a psychology to selling, but thankfully, we don’t need a degree. Sales managers are not that patient. Sales professionals have to deal with human nature, and that involves prospects who:

do like to procrastinate,
do tend to mistrust salespeople
don’t like major change in their lives,
don’t like to make big decisions hastily

Assuming that you have established rapport, built trust, and qualified they are able to consider a purchase at this time, you need to give the prospect two things:

enough reasons to raise their level of interest to the point of desire
enough time to psychologically visualize and accept ownership

The exact closing attempt you use is not as important as keeping the prospect engaged in your additional selling points. Whatever you say on one of your closing attempts, you need to say something different on the next. As you are giving new reasons or reinforcing pain-point solutions, you are buying time to allow the prospect to psychologically accept the purchase. Eventually, as you try the next closing attempt, one of four things will happen. From bad to good, they are:

Customer Reactions to a Closing Attempt

As you try a closing attempt, one of four things will happen. From bad to good, they are:

They emphatically state they just can’t do it now.
They show interest, but still have concerns to address.
One party asks the other what they think about the offer.
They indicate they are ready to buy.

It is the third item I want to address. This is where a lot of sales are lost but should be made within 90 seconds! I wrote The Sales Maestro which gives you, word for word how I closed over 80% of situations when one party (A) turned to the other (B) to ask their opinion. When party B says something like, “It looks good. Why don’t we talk about it when the rep leaves?’

Your work just got more challenging and you are risking the sale.

My AB Close will explain why the sale is ready for the getting and exactly how to do it in less than 90 seconds. There are sales in “them thar hills.” With the right attitude and commitment, you will drive sales.