Cathy Carter-Culp of Barrington, IL is an experienced senior executive of branding and marketing with an extensive background in sales, management, and product development. In the following article, Cathy Carter-Culp discusses the most lucrative sales techniques that are sure to generate success, regardless of the product, customer demographic, or personality traits of the salesperson.

Making a sale is a momentous victory and accomplishment, not to mention a profitable one, in the lives of all salesmen and women. This is true whether for both experts and beginners, but if a salesperson is new to the practice and looking to improve, they can certainly benefit from learning some of these core techniques.

Cathy Carter-Culp of Barrington, IL explains how building the relationship between a seller and a customer is important in establishing trust and improving overall numbers. Additionally, professionals can improve sales by handling a customers’ objections appropriately and participating in active listening.

Best Sales Techniques

There is no getting around it: making a sale is all about understanding the people as much as the product being sold. After all, Cathy Carter-Culp of Barrington, IL maintains that any real success in the business requires knowing about the target market and controlling one’s own response in the face of objections.

These are skills that are gained primarily through constant practice and experience; however, it can be incredibly helpful for a salesperson to utilize a guide that walks them through not only what to do, but the reasoning behind the usage of specific techniques.

With that in mind, building a relationship with the customer, correctly handling objections and concerns of the customer, and being an active, engaged listener are three of the most successful skills to acquire in many industries.

These three suggestions may seem helpful enough as reminders for veteran salesmen, but for those who are beginners, Cathy Carter-Culp of Barrington, IL takes a closer look at each skill to understand a bit of the reasoning behind these talents.

Build a Relationship

Building a relationship is nothing short of foundational when it comes to interactions between a salesperson and a customer. The first two factors of this are establishing a personal connection and a business connection.

Cathy Carter-Culp of Barrington, IL says that a personal connection could simply be stated as having an affinity for the other person, or coming across as a likeable, pleasant person. Being able to hold a friendly conversation with a customer is excellent, but it is only the baseline of how great the interaction could be. Finding a common interest and establishing a personal connection with a customer is a great way to build trust.

Once trust is in place and the customer believes the salesperson will not steer them wrong, a business connection can be made. This connection is created when both customer and salesperson alike connect over values directly related to the product being sold. Without the first connection, making the second connection may be difficult, if not impossible.

Correctly Handle Customer Complaints or Concerns

When a customer expresses their concerns about the service or product that a salesman is pushing, the professional then has a choice to make. Cathy explains that the response to these concerns is certain to make or break the future of the sale.

Correctly handling customer objections is done when a seller responds in a way that lessens worries without tilting the conversation toward hostility. Engage with the customer’s worry in a way that demonstrates understanding, empathy, and a desire to resolve the issue. The ultimate goal is moving the sale past the objection.

Cathy Carter-Culp of Barrington, IL says that this is often one of the most frustrating types of interactions a salesman can be subjected to, but learning to manage objections and complaints with expertise is the key to successful sales.

Engage in Active Listening

Cathy Carter-Culp of Barrington, IL explains that active listening involves hearing what a customer has to say very carefully. It means being willing to move off a sales script and treat the customer purely as a human being with valid needs and concerns about a product or service. Make the goal of listening to gain an understanding.

Active listening includes a salesman or woman listening with the intent to get answers to the questions: “What does the customer need? What problem are they trying to solve? What does the customer really want?”

In Conclusion

Cathy Carter-Culp says that the best way to engage in successful sales is to understand foundational techniques. Not only is building a relationship with the customer critical, but establishing trust demonstrates an understanding of the customer’s needs, wants, and expectations.

Secondly, correctly handling any objection that a customer might have is just as foundational to making the sale. This must be done by communicating an understanding of the problem very clearly and responding in a way that assures the customer that the issue is solvable.

Finally, being an active listener is important for any salesperson when interacting with a customer. Listen with the intent to understand; then communicate that understanding and build trust! By utilizing these techniques, any salesperson can achieve success in customer interactions!