It’s no secret that professional development and learning are critical to career success, whether you’re in sales or any other field. The problem, however, is that most people don’t make time for it; they either don’t see the value of continuing their education or they think they have more important things to do with their time than learning new skills.
With so many different roles in sales, it’s important to always be learning new techniques and processes that can help you perform your job more effectively. Of course, finding time to learn new skills isn’t always easy—especially when you have a full-time job! However, by incorporating these four practices into your weekly or monthly schedule, you can become the best salesperson you can be.
Habit #1: Practice the Pitch
Even the most experienced of sales representatives should always be practicing their pitch. Why? Because in addition to determining how to best sell new products or services, the more you do practice, the better you’ll become at thinking on your feet, handling objections, and customizing your presentation to each client. The market is constantly changing, and sales people need to makes ure their pitch is meeting the challenges in the market—and in the client’s works—as well. Not to mention, you’ll have far more confidence when it comes time to give your sales pitch for real.
To start building this habit, set aside some time each week to practice your pitch in front of a mirror, with a colleague, or on a sales readiness platform like Bongo. Once you have it on the calendar, it will be much easier to keep that practice a priority for the long term.
Habit #2: Stifle objections with Role-Play
When you’re in a sales role, objections are inevitable. They are part of the job. And while you can’t predict every objection you’ll ever get, you can anticipate the most common ones and be prepared to answer them convincingly. And one of the best ways to do this is through role-playing.
If you know your product is an expensive purchase for many people, role-play different objections customers might have about price. Have someone play the customer who wants a discount or another who wants to negotiate on pricing with you. Prepare for your next meeting by anticipating what they expect will come up and then plan how to handle it. Whether you do this on your own (in front of a mirror), with a teammate or through a training platform, making role-playing a consistent part of your week will help you stay on top of—and be able to navigate—any objections that a client may throw at you.
Habit #3: Collaborate with a Team for Better results
Collaborating with a team can improve your team’s results, as you work together to get better results. When you have a team, you can share information and ideas, get feedback, and brainstorm solutions to problems. Plus, working with a team can help you stay organized and on track, and if you need to hold yourself accountable for your commitments, you can even involve the entire team in setting deadlines and following up on due dates.
To wrap your team collaboration into a consistent practice, find a balance between working together and competing. After all, teams are only successful when they respect each other’s strengths while maintaining independence for the sake of creativity. From pitch practice to role-playing, having the input and influence of a larger team can be a great way to get better, fast.
Habit #4: Implement Feedback Immediately
While we’re talking about training methods that work, it’s been shown time and time again that role play is a highly effective way to build a sales team’s confidence and accuracy. By encouraging this highly effective form of pitch practice with various scenarios, you can quickly increase your team’s readiness to go and get the sale.
The best part is that these days, coaches and team leaders don’t need to worry about the amount of time spent in role-playing different sales scenarios with each team member—platforms like Bongo can automate and streamline most of the process, using video-based assessment and training to help each member perfect their pitch on their own time.
If building these habits seems like a lot to take on, consider this: Bongo has a platform all ready for you to jump in and start building on. With video-based assessment and feedback solutions that incorporate everything from feedback and analysis to group collaboration, pitch practice and more, Bongo can help scale your efforts with a seamless integration for just about any learning situation. For a demo of the software’s full range of capabilities, visit go.bongolearn.com/software to schedule a demo.
