6 Habits Worth Forming for Sales Professionals

Michele Warg
Posted by


Now that it's 2015, many companies look to the new year to jump start revenue, profits and sales with renewed vigor. Getting the year off to an energetic start begins with your sales professionals. Instead of relying on tried-and-true tactics, try to develop some new sales habits to become even more effective salespeople than before.

Sales coach Matt Heinz of Heinz Marketing relates specific sales habits for sales professionals to adopt in 2015. Constant prospecting remains the top issue discussed in order to maintain a relevant pipeline of customers, especially in business-to-business sales. Even if someone in the upper echelon of a prospective company isn't ready to commit to sales, keep at it. Regular prospecting involves frequent conversations with targeted accounts, follow-ups with not-ready-to-commit contacts and queries about who to talk to with regards B2B sales.

Read and learn about industry trends. Effective sales habits include keeping up with changes, new products and the competition. Trade magazines, press releases from competitors and news reports give you plenty of learning opportunities. This applies not just to your own sector and the sales and marketing industry, but also to the industry that sells to you. If you need to buy components for electronics with respect to a new toy your company wants to make, find out what drives companies in the consumer electronics and technology sectors.

Social media websites such as Facebook present opportunities to research latest trends and get the feel of particular industries. You can even earn a sizable customer base through Facebook likes, posts and comments. The social media website may create advertising deals if you need to place ads to gain prospective clients. The right fit may come calling through an advertisement you place.

Despite emails, social media and the Internet, a phone call remains the single-most important communication tool with respect to B2B sales. One of the most effective sales habits should be one you already know — how to dial a 10-digit number. But don't waste the call. Even if you have to leave a message, make it relevant to the conversation about how you can help someone's bottom line with a returned call to you.

Preparation and practice represent two great sales habits to have. Do your homework on the company, personnel, products and news with regards to your latest sales project. Preparation leads to better execution when it counts. Get ready for the big meeting by brushing up on your sales pitch, your tone of voice and the overall message. Practice also helps on the floor of a trade show and networking event. You don't have to memorize words like a robot, but be ready to share your thoughts and feelings on viable topics.

Curiosity supplements keeping up with newest trends. If you have questions, ask the right people for answers. Read the latest sales book and study the newest blogs. When some concept catches your attention, ask the author what he or she meant and get clarification. Better yet, take the lead and start your own blog to expound on topics that drive your passion.

These sales habits contain possibilities for all salespeople in any field. Adopt and adapt these concepts to your own needs and see where your moxie takes you in 2015.

 

Photo courtesy of SCA Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget at Flickr.com

 

Comment

Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.

  • Mark T.
    Mark T.

    Nice article sounds like good advise, I should use it to fix my career.

Jobs to Watch