1. USEFUL
GUIDELINES TO
IMPROVE YOUR
SALES SKILLS

2. ARE YOU A SALES
PERSON?
• Everybody has been a salesperson in their life time, most likely more then
once. At home; at school; in the office; around friends.
• Some people are gifted and are better at selling certain products than others.
• There are different styles of sales from ancient to modern:
Door to door – the oldest in the trade, generally targeting the domestic
market
Shop or retail outlet – has been proven successful for centuries
Telemarketing – this type of sales usually interrupts your dinner
Organised meetings – arranged by phone/fax/email targeting larger
clients
Website – this requires no real sales skills at all except for a bright website
• Sales can be fun and very rewarding to people who are committed to selling
and have a genuine interest in meeting new people every day.

3. THE IMPORTANT TOOLS
• Every sales tool that is designed to help you sell your product is useful and
should be utilised well. Remember the most important tool in selling is not the
product but the people who sell the product.
• Here are some other useful tools in selling:
People – Management/Sales/Administration/Drivers/Promoters/Service/Contractors
Phone – Cell/Landline/Fax
Computer – Evil necessity for modern selling
Advertising – TV/Radio/Newspapers/Banners & Signage/Mail/Word of Mouth/Web
Transport – Own Vehicle/Public Transit/Delivery Vehicles
Training Modules – Product/Sales/Service/Safety
After Sales Service – Gives the customer piece of mind
Meetings – New Product/Reports/Performance
Brochures & Fliers – Products/Installation Instructions/Recommendation & Data
Files
Calling Cards – Quick contact reference for the customer
WWW – World Wide Web, researching customers & suppliers/emails
Directories – Telephone/Business/Property/Street Map
Contact List – A handy detailed up-to-date list of customers/suppliers/service centres
Goals/Planning – Set yourself goals, you need a target to aim for.

4. THE ART OF SELLING
• The basic idea of sales is to sell your product or service to a customer in
exchange for a currency or barter. But there is a little more to it than just that.
• It should be a Win-Win situation for both you and the customer.
You win because you sold the product and the customer wins because they have a product they
need. NEVER SELL A PRODUCT TO A CUSTOMER IF THEY DON’T NEED OR WANT IT – the
consequences will be worse than not selling the product at all.
• Not all customers will purchase – maybe the product or the price was not right for them
or maybe you did not ask them the right questions. But don’t let this set you back, keep learning.
• Generally there are 6 basic steps to take before & after winning a sale:
Attract – invite the customer to view your product or solution
Meet – introduce yourself and your company name
Listen – ask questions and listen to the customer, take notes & show interest
Present – after you have listened to the customer’s needs, present your product
Follow-up – if the customer does not purchase on their first visit
Nurture – be there for the customer after the sale, for questions or warranty
• When speaking to the customer for the first time, relate to your product as a
possible solution to their concerns or issues.
• Is the customer always right? – No, the customer is not always right. You do not have the
right to tell them they are wrong, but the customer is entitled to know what is right. The customer
is only acting upon what he/she knows at the time.

5. DO’s & DONT’s OF SELLING
DO:
• Always listen to the customer about their questions/concerns/issues
• Research the customer’s business and get to know the customer
• Always take notes, so you can refer back to them at a later date
• Know your product, call a colleague and ask if you need to know
• Get to like the product you are selling and the industry involved
• Know your market, your competition, your customer
• Treat the customer with respect & politeness, they are providing your income
• Try to be on time with pre-arranged meetings
• Follow-up before and after the sale, show the customer that you care about
them

6. DO’s & DONT’s OF SELLING
DON’T:
• Show-up and throw-up, “Hi, I’m John......blah....blah....blah....here is my calling card.”
Customer????
• Ever talk badly about the competition, it will make you appear just as bad.
• Lie to the customer or create fairytales, the customer will find out eventually
• Promise deadlines with the customer without knowing the details first
• Delay your return call/email/visit if a customer requests information
• Get complacent with your product, this is the down-fall of many large
companies
• Try to sell something to the customer that they do not need
• Show-off, this displays to the customer that you are over confident about
yourself
• Show arrogance or disrespect towards customers, for obvious reasons

7. COMMUNICATION
• Good communication in sales is essential for smooth flowing transactions
and ensures future business with a happy customer. Lack of communication
leads to misinterpretations; misunderstandings; and upset and/or disappointed
customers.
• Strong communication should exist between:
Management
Sales People
Administration Staff
Promoters
Service Staff
Delivery Staff
Product Suppliers
The Customer (most important)
• A simple phone call/text/email/fax/meeting could prevent a lot of drama
between you and the customer or you and other staff. Drama is very time
consuming, costly and could jeopardize a contract.
• Good communication builds good business and personal relationships.

8. TIME MANAGEMENT

9. LADDER of SUCCESS

10. GOALS and TARGETS

11. NEVER GIVE UP

12. TEAM WORK COUNTS

13. DETERMINATION

14. SUCCESS

15. SATISFACTION

16. HUNGRY for MORE