Are the best sales representatives born so? No. With science-based selling which is the right combination of social psychology, neuroscience, and behavioural economics added with an inherent talent of right interpersonal skills, anyone can excel as a good salesperson.
Here we share the secret and powerful science-based sales techniques best sales reps use to effectively convert leads and close deals.
- Contact leads immediately
As per research, people are more likely to make a purchase when they make the initial inquiry. As time elapses, interest in making the purchase dramatically drops. So, every minute you wait before you contact the lead, you are making a big sales mistake.
- Make numerous attempts to reach leads
Make at least six attempts to contact your lead before giving up.
- Call early morning or late afternoon
Researches show that the best time to call your customers is between 8 am and 9 am in the morning and between 4 pm and 5 pm in the evening. If you call your customers at a time that is convenient for them, they will be in a better mood and are likely to be influenced by your sales calls.
- Wednesdays or Thursdays are the best days to call
Mondays are full of Monday blues and are not great days to call buyers. Tuesdays are also not good for making sales calls. As per various studies, midweek to just before the end of the week is the best day to call though this may differ by industry. So, Wednesday and Thursday are the best days to contact your leads for most businesses
- Call from a Local Number
Research suggests that buyers are 300% more likely to answer your calls if they recognize your area code.
- Start with a positive comment, smile often
Smile while you talk. Start with a small chit-chat or a casual talk. Studies conducted by Tipping.org found that waiters who simply said “good morning” to hotel guests and gave a positive weather forecast were able to boost their tips by 27%!
- Don’t talk bad about the competition
Don’t attempt to defame or talk bad about your competitors in front of your buyers. Scientific researches show that when you say bad things about your competition, customers associate those traits to you in their mind.
- Use social media to sell
Social media can be your best sales tool if used effectively. Salespeople who use social media to sell their products are said to outperform those who never use social media.
- Body language is important
Both verbal and non-verbal communication matters in shaping your buyer’s response to you. Salespeople who use effective body language are likely to increase their sales numbers than others.
- Enjoy the competitive nature of sales
Those who consider sales as a game and have the urge to win it succeeds more in the field. The sales field is full of competition and if you can enjoy it, you will be the winner
- Be experts, consultants, or closers.
Researchers have identified eight main sales approach categories, including storytellers, focusers, narrators, aggressors, and socializers. A study of 800 salespeople by researchers Lynette Ryals and Iain Davies concludes that experts, consultants, and closers make the best salespeople. Experts are naturally gifted in all areas of selling, while consultants focus on listening to their buyers and solving problems, and closers are smooth-talkers in converting the biggest leads.
- Have more than one option to offer
Buying something new can make people worry about possible risks associated with the product. But when they are given more options to choose from, their brain’s perception of risk reduces as they can choose the ‘lowest risk’ option by themselves.
- Mirror and act like your buyers
Reports say that mirroring the gestures, expressions, and posture of your buyers can increase their perception of you, and will work well in negotiation. A study conducted in 2011 involving over 100 customers discovered that they bought more products and had a more positive impression of the company when the retail salespeople were told to mirror the behavior of their customers.
- Don’t fall into sunk cost fallacy
‘Sunk cost fallacy’ happens when people are not willing to stop doing something that they have already invested time, energy, and resource on. This makes a bad situation potentially much worse. Avoiding sunk cost fallacy helps people devote more of their resources to profitable opportunities rather than wasting their time in unprofitable ones.