10 Ways to Train Yourself to Be a Great Salesperson

Unlike what some people may say, great salespeople don't appear from nowhere. You may be born with the skills needed to succeed in sales, but if not, there's still great potential to train yourself to become a very effective salesperson.  We've even known people who were naturally shy and introverted progress to real success in sales.

In this article, we give you ideas that you can use to successfully turn yourself from a middle of the road salesperson to someone that excels, from maybe hitting numbers that are "respectable", to hitting it out of the park on a consistent basis.  What's not to like?  Read on!

1. Keep Working Hard

Remember: true success doesn't come easy, no matter what job you do.  It requires hard work and dedication, always being ready to invest in yourself and improve performance on a day-to-day basis.

Of course, you should aim to work harder than anyone else around you, pushing your boundaries and taking on challenges.  Sales is competitive, after all, so do it with with energy and determination.  You don't need to grind yourself into the ground every day, but don't be afraid to burn the midnight oil when it's needed.

2. Know Your Buyers

Salespeople can often make the mistake of tackling their job "in a bubble".  In other words, they worry about their own performance and situation, completely ignoring the very person they depend on for the sale.  Well, if you take on this attitude, you'll never get anywhere ... and your sales figures will lag far behind where they could -- and probably should -- be.

So before you make any pitch, get to know your buyer.  Understand what makes them tick and how you can help fix their problems.  Do your research before you make that call or set up your mailshot.  If you can, quote examples of how your product or service has been used in their industry and how it has led to success.  If you're selling to private individuals, you can use the same approach: think of people in similar situations, with similar problems or needs, and work the same way.

3. Attend Sales Seminars

If you want to be successful, you're going to need to do some work out of hours.  And more than browsing the internet for ideas, or trawling YouTube for tips (though these are often useful anyway).  Attending sales seminars is incredibly valuable and even if you have to pay for them yourself, they're well worth it.
But of course, if you can, get your employer to help you out with the costs!

Not only will you get golden nuggets of information that you can implement straight away, but you'll also meet other like-minded people who can help you drive your career forward.  And aim to go to them on a regular basis because they're integral to your development.

Slightly different - but on the same theme - is to attend exhibitions. These can create a whole mass of new prospects (especially if you "zap" each visitor to your stand with a data collection tool).



And, on the out of hours theme, you could help your marketing team with suggestions on what to promote and how to display it.  Your people may be using great exhibition stand designers, but no-one will have the focused expertise or customer knowledge than you, as a salesperson, can provide.

4. Application Is Just As Important

Learning for the sake of it won't get you anywhere.  Don't fall victim to an overload of information that's never used.  You should try to apply what you've read or been taught as soon as you can.  So set yourself a time limit: maybe, say, doing it within 7 days where you can.

This will turn your learning into applicable skills, and this will help you grow and become a better salesperson. What you've read and heard will become second nature, helping you to evolve on a consistent basis.

5. Share Your Skills

There's a great misconception amongst salespeople that can make them a bit selfish and unwilling to share.  They're often afraid that if they let go of their ‘secrets' others will overtake them.  Unfortunately, if you think this way, that's the kind of attitude that will keep you at the bottom of the barrel!

Sharing your skills isn't just good for your own feelings of self worth, but it will actually help your relationships - and your career - too.  You'll get gratitude from others, creating allies and even friends.  You'll also find that those that you've helped in the past -- or seen you help others -- will one day come back to help you in return.

6. Mastermind Groups

Successful people don't work alone: they surround themselves with others who are working towards the same goals. You don't even need to be working in the same industry, as long as you're all fired up to work hard and get results. It's often said that you're the average of those closest to you – so make sure you surround yourself with people who have a go-getting, positive mind-set.

Try to meet regularly and hold each other accountable. You don't even need to be in the same town – there are many successful mastermind groups that operate solely on Skype, chat, and email.  Just make sure you meet up regularly to encourage each other and share tips and tricks.

7. Invest In Education

Learning doesn't stop just because you've left college!  So always keep investing in yourself, and this applies particularly when it comes to sales. Dedicate, say, an hour a day to reading books, listening to podcasts, or just watching videos on sales.  But make sure you stick to some sort of structure, so you avoid a haphazard approach that won't give you much benefit.



You should always be working on improving your selling skills. Consider your job as a platform for continual education, always striving towards perfection. Ask your manager whether they will pay for your course costs – even partial payments help. It'll also show them that you're taking your job seriously and that you're keen to improve.

8. Work On Your Confidence

Successful and shy don't often go together when it comes to sales!  So if you're naturally shy, you'll need to work on your confidence.  This will help you from top to bottom, giving you better body language, a clearer voice, and the ability to convince your customer to sign on the dotted line ... or give you their credit card number.

Some people say that introverts don't make great salespeople, but that's just not true. You don't need to be the loudest in the room to be confident of what you're selling, nor do you need to have the air of arrogance we often (mistakenly?) attach to salespeople. All it takes to sell is being confident in the knowledge of your product or service, being firm when necessary, and having the conviction to close the sale.  In other words, be confident when it counts: that's the key.

9. Learn From The Best

You won't get anywhere if you don't learn from others, especially if you're just starting off on your sales journey.  The trick is to identify people who have relevant experience, along with a track record of great results. Watch how they approach their craft, how they talk to customers, and how they ultimately turn their hard work into sales.

You don't need to be blatant in your admiration: just have a keen eye and take mental notes when necessary. Take the good points and try and work them into your own approach.  And, if possible, ask them for advice now and again!

10. Set Goals

Successful salespeople don't just put in hours and elbow grease!  They also make sure they're working towards a goal.  Getting through the grind isn't enough – you should always be aiming for improvement, and setting goals is the best way to direct and monitor what you do.

Goals should be set for both the short and long term. Keeping track using a journal or online tool can help here. And set a time of the week or month where you review everything you've achieved, where you may have come up short, and (of course) why.  When you do this, it's easy to tweak your approach where necessary to maximize your results.

Remember, even if you take these tips on board and start implementing them straight away, it's going to take hard work and patience to start making things happen. But in time, it will all come together and things will start to click.
Then you'll be flying - happy that you didn't just read our article, but you followed our advice!