As a three-year sales professional at MultiView, I would like to take a moment to reflect on seven items, or “tips” if you will, which have helped me succeed throughout my MultiView sales career working with clients. I have sold both Guides and NewsBrief products across many different industries; and feel these seven “rules” I live by have really helped increase my sales success. These items are in no particular order and have slowly been learned during my career here at MultiView. I call these the 7 ways to fuel your sales career and success. Had I known these “rules” before, I feel my success would have come more swiftly.
1. Use your cultural background
When working the NABE (National Association of Bilingual Education) Weekly eNewsBrief, I have worked with clients who are fluent in Spanish. Although I know little Spanish, I use the words I have learned from my family and proper pronunciation to assist in communicating with the client. This has helped establish clearer communication and build rapport with clients who speak Spanish.
2. Gather bits of research before picking up the phone
The second “rule” that has assisted me in connecting with clients is taking the time to do a bit of research on the client, whether it is the company’s website, its product/service offering, or even details of the individual that I can relate to. By details of the individual, I’m referring to educational backgrounds or work history, for example. If the client has a marketing or sales background, I can immediately relate to them since my educational background is also in sales and marketing. Their product/service offering helps me recommend a certain position within the Buyer’s Guide or Brief I am working on. Information which is gathered from doing a little bit of research gives me another tool to relate to clients.
3. Focus your attention on simple things
On days where I feel I am losing focus on the task at hand, one tactic which helps to break the monotony is something as simple as taking in the great landscape surrounding the building (i.e. Downtown Dallas and the D/FW International Airport). Standing up from my chair and taking my eyes off the computer screen gives me a minute to decompress. This helps bring my focus to other things before getting back on the phone and not sounding on-point.
4. Relate sports to clients
One of my hobbies I really am passionate about is playing and watching most sports. I use my interest in sports to build rapport with clients. For example, if I am working with a client in New York City, I will ask them if they are big New York Jets or New York Giants fans and relate them to the Dallas Cowboys. This allows me to steer the conversation where the client feels more comfortable talking to me as they would a friend. It puts us on a level playing field, so to speak, (pun intended). This is a practice I live by on a daily basis.
5. Relate travel to their location
Another one of my hobbies is traveling. When working with clients in cities I have visited, I always try to find common areas clients and I both can relate to. I can recall an instance when working the MPI (Meeting Professional International) Guide, where the client was located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. My trip to San Juan was one that I truly enjoyed and will never forget the rest of my life. In our discussion on common places we have been to, she recommended I contact her office when booking my next trip to San Juan. I did end up selling her advertising space in the Buyer’s Guide because my interest in travel aided me in securing her campaign.
6. Use sales floor energy to your advantage
Another tactic I did not take advantage of when I first started, but learned to embrace after some time on the sales floor is using the sales floor energy to my advantage. More often than not, the energy created by every sales team after a big sale can be heard and felt by clients on the other end of the phone. Upon screaming/hooting and hollering/yelling after every large sale, clients will always respond in some way. I take this opportunity to use this to my advantage and carry over my team’s or sales floor’s energy into these calls. Being excited and energized over the phone always aids me in increasing the client’s energy and interest in my product. This tactic was not something I learned right away, as I mentioned, but I feel it is key to being myself and unique on the phone.
7. Make your conversations with clients “conversational” and be unique
I believe this is the most important item of all. Being “conversational” means treating the discussion/pitch as if you are talking to a long time best friend or a favorite family member. We all have someone we can talk to who makes us feel comfortable, so just pretend you are talking to that person! In my “conversational pitch,” Veteran sales reps have taught me to be unique on the phone. I have discovered I am more memorable to clients when I present them with unique topics/facts. It is important to implement this into every pitch.
In summary, these “rules” have aided me throughout my career. Every individual on our sales team is different. With that being said, take my suggestions above and implement them in your own unique way….then come back and thank me for all the sales you have made!
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