Sales is a unique area in that it’s possible for anyone to be a salesperson, but to be good – good enough to be a pro – that is one of the hardest to master skills in the world, and one of the most valuable. Without decent sales training, it’s doubtful whether you’ll cut it in the world of selling and there’s a whole world of it out there. To help you get acclimatised, here’s a guide to just a couple of industry terms that you’ll be encountering along the way:
Active listening
This is the practice of empathetically relating to the person you’re speaking to. Sales training helps you to deal confidently with people and avoid simply reading off some set questions or waiting to make your own points heard. An active listener inspires trust, which is essential for business.
Added value
A sales force, well trained, adds real value to a company and its products. Some of this value is intangible, like the improved image your company will have if its sales representatives are informed and professional and some of it is fully tangible such as your increased sales. In terms of added value, sales training often pays for itself many times over.
UPB, or Unique Perceived Benefit
Many people are aware of USP, or Unique Selling Point, which relates to the one special thing your company provides which others don’t. What sales training will do, is take that USP and make it into a UPB. Not only will you provide something that others don’t, but buyers will perceive you as benefitting them in a unique way. Sales training makes all the difference in turning a great product into a successful product.
Concession
Used when negotiating. The difference between an amateur and an employee who has been through sales training is the wherewithal to know how to back down. A skilled salesperson can enter a negotiation aware of where they can make concessions and, when they make them, how they’re going to make those concessions pay for themselves in the final deal.
Sales Funnel
A more technical term to do with management of sales departments. Sales training provides you with a number of these approaches to make sure you’re getting the most from your team. A forking sales funnel will take all the prospects that enter at the top and channel them downwards until you are sure that, when it’s time to close, you have your best trained sales staff getting you the best result.
As you can see, there’s a lot to be learned – and this is just the jargon. To benefit from the full experience, sales training is the only way to go.