While many liken it to an art-form, selling is actually much more of a science. By applying specific rules a poor salesman can become average and an average salesman can become a great one. While each of the three rules this article is going to introduce are quite simple the practical application of them will improve with time and dedication spent practicing and learning. Top salespeople sell more because they have focused on constantly improving their skills and not settling for a certain level of learning. Here are the 3 rules to sell more:

Rule 1: Build rapport with your client

The first step in any sales process should be to become a trusted advisor for your client. People buy from people they like, trust and respect. The bigger the sense of community and friendship you have with your clients the firmer your hold will be on the market which will ultimately lead to your salespeople having opportunities to sell more. If you have that trust and respect it is very hard for another salesperson to take that client away from you. To build rapport and build friendships you need to start by asking great questions about them and their business. Find out how their business works, what problems they’re having and what common ground you have. This takes some time and effort but ultimately you’ll sell more.

Rule 2: Discover your client’s buying criteria

Each client has different criteria that help them decide whether they will make a purchase or not. Too many salespeople try to tell someone what their buying criteria should be; telling people they should buy your product because it has x,y and z has little effect when your customer is mainly interested in a, b and c. Once you understand the buying criteria of your client you can begin to build value around your services and products based on their own criteria. Discovering more about a client’s buying criteria can also help aid future product development and selection. Knowing your client, their business and their buying criteria is an essential step in getting to sell more.

Rule 3: Sell more by having a great follow-up process

Regardless of whether you make a sale or not the sales process does not end when you walk out the door after your meeting. If you want to sell more you must follow-up with every client you meet. If the client purchased something from you then the follow-up process is designed to further the relationship and create opportunities to sell more. If the client didn’t make a purchase decision then the follow-up is meant to continue the relationship, find out more about what they need and continue building the value of your product in their eyes. While many salespeople follow-up after successful sales most average sales people will have poor follow-up after missing out on a sale in an initial meeting. A follow-up process could include phone calls, letters, offering them business advice or even social opportunities, normally a combination of these is used to help create further opportunities to sell more.

While each of these rules can be put into place by individual salespeople the effect is magnified by making them part of your company culture. By instigating training sessions, role-play and focus groups a sales team can work together to improve their skills and share knowledge, ultimately helping each member of the team sell more.