Sales – buying or selling something – is at the heart of every business.

To succeed in sales, you need three components: numbers, a positive attitude, and a quality pitch.

To progress from being good at basic sales to truly excelling as a salesperson, I find the following eleven points useful:

1. Be a true believer

Famous CEO and entrepreneur Patrick Bet-David said, “If you want to excel in sales you need to be a true believer”. When you truly believe in your clients’ products or services then passion and energy for selling them comes automatically.

2. Be a master asker and a magnificent listener

Tom Hopkins, one of the all-time famous sales trainers, said, “Be a master asker and a magnificent listener when you are with a customer”. When you listen, you can ask good questions. In sales, listening and asking questions go hand in hand.

3. Find a competitive partner

Sports teams perform because they are always competing with other teams. Can you imagine if Manchester United only played football with its own team? Without competition, there would be little incentive to work harder, and there would be no serious preparation by the team. In sales, having someone to compete with can motivate you to be better.

4. Relatability

According to Tom Hopkins, the number one quality of any great sales professional is being relatable. It is crucial to make it easy for others to relate to you and trust you, so you should spend more time developing your interpersonal skills, rather than your pitch.

5. Abundance mentality

A sales professional needs to have faith in their territory and should have an abundance mentality. Put simply, a person with an abundance mentality knows there is enough of everything for everybody – there are enough sales in your own territory and in every other territory. By adopting such a mentality, you will believe that no matter where you go, you can always find customers to approach and build your sales numbers.

6. Pressure to perform

I can confidently tell you that everyone has personal problems. We are always balancing or managing something, and we all feel pressure. As a sales professional, instead of letting pressure stop you from performing, channel it and help it guide you to hit your peak performance.

7. T.C.Y.

Do not forget to take care of yourself (T.C.Y). It is important to invest in your image and well-being by getting enough rest and eating healthily. When we are busy speaking to customers, sometimes we forget about ourselves. By taking care of yourself, you will feel positive and energetic, which helps when approaching potential customers.

8. Challenging your thinking

As humans, we can have natural tendencies towards negative thinking. Take this opportunity to challenge your thinking by asking yourself these questions:

• Is this the right approach?
• If my team feels strongly about this, will I be happy with the decision?
• When you challenge your thinking, you are giving your mind permission to look for other solutions.

9. Sell to kind-hearted people

I sometimes find that we try to sell to people who are not interested, or who are rude or disrespectful. But I find it so much better to approach kind-hearted people with whom I can have a decent conservation, share a few ideas and listen to their feedback. Having a good laugh and sharing stories puts a smile on my customer’s face, and also strengthens my positive mood. So, save your energy and time, and do your best to try to approach a kind-hearted person.

10. Strengthen your greatest weapon

According to Patrick Bet-David, your greatest weapon is your mind. Find the time to read books, articles, listen to podcasts and watch educational videos to nourish your mind. Can you imagine having the world’s most powerful computer, but not using it because you don’t have time? Remember that your mind is your super computer, and your greatest tool.

11. Expand your comfort zone

As a sales professional, you should not have limits or boundaries. You should be able to move in and out of your comfort zone because you believe you can. When you believe in something, you will push yourself to succeed.

Boosting your sales numbers is easy if you understand the above simple points. Happy selling.

Vishnu Annapareddy, Organisational Head, Centurion Marketing Group, Malaysia.