Sales Turnover — Is It Inevitable?

Mason Minor
Aug 22, 2017 · 3 min read

As most people know sales is a hard job. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it and rolling in the commission checks. It is challenging for a number of different reasons, but the main reason being it is hard making relationships.

To build a relationship you need to understand that person and really understand where they are coming from. A lot of the time you may be an extrovert and enjoy talking to people, but if you aren’t good at handling rejection you are going to have a hard time succeeding. I am going to share four skills that I think are important for sales managers to keep in mind when hiring and are also critical in your own self assessment to ensure you do not become just another turnover statistic.

  1. As mentioned earlier, sales is about relationships. You need to be able to speak with people and relate to them. People often make buying decisions because of the salesperson, not just the product. They want to do business with someone they have a relationship with and trust. They want to be able to talk not just about business, but about what they did last weekend or their upcoming fishing trip. It is important as a salesperson to talk with your clients about more than just work and really get to know them as people.
  2. The next thing that is key to sales is knowing how to be a good listener. You may be great at talking to people and hear what they are saying, but are you listening? Are you being active and asking targeted questions to understand their needs? You may be great at getting people to talk to you, but you need to be intentional with that time. Make use of it and really understand what they need. It is important to ask targeted questions, listen, and ask questions to build off of those responses. This is a great way to empathize with a customer. Try to get into their shoes and figure out why they need your product. What pain point you will be solving for them?
  3. The next thing you need to have is tough skin. In sales, you are going to be told “no” a lot. It can be for a number of different reasons, but you can’t let that get you down. Your product may not be right for them or it may be just bad timing. You can’t let all of the “no’s” get to you. There will be days when you may only hear “no” once (unlikely, but possible), and boy, does that feel good, but the honest truth is that the majority of people will say no. So, make the most of your time. When they don’t push you away value your time and ask those targeted questions to better understand their needs.
  4. The final you need to be successful is to believe in your product (or service). Sales is hard enough without you not enjoying what you are selling. See the value that your product adds, and if it doesn’t add value to someone, move on. Don’t try to force something on someone who doesn’t need it. Be a salesperson who is genuine and wants to help people. This is going to make your sales process a whole lot easier. People can sense a lack of confidence and if you aren’t confident in what you are showing them they aren’t going to buy. So, find what you are passionate about and sell it!

You can’t just be good at one of skills above to succeed. You need to find synergy between all four to really move up the ladder in sales. It is hard and you may find that you are not in the right place to succeed. So, determine what type of person you are. Be open to others critiquing you and incorporate their feedback into your selling. If you let other people pour into you and help you grow — you will not become another turnover statistic.

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