What’s Happening
10 Ways to Make Yourself a Better Salesperson How can salespeople up their game? Top Sales Pros Jayson Cook, Amari Schwartz and Elias Ventura discuss strategies for self-improvement on the sales floor. WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA
Amari Schwartz, who works in sales at Distinctive Ride in Wasilla, Alaska, said she first thinks of knowledge and qualifying the client when she considers improving sales. “I believe to be successful and efficient, a salesperson needs to have product knowledge, install knowledge and knowledge on consumers’ buying habits,” she explained. “I have seen a lot of sales lost because of lack of product knowledge. I have also seen an equal amount of money lost because of misquoted labor charges.” In 2018, Schwartz was named Sales Pro of the Year by Mobile Electronics magazine. Elias Ventura of Safe and Sound Mobile Electronics in Manassas, Va.—who was named Sales Pro of the Year in 2016— stated that he always self-reflects on things he could be doing better. “There are times on the sales floor when I forget the most basic, key, ‘sales 101’ things I should be doing,” he said. “It happens to the best of us.”
#1. Qualify the Client Schwartz said a salesperson can’t sell anything if they haven’t first qualified their client. “What are their needs and wants? Do they have a budget? Do they know what they want? Or, do you need to help guide them to the right product or service?” she said. A customer might come into the store and say they want a pair of speakers, said Jayson Cook of Columbus Car Audio and Accessories, but it may not be what
they’re really looking for. Cook was named Sales Pro of the Year in 2019. “You could just sell them the speakers they asked for,” he said, “but that might not be what they really need. In the customer’s car, I will look at the bass and treble settings on the radio. Is either setting cranked up? Have them point out what they like and don’t like about the system they already have.” Customers will say they want more bass, he added, and Cook will recommend a subwoofer. “First they say no. Instead of telling them they’re wrong, we go inside and I turn on a display and I play a $1,500 pair of speakers. They say, ‘It sounds similar to what I already have.’ I turn the sub on, and they say, ‘I like that.’” That’s what they needed, he explained, but they didn’t realize it until they experienced the demonstration. When the salesperson goes out to the customer’s car, they can get to the root cause and find a solution, Cook said. “If I just sold them a set of speakers, I made the sale, but they’ll never come back. I may have sold them what they asked for, but it wasn’t what they really wanted, which was a subwoofer.” If the salesperson is just selling the customer a pair of speakers without listening to the customer, asking qualifying questions and finding out what they really need, Cook added, “You’re not a salesperson. You’re just a clerk.”
#2. Build Relationships Cook said customers can find the product they are looking for just about
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anywhere. Building a relationship with the client will make them stay instead of going to a different store in town. “They will see the value. I have a ton of repeat clients who come to us because we built a reputation and a relationship. They know what to expect.” Building a relationship is also about staying in touch. “Stay in contact with the client and the technician working on the vehicle so everyone is on the same page,” Cook said. “Whether it’s an audio upgrade or a radio install, you have to make sure everyone knows what’s expected.” If the customer calls in or emails, he added, it’s important to invite them into the store. “Everyone has their own idea of what sounds good. I want to listen to the car with them,” he said, adding that’s important to let the client play their own music at the volume they enjoy, so the salesperson can see what they like and what they don’t like. “At that point, outside your building, you’re on neutral ground. They’re more comfortable. You’re not just a sales guy anymore. You’ve built a relationship.”
#3. Regularly Attend Trainings Salespeople agree regularly attending trainings is essential to professional growth, especially considering how quickly the industry evolves. Ventura underscored the importance of training events and learning from industry peers. “We have a great many events nationwide and locally. Events like KnowledgeFest are the pinnacle of what this industry has available for us to grow and learn,” he said. “Ask your rep about
