Selling is as old as Homo Sapiens, whether it's in the form of hawking jewelry, procuring food or sharing information. Regardless, most salespeople are very bad it and don't have the sales skills or training they need to be effective.

One of the most prevalent issues is ineffective listening skills and thinking your sales pitch will close the deal. This is true even though the best sales coaches have preached reflective listening skills as the only good way to close the deal for decades. The reality is that most people like to talk about themselves, including, likely, you. The best sales tip we give at sales effectiveness training utah is to simply shut up and listen to your customers' feelings and motivators.

Here are a few ideas on basic sales training for you to try in your personal selling and that you can share with your team to make your whole company more profitable.

The best thing you can do, though, is to know your potential customers. Do they know they should have your solution or product or are they experiencing a problem you can solve? Are any other options for them and are they acceptable to the person? Have these questions figured out before you begin.

Now it's time to start listening to your customers. Keep these professional sales tips in mind:

• Stop talking! Don't be uncomfortable with a few moments of silence, and try not to repeat your presentation or any part of it unless you're 100 percent confident the client doesn't yet understand. It's an insult to their intelligence! Moreover,you wouldn't want to put a client to sleep -- instead, you want them to feel special and important to you.
• You can't read minds. Every client is unique, and that you can rarely guess what they really need. Get your ego out of the way so you don't believe that you know more than they do. Rather, ask for clarification every step along the way.
• Don't be demanding. No one likes to be ordered around, but salespeople often essentially do this when they repeat and repeat their presentations without listening. Rather, talk about the benefits of your product or service and listen while the customer speaks, coming to believe that, in the process, your service is the best one. You can guide the conversation along, but stop there or you could lose it all.
• How they feel will close the sale. Product details have their place, but making sales is ultimately about whether your customer has trust in you and what you're selling. This is the reality whether they know it or not. Listen for emotions like stress, worry and fatigue, as these are negatives you could solve. Also, listen for positive emotions such as excitement, because this can help you understand your prospect's motivations.
• Find out what your customers is after. If they are happy with their own solutions to the problem you think you can solve, find out why. If they aren't, find out how you can do better. If they are only interested in parts of what you're offering, you need to be aware of this too. In the end, selling is about convincing one person at a time. People who don't feel heard, will almost never continue working with you.
• Think about what the prospect is saying and rephrase. Called reflective listening, this technique lets the client know you're hearing them, that you are concerned about it and are considering it, and that you are understanding accurately. Furthermore, this method clarifies their expectations.
• Know what they want Beyond learning what the customer says he or she wants, find out what the real underlying motivations are. Usually, this means lower costs but it can also mean something like improving inventory control, reducing work for them and more.

  These sales tips might not be comfortable, but if you just give them a chance you will see that they work. Remember that most would-be sellers just rush through with their standard pitches, not considering these aspects. These salespeople fail. Join the ranks of sales victory by closing your mouth and showing that you really care.