I was watching TV a few days ago and for some reason I caught myself watching the commercials, usually I flip the channel or focus on other things, but this time was different. One of the commercials I saw offered up a good reminder for all salespeople and I thought I would pass it onto you.

It was a car commercial designed to show customers that they are dedicated to customer service and will leave no stone unturned. The commercial shows salespeople "practicing" their presentations with trainers throwing a variety of curve balls at them. The salespeople handle all of the situations and are applauded for doing so as the commercial ends. The idea of the commercial is obvious: our salespeople are ready to help you.

As with any commercial, it’s a little corny, but the lesson is a good one. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in the field of sales, a little practice here and there is always a good idea. Think about it; pro athletes still practice even though they’ve been playing their respective sports for years. Why should salespeople be any different? Here are a few areas every salesperson can practice from time to time.

• Handling objections: Grab a co-worker for five or ten minutes and have them offer up objections. The more you practice dealing with different things that may come up, the better you will be at handling them.
• Review features and benefits: Have a family member or friend listen to you while you review all of the features/benefits of the products you are currently selling. Focus on the products that you do not sell a lot of and make sure you are ready when a customer does show interest.
• Review Add-On Techniques: In most stores add-on sales provides the greatest and easiest area of growth. Practice coming up with Add-On questions. Assumptive Add-On Close and the “Don’t let me forget” techniques.
• Practice closing: We’ve talked about this idea from time to time but going over your various closing techniques is always a good idea. Run over closes in your head and make sure you are not taking short cuts.

There are many more areas for a salesperson to practice but the basic idea is a simple one. Whether you’ve been in the business for 25 years or 25 weeks, every salesperson can benefit from a little practice from time to time.

FINAO - Brad Huisken