Every now and then it’s good to remind ourselves of a few of the basics, and maybe some of the not so basics, in the field of sales. Many of these will serve as reminders and hopefully some of them will be more educational.

• Know your customer:This should go without saying, every salesperson should take any time necessary to get to know their customers. Get to know their wants, their needs and the best way to go about meeting those. Remember your goal, in addition to making a sale, is to establish a repeat customer base and getting to know your customers is a great way to do that.

• Learn your customers’ goals:Often time customers are buying more than just an item, they are investing in their future. The only way for a salesperson to help them achieve those goals is to learn what they are. We just talked about getting to know your customer and this is a big part of that.

• Keep learning:Your customers and their needs are always changing and if you want to keep selling to them, then you need to keep learning about your customers. It’s also vital that you keep learning about the products you sell and keep up on any changes that may impact how you go about your job.

• Personalize it:We all have business cards and we all give them out but really, don’t they all look the same? The best way to make yours stand out is to write a note on every card you give out. Use the customer’s name and jot down a quick note that is unique to that customer. Yes, it will take time but your business card will be the one that stands out.

• Celebrate your customer whenever possible:The customers are the reasons we have jobs, if they were no customers then there would be no salespeople. With that in mind, take time to celebrate them. Mark any and all anniversaries that are appropriate, send birthday cards, graduation cards etc. In short let them know that you see them more than just customers, you see them as friends.

FINAO - Brad Huisken