Today we continue our look at a few of those things that, as salespeople, we sometimes forget. Many of them are small or simple things but they can also make the difference between, "I'll think about it" and "I'll take it."

• Get agreement: Every interaction with a customer is not going to end with a closed sale but if you can get some form of agreement before parting, then you have a chance in the future. Even if the agreement is to talk again in a week, then at least you have something to build on.

• Don't forget the add-on: You would never leave money on the table that was yours, would you? That's exactly what a salesperson is doing when they don't try to add-on to a sale. The customer has already said, "I'll take it" to whatever it is they are buying. There's nothing to lose by trying to add-on to that sale. Remember that adding-on is also a valuable customer service.

• Take time to prepare: It might be only 30 minutes a day, but every salesperson should take some time to prepare for everyday they work. Products are always changing, customers are different and it is up to the salesperson to stay on top of all those things.

• Find new benefits: As a part of that 30 minutes, take time to discover new benefits to the products you sell. Every customer buys products for different reasons and different benefits. If a salesperson is aware of all the benefits a certain product can provide, then it is easier to sell that product to a variety of customers.

• Don't overwhelm them: As we just discussed, customers often by the same product for very different reasons. The professional salesperson will learn why each customer is interested in a certain product, and then use those reasons to complete the sale. If Mark is interested in a SUV because of the space it provides, talk about the space. It isn't going to help your cause by talking about how good it is in snow if that's not his primary reason for buying.

Everything we've talked about really boils down to the first thing we discussed: get to know your customers and what they want. Once you do that, everything else becomes easier. Little things are easy to forget but they can also make all the difference in the world.

FINAO - Brad Huisken