When most people are successful because of a particular skill, they tend to keep the “how” a secret. Well, that is not the Grant Cardone way of doing things. I’m about to reveal ALL my top sales tips for you today, and here’s why…
My purpose has always been to help others achieve life-changing success after doing it myself — especially in sales.
And since so many of you have asked about my all-time best sales tips, I am going to lay them out so you’ll have the info at your fingertips whenever you need it.
Keep reading if you want techniques for better sales calls, effective prospecting, and — of course — more closes…
My 15 All-Time Best Sales Tips to Close More Deals and Multiply Revenue — Fast
Let’s get something out of the way before we dive into these sales tactics…
There are no “tricks” in sales that will make you close more deals faster.
Any of those gimmicks that seem to work are mere luck — at best. They’re also unethical.
Listed below are reliable, honest methods which can help increase your closing ratio at a better pace. Your commitment will determine their efficacy.
That being said, first we’ll cover how you should be thinking about sales…
1. Get Your Mindset Right
You need professionalism and creativity to be truly great at sales.
And while there are many guidelines on being professional, creativity is not something that is so easily taught…
So, how do you solve this problem?
CREATIVITY FOLLOWS COMMITMENT.
Once you are all in, something magical happens. You will start to get interesting ideas of how to fine tune your sales skills and approach people. You’re able to insert your personality into the steps of the sales process…
In short, inspiration strikes.
However, you have to be 100% sold on your product, company, and selling as a career to have this X factor and make all of the rest of these sales tips work.
I encourage you to make a list including:
- Why people should choose your product
- Advantages of buying from your company
- Benefits of controlling your revenue as a salesperson
Then, revisit this list anytime you run into a roadblock or lose a deal. The process will help you maintain a positive attitude, which is vital to keep you in the game.
Now that you have your head in the right place, ask yourself…
Do you know the exact steps it takes to close a deal?
2. Understand the Sales Cycle Inside-Out
When I surveyed a group at my recent workshop, I discovered that over a third of the room had no standard procedure to sell their products…
Making more money requires a simple, short, and duplicatable sales process. And, over my career, I developed one that only takes seven steps.
In my eyes, the perfect sales cycle is:
- Ensure your idea is GREAT.
- Greet the customer.
- State your intention for this interaction.
- Qualify the buyer’s wants and needs.
- Present your product or service.
- Put forth your sales presentation.
- Close the deal.
Knowing this procedure backwards and forwards will allow you to be flexible, comfortable, and confident in your deals. In turn, this results in more closes and cash.
I go deeper into each of the steps of the sales cycle here if you want to really get gangster. You’ll find that just getting these steps nailed down will produce better results.
But to take it to the next level, now I want you to smooth out how you pitch your prospects…
3. Nail Down Your Sales Pitch
Were you aware that less than 2% of deals are made on the first phone call or meeting? For this exact reason, you need to tighten up your pitch…
BECAUSE PITCHING IS NOT SELLING.
Your pitch is where you get their attention and determine if there is an opportunity with this prospect — not necessarily close them.
At this point, your goal is to fill up your pipeline.
A great pitch ensures that when this person or someone they know needs something in your industry, they remember you.
As you can see, there is no single “universal” pitch that will work for everyone — there are just too many variables. With this in mind, I have outlined an exercise for you to craft the perfect pitch for you…
Step One: Answer These Questions
- What is the one thing you want them to remember?
- What is your product or company’s BIG claim? (Think in terms of massive results, guarantees, etc.)
- What can you do better than anyone else?
Step Two: Tailor Your Pitch
Once you have all those questions answered, I want you to determine who buys your product. It is likely there are several types of potential customers who would do business with you.
In this step, you are going to use your answers and create a separate script for each of the clients you work with.
As you write these scripts out, keep in mind that a sales manager will have a different reason to buy a product than a CEO.
Step Three: Revisit and Revise
Now, do you think using the exact same script for years on end would stay relevant?
Of course not!
Yet I see veteran salesmen using the same dusty pitch they were given to use decades ago…
Remember, there is always something that can be shortened or improved. Therefore, come back to the scripts for your pitches often — especially when you see results start to stagnate.
I know I’ve spent a lot of time on this topic. But keeping a full pipeline is ultimately the key to increased revenue and better sales. You need a lot of people in front of you to be successful.
Now, let me share one sales tip which has been shown to triple closing ratios in small businesses to Fortune 500 companies…
4. Prepare a Killer Proposal
Here are some eye-opening stats I came across…
A whopping 87% of all sales reps fail to meet their quotas. Additionally, 70% of all sales professionals don’t write up a proposal for every customer.
See a connection?
There are a couple of reasons why presenting a written proposal is so crucial to making deals…
The first follows the old adage that people believe what they see, not what they hear. Your proposal is what finally makes the sale real to your prospect — right there in black and white.
Second, whether you believe it or not, simply having the terms laid out tends to push the customer towards buying, even if they have objections.
Long story short, present a proposal to every customer — no matter what. It shows the buyer you’re the real deal and encourages action.
5. Make Your Prospect Lists
How underutilized this sales tip is will never cease to amaze me…
Salespeople don’t make or use their prospect lists, then are surprised when they fall short of their targets.
Without prospecting, no one knows you or that you’re selling anything!
OBSCURITY IS THE NUMBER ONE REASON WHY SALES PROFESSIONALS, ENTREPRENEURS, AND BUSINESSES FAIL.
To keep the prospecting process brief, first you are going to make lists of those closest to you, then work your way out. Think friends of friends, distant relatives, etc.
After you complete the lists, you’re going to contact every person to see if they — or anyone they know — need your product or service.
At the very least, your contacts will know what you’re selling and have you on their mind for future needs in that area.
If you want an in-depth look at the subject, I have a whole article about sales prospecting.
For now, let’s continue with one of the tasks salespeople tend to fear the most — cold calling…
6. Become a Cold Calling BEAST
No matter what industry you are in or what title you hold in your company, there will be a time you need to call someone you don’t know.
In sales, it is known as the “cold call,” and many of you avoid it like the plague. As a consequence, your bottom line suffers.
Some fear rejection. Others aren’t sure what to say. Whatever it may be in your case, you need to face it. With knowledge and rehearsing, you can overcome any setback.
And if you’ve been paying attention so far, I’ve already given you one of the tools to make the cold call go smoother…
Previously, we discussed constructing the perfect pitch. If you followed my guidelines above and have it ready, you will be better prepared to make this type of sales call.
DOMINATING THE COLD CALL WITH A KILLER PITCH WILL PUT YOU HEAD AND SHOULDERS ABOVE THE CROWD.
But to truly be a master at sales, you need a variety of sales tactics and the ability to use them interchangeably…
7. Mix Up Your Sales Techniques
In today’s marketplace, you have to be able to sell anytime, anywhere, and in any way.
For example, if a client ignores my phone call, I’ll hit their company site and leave a comment…
I’ll follow that up with a direct message on their social media (like LinkedIn)…
Then, I’ll go down to their office and make a personal visit…
At that point, if they still won’t do a deal with me, I’ll ask them for a referral.
You need to sell in all of these situations. Being good at just one will result in missed opportunities.
8. Create a Sense of Urgency
In order for you and any buyer to get to a close, you must leverage urgency.
This doesn’t always translate into “life or death.” It might be they are just afraid of missing out, like with special offers or low-stocked items.
Regardless, there is a push to transact at that moment right before the close to a greater or lesser degree.
At the end of the day, people only buy for two reasons: needing the item or being in love with the product.
It is your responsibility to discover the “why” for the prospect in front of you. What are their pain points? What solution does the decision-maker need for their problem? That is how you create urgency in a professional way.
But even with impetus to do it now in place, you also have to negotiate the deal’s terms like a champ…
9. Dominate the Negotiation Game
When you are in the negotiations stage, you are in the home-stretch to the sale. The buyer likes the product and is almost there.
However, this is also the phase where the person in front of you will make any excuse to walk away…
Unless you know the principles to keep them in the deal.
The first principle for successful negotiating is to present options. Maybe the product you’re showing isn’t worth the investment because it doesn’t have all the features they want. Give them the higher-ticket item, then move down a package.
This sales tip shifts the prospect from an emotional frame of mind to an analytical one, which is exactly what you want…
Negotiations should only be done when you and the customer are logical, not emotional. If they start getting upset — as can happen when money is involved — keep your cool. Nothing gets solved with disagreement.
Remember, the number one rule of selling is…
ALWAYS AGREE!
Last of these negotiation tips I’ll share with you is to take the customer to zero. What I mean by this is you are actually going to ask the buyer what would happen if they didn’t have your solution.
I love this one because the prospect starts to make sense of the deal and almost closes themselves.
So far, I’ve given you a lot of tools which will take you far. Nevertheless, buyers sometimes try to throw curve balls at you…
10. Handle Objections Like a Pro
Because objections are such a snag for any sales team, I created an entire interactive training platform to meet the demand.
However, I am going to share the foundation of all of this material right here. The Golden Rule of Handling Objections, if you will…
TREAT ALL OBJECTIONS AS COMPLAINTS UNTIL ISOLATED AND VALIDATED AS LEGITIMATE.
I can’t tell you how many times a client has said the price is too high, then turned around and told me they were doing the deal anyway…
Most of the time, what your buyer is saying is just a complaint. It’s the equivalent of them saying, “It’s too hot outside.” These pseudo-objections have nothing to do with you or your product.
The correct handling is to agree, acknowledge, then persist to the close — unless what they are expressing turns out to be a real problem. At that point, you address and take care of the problem.
Now, just because you handled the objections does not mean your work is done…
11. Follow Up Until They Follow Through
In case you haven’t been paying attention, the world — and in turn, the marketplace — move extremely fast…
Knowing that, thinking that a prospect is going to remember and come looking for you once they’re ready to buy is crazy!
GREAT FOLLOW-UP IS NON-NEGOTIABLE.
Think about it like this…
Someone has walked out of your office to “shop” your competitors. If you followed up with a text as they were leaving with the competition’s ads, you look professional, transparent, and confident.
What impression do you think the prospect will have of you versus the competition?
Even if they ignore the text message, try and contact them again in another way. With follow-up, you can’t lose if you don’t quit.
Listen, I don’t care how you follow up. Text. Phone call. Smoke signals. It doesn’t matter. You need to chase these people, otherwise you’ll be forgotten…
AND OBSCURITY IS DEATH IN SALES.
Once you have the person’s attention, you need to wrap up the sale like a champion…
12. Master All Sales Closing Methods
At the end of the day, the close is where value is exchanged between you and the customer. You receive money for your commodity and the client receives the benefits of your product or service.
Without the close, the rest of the steps of the sale amount to nothing.
The fact of the matter is that people must be repeatedly asked to close — otherwise, there would be no need for salespeople.
Obviously, you can’t ask them the same way over and over. You have to have an arsenal of closing scripts, templates, and methods to address whatever the buyer brings up.
If you’ve been in sales a while, you probably have a couple of tried-and-true closes you favor…
I want you to have hundreds. And I want you to be able to use all of them together.
Masterfully closing sales is an art, but it can be learned. If you do, then you can access the prize which comes after the first sale…
13. Lock in the Second Sale
There is nothing easier than closing someone you’ve already closed.
The customer is familiar with your inventory and how you do business. The second sale is right within your grasp….
YET 96% OF SALESPEOPLE NEVER EVEN ATTEMPT THIS ADDITIONAL REVENUE!
I attribute this to only two things…
Number one, you don’t have enough closing material. Or number two, the buyer convinced you they’re “out of money” — when they’re actually not, if the value is right.
Anyway, don’t be afraid to ask for the second sale. You’ll thank me when you see how many times — and how easily — clients say YES.
14. Control Time to 10X Productivity
How much time do you actually have? The answer is not as complicated as you may think…
You have the same amount of hours in a day as everyone else. What matters is how you use every hour of every day.
To illustrate this, I want you to do an experiment. For the next 24 hours, note down each instance where you are NOT doing something productive — and for how long.
For example:
- Talked with Jim for 14 minutes about last night’s game…
- Took a 5 minute coffee break…
- Daydreamed at my desk for 12 minutes…
At the end of the day, tally it all up. Then, I want you to turn these unproductive activities into efforts to create more revenue.
Those who use their time wisely get more done, which brings me to my final sales tip for you…
15. Do Sales Training — Every Day
The great martial artist Bruce Lee once said, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”
YOU SHOULD HAVE THE SAME APPROACH WITH YOUR SALES TRAINING.
Much like a star athlete, the most successful salespeople practice their closing material and pitches every day. Without daily training, even the best salespeople get rusty, which causes them to lose sales and motivation.
For this reason, I created my Cardone University sales training platform. Here, I included more detailed sales tactics for all the points I covered today. I wanted serious sales professionals to have all the tools they need to maximize their bottom line.
Whatever sales training you or your management ascribe to, do it every day. Go over the same material more than once.
Making constant training part of your sales strategy will instill certainty and confidence — and, in turn, more profit.
Remember, success is your duty, obligation, and responsibility…
May these sales tips help you achieve yours.
Be Great,
Grant Cardone
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