Throughout my career I have encountered many different sales personalities. Each of them had their own network, their own approach to dealing with prospects, their own strategic vision and their own way of handling the sales process. However, just ask any sales manager and most will agree that the majority of sales people could be categorized as “openers”, rather than “closers”.

Sales “closers” basically keep the lights on in any organization so it is somewhat imperative to secure a great closer within the sales team. So that presents a question: “Should a company look to only hire great closers?” The answer is that, in order to have a well-oiled sales machine, just hiring star “closers” is barely enough. To be successful, a business needs to invest in the personal and professional development of each of its team members with the end goal of improving their ability to be more effective in all aspects of the sales process, including closing and converting prospects into clients. 

Each person requires an individual approach but here are some tips that can be used to help your sales team become more effective: 

1. Use visuals and be prepared to show a demo anytime/anywhere. We all know the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words and this is very true during the sales process as well. When selling FX technology, some concepts and workflows are challenging to explain, but a thousand times easier for your prospect to understand if you show them a workflow diagram, a screenshot, or even better, a platform in action.
2. Make your sales pitches colorful and make them stand out. Add personal stories or client stories to make your sales pitches memorable. Be authentic and don’t make stories up. Think about it ahead of time and prepare interesting cases from your career.
3. Add Specifics. How exactly can the prospect benefit from your product? Be sure to highlight specific data and numbers that are important and relevant to the client. Provide detailed information on savings, increased revenue, and the overall benefits to client and their business.
4. Exhibit passion and authenticity about the company and product. A prospect is likely to buy from a company where staff are passionate about their company and the product they are promoting. When a sales person sincerely believes in whatever he or she is selling, clients can feel it.

Remember that every sales personality is a star in their own way. It’s all about uncovering their shining parts and working with them on improving the dark spots. Ultimately, effective sales leaders are those who can identify problem areas fast and work with individuals to find the right solutions.