Summer is over and it’s back to school, back to work, back to sports teams and club meetings… Everything picks up pace again in the fall, especially your social obligations.

But with socializing comes networking: tons of opportunities to let people know who you are and what you do.

In his book, The Way to Wealth, Brian Tracy lists ten sales skills that are key to success and results. By knowing what these skills are you can assess your own abilities and see where you need work.

Prospecting: Successful prospecting requires the right attitude, persistence and a system that works. Yes, it’s about numbers – but it’s also about figuring out who wants your product and how to connect with qualified buyers.

Personality: Sales people who are successful are the kind of people who make good friends, they have a positive personality, they’re trustworthy and they’re NICE.

Understanding of Customer Needs: If you have a prospect – fine. If you take the time to understand what you can do for them, better. How much do they want to spend? What would prevent them from buying? When do they intend to buy?

Presentation: The way you present your product shows your prospect how you provide for their needs and clearly defines cost, benefits and how to order – it needs to be sharp, motivating and professional.

Prepared for Objections: The best sales people understand objections but don’t see them as rejections, they see them as conversation starters. Have you considered all the possible objections a prospect might have? Do you have solutions to those objections?

Closing: Sellers recognize buying signals and act on them quickly – they have a plan in place with what to say, what to offer and when to offer it.

Re-sale and Referral: Repeat sales and referrals from satisfied customers are the easiest sales you will ever make. A successful sales person has systems in place to make sure they keep connected with their customers and prospects. It’s a relationship thing.

Effective Marketing: That means you know your customer, where to find them and what they are looking for.  Great sales people have a schedule in place that makes sure they consistently prospect in their target market.

Lifelong learning: There is always room for improvement – successful sales people are always working on who they are and how they sell.

So there's the ten skills you need to be successful in sales. Where do you fall short?

Call a Brian Tracy certified business coach through FocalPoint Business Coaching – we can help you sharpen up your sales skills and get you rolling down the road to sales success.