Some people think all you need is a good personality and persistence to make it in the world of sales, but most seasoned sales professionals know they need to sharpen their selling skills by continuously learning and practicing.

Learning how to apply what you know and adapt as needed in changing economies and social environments is essential if you want to succeed in selling.

Just like any professional athlete will tell you, they get a serious amount of coaching and practicing to achieve their top performance, shouldn’t your skills as a sales professional be as sharp as those athletes?

Staying current will benefit you

In sales as in sports you need to stay current with the skills you need to succeed as well as to stay current with the new technology that will be of great benefit to your sales career.

Having the internet and information technology at everyone’s finger tips makes things even more interesting for the world of sales. Salespeople benefit from all new technology and developments but at the same time they have to be very well informed to be able to handle a prospect that has all the information available online about the product or service he is interested in.

Nowadays making the sale requires something more than just smooth talking, it requires the salesperson to be in tune with current information technology to be ready to handle any questions, objections or any inquiries the prospect has for them.

But no matter how informed the prospect is about your product or service, the salesperson’s primary goal should be to develop a good line of communication and gain that prospect trust, because without it closing the sale will not be an easy task.

I have always done it this way

This is one of those phrases you have to take out of your vocabulary; you have to realize at some point that what worked for you five years or ten years ago has become obsolete.

Your willingness to keep your skills sharp and keep your game plan fresh is what is going to make you more successful. Do you think successful companies use the same programs or routines year after year after year?

Make sure that you as a salesperson stay as sharp as possible and in tune with technology to make sure you are always at the top of your game.  “Continuous Improvement, that’s what it’s all about”  says Nick Terrenzi from SELLability.com

How do I keep my sales skills sharp?

If you google sales training you will find a whole variety of programs that promise to make you a better salesperson, the question is: Do you want to be the best salesperson they want you to be? Or would you like to find out what strengths you already have and improve on the ones you need to?

This is the secret of SELLability! You find out what your exact strengths are and what you need to improve on.

You might already be excellent at developing good communication, maybe you are a good storyteller, or you are a good listener or a good negotiator, but there could be something that is holding you back from your true potential, aren’t you curious what that could be?

Finding out is the first step

No matter where you decide to do your sales training, start by taking the Sales Skills Assessment at Sellability.com to find out what your strengths and weaknesses are exactly. You will be glad you did!

Selling is an exchange where both parties win. Being more prepared means you will have more chances to help more customers get exactly what they need and close more sales.