3 How do you ‘sell’?

Successful selling requires a combination of various interpersonal and professional skills, all of which can be developed. Roberts-Phelps (2001, p. 103) argues that these skills include the functions listed in Table 1.

Table 1 Skills required for selling
Skill Function
Connecting To establish a personal bond with the customer.
Encouraging To keep the customer participating in the sales call.
Questioning To get in-depth information on the situation, problems and needs.
Listening To hear and remember the facts and feelings shared by the customers.
Confirming To make the progress of the sales call explicit.
Providing To give information to create a clear, positive image of the salesperson, company, products, and services.
Source: Roberts-Phelps, 2001, p. 103

Successful selling requires that you develop and draw upon each of these skills at various points throughout the sales process – from prospecting and initial contact through to final delivery and ongoing support. The judicious use of questioning techniques (most particularly open and closed questions) is key, as is active listening, which is discussed in the Communications unit.

2 Who are you selling to?

4 The sales process