In my opinion, every salesperson should be skilled in a variety of areas. But based on my experience and observations, a salesperson must have the following key traits and skills to directly and positively impact sales results.
1. Personality
If you are honest, kind, sociable, polite, and respectful, then you have the right qualities to successfully sell your services and products. People sometimes get hung up on appearances, worried about wearing the right clothes or driving the right car. Appearances are advantageous, but not worth worrying about too much. Similarly, the ability to guide the conversation, while useful, is not a necessity for selling. Being authentic and a decent human being go a long way in sales.
2. Expertise
You should be an expert in what you sell and do, especially if you are selling your services. Most clients are not experts, but they can figure out your level of expertise just by talking with you. This will certainly affect their decision. If you can’t sell your expertise, then you won’t sell your services or products.
3. Attitude
You have to have the right attitude about the services or products you sell. The customer should be able to feel your passion about what you sell, see that you love what you do, and know that you believe in what you do. You must also be confident that you provide your clients real value. If clients don’t see these traits in you, they won’t believe you and they won’t purchase from you.
4. Technology
Why is technology important for sales? Well, being knowledge about technology can help you close a sale. You should be able to talk to your clients about most photography-related technologies to demonstrate that you know all about not only what’s in use currently, but what’s on the horizon. In addition, you should be able to tell them how you use or will use these technologies to your advantage in your work.
A few last pieces of advice
Okay, so let’s assume you have the traits and skills. Try these last few tips to improve your sales ability even more. Every time you speak with a client, try to put yourself in his or her shoes. Do you feel comfortable when you do that? If so, you are on the right path. If not, figure out why you feel uncomfortable and adjust. Learn to notice every mistake you make when talking to a client. Write down your observations and figure out why you are making those mistakes. Come up with ways to improve and apply those solutions. Then watch as you slowly, or maybe even quickly, see sales levels rise.