How to Be a Charismatic Salesman

Last Updated on March, 2023 by Edison

Have you ever met a salesman who was so pushy you couldn’t wait to end the interaction?

Have you ever been served by a salesman you felt has the best interest? Someone who made you buy from him more and more.

In this article, I’ll give you 10 powerful tips to become the second one.

1. Their self-interest

When business is slow, the pressure on salespeople increases, they push harder to meet the quota, and desperation comes in.

We might be tempted to see things only from our perspective, giving a big red flag.

The customer doesn’t care about our commission, mortgage payment, or that we need to reach the quota this month… nor should he.

So, when trying to persuade people, ALWAYS appeal to their self-interest.

2. Their name

Mispronouncing their name can cause a strong negative reaction.

So be sure you get the prospect’s name right.

If their name is hard to understand, ask them to repeat it, say it back, and ask if you got it right.

For business prospects, build a personal relationship with their secretary. Often, they control the prospect’s schedule, activities, and phone calls.

When she is your ally, your job becomes easier.

3. Do your homework

Selling to a stranger through cold calling is nearly impossible unless you establish rapport and trust.

The more you know about the prospect’s business before making the call, the better the chances of closing the sale.

Ronald Fielding, group vice president of Hormel Foods Corporations, says:

One of the worst things to say to a prospect is, What are your needs? A good salesman already knows.

With the internet, researching a business prospect is simpler than ever. Prospects expect salespeople to do their homework and not waste their time asking meaningless questions.

4. Don’t exaggerate

You must realize that your offer is valuable, but your customer can live without your product/service – unless you are a heart surgeon.

So, don’t exaggerate your product’s benefits.

For example: “This product may not pay for your children’s college tuition, Mr. Customer. But it can save you hundreds of dollars in electric bills over the next years,”.

Now, there are two types of products:

– The “must-have” products include food & drink, healthcare, clothing, housing, and transport.

– And “nice to have” products the buyer can do without – Books, music, magazine subscriptions, TV, video games, jewelry, etc.

Be honest about which category your product falls into. Do not persuade the customer your “nice to have” product is a “must have.”

The more you tell the customer you’re not a guru, not a rainmaker, the more credible you will be.

Related: How to Sell Like Jordan Belfort

5. What they want

People want to be loved and appreciated. They want things like power, creativity, beauty, and freedom.

They also want more money to advance their careers, secure a future, and have good health. In short, people want to succeed in everything.

Here is a list of products and the desires they fulfil: 

In addition, using these words will make you more persuasive.

You – This pronoun makes the person feel more fully involved.

Free – Who doesn’t want free things? Remember the reciprocity rule.

Save – Everyone wants to save money. Give a higher price than lower it.

New – We want a product that has new features.

Proven – It assures the client that they’re not taking risks.

Easy – Let me show you how easy it is to use this product.

Guarantee – Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back.

6. Talking too fast

When a prospect hears a salesperson talking too fast, they think he is trying to hide something.

Whether this judgment is true doesn’t matter. It is the prospect’s perception; we all know sometimes, perception is a reality.

It would be best to talk slowly and deliberately enough, so the prospect comprehends everything you say.

Try to match the speed, tone and urgency of the person you’re talking with.

If you’re talking with a speed talker, speed the conversation.

Develop a chameleon-like aptitude for matching the prospect’s mood, tone, and personality.

You need to practice the art of “mirroring.”

It means showing the aspects of temperament, belief, and attitude that most closely align with the prospect.

People like doing business with people perceived to be just like them.

7. Believe in your product

There are two reasons salespeople don’t believe in what they are selling:

Either they’re not part of the target market for that product, or they know their company’s product is not as good as competitors’.

You are at a significant disadvantage if you do not use the product.

You need to have similar experiences with the prospects.

“Make yourself have experienced similar to the prospect’s.”

That will give you a better understanding and empathy for them.

As a result, they will sense that in you and be attracted to it.

For example, selling stock market advice requires knowing how investors think and feel about the market.

The best way to do that is by being an investor yourself.

8. After the sale

After you’ve sold that product, you need to keep that customer.

After that transaction, he can go anywhere, to anyone, for his next business deal.

Ensuring good customer service increases your chances for that person to buy again from you or even bring referrals.

Here are four quick tips to keep in mind:

Be reliable – If you make a promise, keep it. If you tell the customer that someone will come to your house on Tuesday to help fix the product, and no one shows up, you’ve lost credibility and your customer.

Continue to listen to your customer – You’ve solved one dilemma for your customer, but now he has another.

Help him solve his problem, and you might get another sale. If not, you’ve at least been helpful and increased your credibility.

Deal with disappointment – You have sold your product, but something seems to be not working. If possible, get to their place and fix the problem.

Go the extra mile – Is the customer looking for a widget you don’t sell? Then recommend a good company that does.

He will remember you- especially when you call him and ask if he could fix the problem.

Remember that we all make mistakes.

Customers appreciate your honesty and the hard work you put into making the situation right.

9. Analogies

Metaphors, analogies, and assumptions are great tools to make you more persuasive.

Example: If you want to sell a car.

“Like you chose a house safe for your family. This car will keep your family safe. Also, it is more fuel economy and will keep you from losing money at the pump “.

Throughout the conversation, you should assume the person is going to buy.

For example, “You can handle the payments on a 12% discount. Not you may wish to buy based on a 12 % discount “.

“I think you are smart to buy today before the price increase. Not “If you purchase today, you will avoid the price increase “.

Make the customer feel as if the product belongs to them. Once people feel ownership, closing the sales becomes natural.

You can do this using words such as When, instead of if.

Using When shows certainty that the customer will buy.

Also, use the words we and lets to give them the impression that they aren’t making the decision alone.

10. Questions

Here’s one thing I know about you: If I ask one question, any question, you’ll answer it.

Even if you do not answer it aloud, you’ll answer it in your head.

Fact: People will accept an idea that results from their thinking, not yours.

Persuasion is about helping the person develop his own idea, which of course, is your idea.

You let him claim it, own it, and then he’ll act on it.

That’s why questions are an excellent tool for persuasion.

What do I mean by that?

If we’re conversing, someone comes out of the blue and asks us a question. You’ll answer, right?

We’re compelled to answer.

We don’t simply continue our conversation. We must answer this person. This is automatic-answer behavior.

As kids, we were taught to be polite, and not answering a question is rude.

We also want to answer because we want everyone to have attention to us and to appear superior.

Internal questions

First, you should be aware of damaging questions you may be asking yourself.

Some of them are:

• Why can’t I sell more?
• How come everyone has an objection?
• Why do they think our price is too high?
• Why don’t people trust me?
• Is it really such a great field?

These questions put you in a bad mental state.

You just need to ask better questions:

• What do I want my target to feel?
• What do I really want from this sale?
• How much time will it last?  What are the specifics? (dates, times, costs, etc.)
• Who else do I need to involve?
• What don’t I know? What could go wrong?
• What are some of the most common objections?  

Those questions are a great start for you. Focus on answering each; and the target can say nothing you didn’t predict.

Recommended Book –  Magnetic Selling: Develop the Charm and Charisma That Attract Customers