08.22.2008 — Like any self-improvement endeavor, working on growing your sales skills is an ongoing journey.

Having spent years being both a salesman and a sales manager, I've been fortunate to have worked with many talented, hard working people. Recognizing both good habits and shortcomings has been an invaluable learning experience.

Even if your sales team is delivering great results, it's still important to look for opportunities to coach and build on. None of us is perfect; we all have shortcomings and foibles.

Here are three ways to improve your sales skills.

Believe in Your Product

There are lots of possible pitfalls that can bedevil an aspiring salesperson.

One of the most common is the confidence that you are showing prospective clients something they want. Believing in yourself and your products can't be underestimated.

For sure, knowledge of your products and services and those of your competitors is incredibly important, but that can only take you so far.

It may sound painfully obvious, but if you don't have a deep-seated conviction that your products or services are worthwhile, you're shooting yourself in the foot.

We can all think of instances where we didn't make a sale or had to settle for a smaller deal because we lacked the confidence to shoot for the stars.

Have the Right Attitude

One big retailer evaluates both new hires and existing staff according to three parameters:

• Attitude
• Skills
• Knowledge

The corporate opinion is that attitude is the most important.

With the right attitude, you can train your people to gain the skills and knowledge they need.

It was a lesson I learned at my first job in CE retail. Coming from a background in sporting goods, I was hired entirely on the basis of personality and "potential." Whatever that meant.

Don't Underestimate Your Customers

From a product knowledge standpoint, I knew a TV from a VCR, but that's where it ended. I had so little confidence that I actually calculated how many boxes of VHS tapes and audio tapes I needed to sell that month to get a decent paycheck!

The big revelation came right at the end of one of my first product presentations. I was showing a lady her options in VCRs, doing it exactly as I had been shown.

After I answered a couple of her questions, she said, "Okay, I'll take it."

The first thought that popped into my head: "You will?"

I totally hadn't foreseen that outcome. She even bought the extended warranty!

The lesson here is simple. Don't presuppose a negative outcome, and don't underestimate what your customer might go for.

Whether you're trying to run faster, lift more, be a nicer person or sell better, an important tool in your toolbox is the ability to be introspective and analytical to recognize what you need to fix.

It's human nature to put more work in the things that we're already good at. But the greatest overall improvement comes from recognizing your weak points and working on them until they become your strengths.

If that's how you systematically approach your weaknesses, think how far you will progress.

Lee Distad is a freelance CEDIA Certified Professional Designer who offers design and process consultation to firms in the Custom Installation industry, as well as copy writing and other professional writing services. Lee’s business and industry blog can be read at http://www.leedistad.com