As a leading salesman for a national sporting goods company, Eric Dzugan knows what it takes to close a deal. Eric Dzugan took to sales naturally from his time at Footlocker all the way to today. This article is meant to help anyone who is looking to break into a career in sales or is currently struggling to post the sales numbers their supervisors are asking for. While Eric Dzugan is in the sporting goods industry, the tips and tricks provided below can help salespeople regardless of what they are attempting to sale.
Experienced sales reps know that they aren’t selling features of a product or service, they are selling solutions to a problem their potential client is having. When a sales rep starts by listing off some of the features of what they are selling, they often lose the attention of the person they are attempting to sell to. What they should be looking to do within the first minute of speaking to someone is identify what prompted them to reach out or fill out a lead form. The reason will be the problem they are experiencing, and they are looking at the sales rep to provide guidance on how that problem can be remedied. Highlighting how a product or service alleviates an issue is the most effective way to close a deal.
Some prospects will enter a meeting without a clearly defined problem, this is where doing research on a prospect ahead of time can make all the difference. By reading up on a company or reviewing their competitors, sales reps can go into a meeting with an understanding of what a company may be looking to remedy.
Eric Dzugan credits a lot of his success in sales to time management. A sales rep should be able to look at their closed sales and identify ways to replicate their larger deals, which typically take the same amount of time to close as smaller deals. If you’re an entry level sales rep, you may have no choice but to work on closing smaller deals. However, if you are an experienced sales rep, Eric Dzugan preaches to practice quality over quantity. The more information that can be gathered prior to a sales call will help a sales rep identify what leads are worth their time and which ones should be avoided completely.
The sales funnel should have steps that are highlighted by communication. Every interaction with a prospective client should end with an actionable step being planned. Whether it be locking in a phone call after some additional information has been collected or setting up a meeting to review a proposal, every conversation should leave with the next touch base point being agreed upon. Often, leaving the next meeting up in the air will cause a lead to be lost. While remaining courteous, a sales rep should do everything in their power to avoid an objection to establishing a time for the next meeting.
Eric Dzugan believes it is always in the best interest of the sales rep to contact the higher ups in any business. While these higher ups may not be the one the sales rep will eventually speak to, they will usually be the ones to help pass down a sales rep’s information to the proper party. When that person receives information from their superior, they are that much more likely to return the call.
Finally, Eric Dzugan believes that every sales representative should look to connect on a human level. This can only be achieved when a sales rep is truly interested in the needs of the person they are speaking to. Having a genuine interest in the wellbeing of others is not something that can be taught. The golden rule of treating others like you would like to be treated certainly applies to sales. When a prospect believes that their sales rep truly has their best interest in mind, they are much more willing to sign up for their services or purchase their product.
