It's sales time! The sales team is working hard and the sales pipeline is full. But how do you know if your sales strategy will be successful? What are some of the most important sales best practices that you can implement to maximize your sales and revenue this year? 

In sales, there are many techniques and strategies that can help you sell more products. The key to a successful sales strategy is knowing which ones work best for your business.

Business sales is an essential part of maintaining a successful company. Every salesperson needs to know sales best practices and techniques in order to close deals as efficiently as possible.

15 Sales Best Practices

Everyone knows that sales is a critical aspect of any business. After all, if you don't sell, you won't make money! So it's no surprise that there are many blog posts and articles on the subject written to help businesses improve their approach and maximize revenue potential.

But what do we mean by “sales best practices?” And why would we go through so much effort trying to find them in the first place? 

Business sales is an essential part of maintaining a successful company. Every salesperson needs to know the best sales strategies and techniques in order to close deals as efficiently as possible.

We all want sales and revenue. Sales is not easy to make and generate revenue. There are a lot of sales best practices that can help with this process. So here’s the list:

1). Sales pricing- when it comes to sales best practices pricing plays a huge role when it comes to closing deals with your customers on new products and services. 

Generally speaking, customers always appreciate discounts or promotions that can save them money--even if they don't buy anything extra along with the promotion items/services at full price. 

Therefore, anytime you run a sale or offer some sort of promotion for an initial purchase, remember that giving benefits such as free shipping or a discount on other products/services can help close sales more efficiently.

2). Sales psychology- The next thing we want to talk about is sales psychology, specifically customer relationships and rapport building with current clients and potential customers. 

One of the most important things for salespeople when trying to close a deal with somebody who doesn't appear very interested at first glance is demonstrating that they are genuinely invested in making them happy as a client or prospect by maintaining strong communication throughout their relationship. 

It can also help if they offer some sort of incentive such as free shipping for the first purchase or a discount on future sales.

3). Sales technology- Specifically taking advantage of online marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, Shopify Plus and Etsy for easy product listings that can generate new leads for your company. 

For example, if you use an ecommerce platform such as BigCommerce then all you have to do is create some simple tags that will help link items together so they appear when people search with relevant keywords. 

Additionally, you can use tools like Google Analytics to track sales data and see which products are selling the best--helping make your online store more efficient in terms of product selection for future sales.

4). Sales process- now we want to talk about sales process improvement or optimizing existing processes for higher efficiency/better results with less work involved. 

An example would be if one person normally handles all communication with customers but now they need somebody else present during negotiation to provide sales support. 

When you're able to work together as a team, your sales process will become more efficient and everybody on the sales team can feel like they are making an important contribution to growing revenue by reducing overhead costs.

5). Sales planning/ forecasting- specifically how some companies prefer instead using cash flow projections or budgets that outline where money is coming from (e.g., new customers) versus going to (e.g., sales team). 

By projecting sales revenue on a monthly basis using sales data from previous years, sales managers can better determine if the sales budget is reasonable or not before making any final decisions for sales forecasts and/or closing deals with potential customers. 

It's also important to keep track of how much money you're spending versus how much you're bringing in by keeping an eye on expenses related to other departments such as marketing, operations and business development that impact your company's overall financial health.

6). Sales coaching- specifically how sales managers can provide sales support by tracking performance of sales reps on their team and providing feedback in the form of constructive criticism or suggestions for improvement so they continue advancing throughout their career at your company. 

You don't necessarily need a formal training program like some companies offer, but you should aim to expand sales knowledge with consistent communication (e.g., weekly one-on-one meetings) 

That helps employees reach new heights when paired with strong motivation/positive reinforcement every time they achieve sales goals or milestones within budgeted expectations.

7). Sales content- Businesses often spend plenty of time and investment producing business documents, presentations, infographics etc., so this should be reflected in your sales material as well. 

Make sure that you design high-quality brochures for potential customers to browse through--and don't forget about foldable paper catalogs! Formatting sales materials with unique designs will capture attention better than plain text only presentation formats.

It's much easier for buyers to imagine themselves using your product or service when presented with an eye-catching sales document rather than something basic that doesn't stand out from all the rest they see

8). Track everything- Whether this means creating reports from various analytics sources such as Google Analytics or Salesforce measuring results will give you a clear picture of sales performance and what you need to do going forward.

9). Manage your sales teams - A good sales manager knows how to motivate, inspire, and hold their team accountable for meeting or exceeding goals. 

This is also the person who makes sure that all company resources are being used efficiently as well as being honest with themselves about where they're falling short. 

While it can be tempting (and very easy) to blame everyone but yourself if things aren't working out like you'd hoped for them too; this will only make matters worse! If you think there's an issue on your end, take responsibility and own up before someone else has the chance to point it out first.

10). Do not waste money sending emails - Many sales professionals and sales teams choose to use sales email templates when conducting sales outreach. 

These sales emails are usually designed in a way that they can be sent out en masse and with very little effort or thought on the part of the sender. This is actually one of the worst things you could do if your goal is to generate revenue. 

Why? Because it shows you don't care about them as an individual! Instead, focus on providing value through personalized emails which will dramatically increase open rates along with click through rates helping to push prospects down the funnel faster than before.

11). Have clear goals – Setting specific, measurable goals for each member of your team allows everyone to clearly understand what needs to happen next throughout their day(s). 

Clear sales goals allow sales teams to quickly and easily track daily activities, identify areas for growth/improvement, and take necessary action.

12). Track your sales funnel – When it comes to measuring revenue or sales performance there is no better tool than a sales funnel! 

A sales funnel will give you the information you need to know how well (or poorly) any given campaign has performed in terms of generating leads which ultimately become opportunities that turn into closed deals. 

Without this crucial data, all we have are assumptions about what's working and what isn't so keep accurate records at every phase of the process!

13). Understand buyer behavior - Every lead generates an opportunity based on fit: either they're qualified enough to move forward with next steps such as product demos, sales meetings, or sales presentations; or they're not. 

Understanding what your buyers are looking for and how to get their attention immediately is the key determiner in whether you'll make a sale today, next week, or never!

14). Know when to walk away - It's great practice (and good karma) to always aim high but there will be times when it makes sense financially for you to simply move on. 

If this happens during negotiations with potential clients don't take it personally: nine out of ten sales professionals would have done exactly as you did by accepting an offer from a more realistic number which still allows everyone involved to come out ahead.

15). Be prepared – Successful salespeople know that is everything! They've already researched the people they are meeting with including their title, company, desired outcomes from sales meetings, what makes them tick as well why/how to get in front of them. 

This way you'll never find yourself floundering for something interesting or relevant to say because everything has already been carefully planned out beforehand!

16). Follow up – The best salespeople don't stop at simply making a sale; instead they take every opportunity possible to further solidify themselves as an invaluable resource by providing additional information that will help prospects make better business decisions after sales have closed. 

While this isn't always easy it's definitely worth the effort especially if there is potential for more sales down the road.

How To Increase Conversion Rate

There are many things that can be done to increase conversion rate, but there is one thing that should always be kept in mind: don't mess with a good conversion rate. 

You may think you know how to increase conversion rate, and you might even have proof from split testing results, but if it's hurting the overall sales number then you know that the best thing to do is just leave it be.

• One thing that can help sales is by putting a money back guarantee on your site. It will not only increase conversion rate but overall sales as well, because you are offering an incentive for people to buy without worrying about losing their shirt if they are displeased with what they got.

For example, let's say you have a product for sale at $19; however, if someone buys 2 or more then they get 20% off the purchase. 

This will increase conversion rate and total sales, because it feels like a better deal buying more than one item instead of just one single product at full price. 

People love deals and want to feel like they're getting something for nothing; offer them a money back guarantee and you'll see your conversion rate go up dramatically.

• One way to make a greater impact on conversion is by offering an amazing product or service that sets you far above the rest. 

If people feel like they're getting what amounts to be a "miracle drug" then of course they're going to buy it from you, even if there is no guarantee on it. 

Sometimes this can do more harm than good, because there are some products that don't work for everyone; but overall, providing the best thing out there will increase sales and conversion rate exponentially.

• Another way to increase sales and conversion rate is through video marketing . Everyone loves videos these days, so why not offer them in your marketing strategy? 

It's an amazing way to connect with your customers, especially if you are selling a product that is seen as high end or for the elite. Even though it might seem difficult at first, it's actually very simple to do this by using animation video software .

• Animation videos are the new craze, with companies like Pixar taking them to whole new levels; why not take advantage of all they have to offer? 

When you make an animated icon there are no limits whatsoever - you can literally do anything! It will be easy to create something that will help increase conversion rate and sales because you have total control over it.

Take the time now to find out what kind of ways you can use to increase conversion rate on your site. You may start off with one or two things to help build momentum, but soon you'll see your sales increasing gradually and more customers coming through the door. 

If you want to get the best results possible then offer a money back guarantee on certain products and try using video marketing in your campaigns. Even if it doesn't work out completely, you still have nothing to lose!