Work partially or completely on commission? If you find yourself in this situation, you probably spend a significant portion of your day thinking about how you can get more commissions from the customers that you see on a daily basis.

While you may not have the benefit of having sales expert Mark Stiffler as your coach, we will do the best that we can to improve your ability to promote the products that your company sells.

In the paragraphs below, we will discuss several concepts that will help you improve the volume of commissions that you convert every day.

1) The customer is king

This cliché may be among the oldest in business, but for salespeople, it is one of the most important maxims that you will ever learn.

Customers will only buy from someone that understands and is willing to cater to their needs. Don’t try to push something that they probably won’t need; instead, offer products that will genuinely help solve whatever issue they are facing.

By asking questions that drill down to the core of the problem, you will be able to offer them something that will help alleviate the issue at hand.

2) Become an expert in your niche

If you really want to help your customers, become an expert in your niche. If you do not know more about a product than the average person on the street, you will have a challenging time selling it to said people.

Not only should you learn everything there is to know about your product and business, but you should also do extensive research on your competition. This way, you will be able to contrast and compare your product versus theirs.

When it comes to making a decision about whether to go with a specific item, consumers are looking for an authority to tell them exactly what they need. By doing your homework, you will be the guru that customers will defer to when it comes time to make a purchase.

3) Follow up with leads regularly

Too many salespeople give up when leads that they contact don’t answer back back on their first attempt to reach them.

There are many reasons why potential customers do not get back to sales inquiries: some may not be interested, but many others might have been too busy to reply to your email or phone message, others intend to reply and simply forget, some emails end up in spam filters, the initial inquiry may have lacked actionable information, and so forth.

By calling or emailing again after a short period of time has passed (at least a week, but no more than a month), your previous attempt to reach them may leap to the front of their mind, and they will be more willing to hear you out.

4) Be ready to respond to objections

When a sales person engages potential buyers, a few may agree to buy straight away, but many others will put up objections as to why they can’t purchase your item right now.

Many people new to sales shy away from busting through objections, as they see it as a rude thing to do to another human being.

Handled properly, however, you can politely show the customer why the rationalization they just made isn’t what it appears to be.

Start by acknowledging their initial objection, but then turn it around to show how their concern actually makes the product desirable.

For example, the customer may think that the new smartphone may be too expensive compared to other models, but you can answer back by touting its durability and its advanced features.