14 Best Sales Techniques From Expert Sellers in 2023

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The best salespeople are on a constant hunt not only for new opportunities, but also for new knowledge. To aid you in this search, we reached out to 14 sales experts spanning various industries and asked them for their favorite sales techniques that a salesperson could adopt and use throughout the sales process.

Here are the categories for our best sales techniques from top experts:

Sales Techniques for Lead Generation: Learn how to attract and capture new leads for further qualification. Read more below.
Sales Techniques for Lead Nurturing: Get expert insight on how best to convert your leads to prospects. Read more below.
Sales Techniques for Deal Closing: Discover what it takes to win more deals and increase your close rate. Read more below.

Sales Techniques for Lead Generation

Before you can move leads along your sales pipeline to close, you'll need to ensure you’re generating quality leads in the first place. Check out these experts’ advice on effective lead generation:

Robert Johnson

Founder

For more lead generation techniques, check out our detailed list of the best lead generation ideas from expert sellers.

Randy VanderVaate

President

Thoroughly Qualify Your Prospects

“My number one tip is to qualify your leads more thoroughly so that you can sell to the right people more predictably. Simply put, focus on the right target market, and don't waste your time on people who are less likely to buy. We use the longer lead acquisition form to pre-qualify leads thoroughly. We find that the people who go through a longer lead form process have significantly more significant problems or ‘pain points’ that they are trying to solve. A prospect with a more substantial ‘pain point’ is a more qualified prospect with much greater motivation to buy.”

— Randy VanderVaate, Funeral Funds of America

To learn more about lead qualification, including how to do thorough lead scoring or a discovery call, check out our ultimate guide on lead qualification.

Anna Svoboda

Associate Account Manager

For more, read our article on how to generate business referrals, including three ways and the steps to do each one.

Daniel Phung

CEO

Ask Questions That Reveal Emotions

“Ask and dig for emotions! Question example: What are your current goals and priorities for your business? Why is that? What would it mean for you to achieve that? This question allows you to dig into the emotional reasons why someone is looking to purchase a service/good. Buying is purely emotional, not logical. If it was logical, we wouldn't have LV bags, we would be using a non-branded bag. Really digging deep into the reasoning behind someone's goal will really increase conversion rates. It will also let you refer back to these emotions throughout the sales calls.”

— Daniel Phung, Full Books Marketing

Understanding your prospects is critical. Check out our guide on how to hold a needs assessment through questionnaires, web forms, or discovery conversations.

Sales Techniques for Lead Nurturing

Once you generate quality leads, it’s time to further qualify them and nurture them along your pipeline. Read the tips below from experts on communicating with your leads and prospects:

Christine Elizabeth Cooper

VP Marketing & Sales

Listen Carefully

“Listen actively. When you're in sales, you are briefed on talking points and so it is pretty tempting to launch into a script and try to start selling right then and there. Instead, ask a few open-ended questions that help you understand the prospect's specific challenge. While they're answering, show you're interested with your body language by nodding. When it's your turn to speak, use several of their phrases so they feel heard. Now your pitch is personalized and is providing a solution to a challenge they've just iterated. That's how you become partners, not just a vendor.”

— Christine Elizabeth Cooper, KNB Communications

Jordan Johnstone

IT Account Manager

Understand Your Prospect’s Need Through NEAT

"Continue having qualifying discussions with your prospect throughout the lead nurturing phase. Have them describe their problem, ideal results, and what it’d take to get them there. Consider adopting a sales methodology like NEAT selling. The more you understand your lead’s need, economic impact, authority and timeline, the better equipped you'll be to offer a solution to their problem.”

— Jordan Johnstone, Insight Global

To learn more about NEAT selling, including who should use it, check out our guide on the top sales methodologies.

William McDonald

Customer Success Associate

Jacob Shirar

President & CEO

Find the Answer to Unfamiliar Questions

“I've worked in a variety of sales roles in my career, from directing the phones to oversight of the entire sales and marketing departments, and one principle has remained as a guiding light through each position. Do not be afraid to say ‘I don't know.’ Whatever the reason, it's much better to come back to the customer with the correct number, answer, or information than to just give it your best estimate. Being confident enough to let your customer know that you don't have the answer at this time not only humanizes you, but it gives you time to get your case in order.”

— Jacob Shirar, Rocky Mountain Finishes

Sales Techniques for Deal Closing

After you’ve sufficiently nurtured a lead, it’s time to try to close the deal. The sales experts below offered key tips to keep in mind while making a sale:

Christopher Liew

Former Financial Advisor & Creator

Position Yourself as an Industry Expert

“Portray yourself as an expert advisor instead of a salesperson. A whopping 80% of prospects tend to say “no” at least four times before finally saying “yes.” So, if you want to seal a sales deal more quickly, here’s a tip: position yourself as an expert advisor in your industry instead of acting as a salesperson. Most buyers don’t want to be inundated with sales-focused sales tactics — they want to speak with experts who can provide them with solutions to their problems. A good example of this is when you share data-backed success stories.”

— Christopher Liew, Wealth Awesome

Kristin Howell

Senior Account Mananger

Meet Your Prospects in Person

“Especially in post-pandemic selling, you may be most comfortable interacting with clients over Zoom or Microsoft Teams calls. But don’t pass up the chance to meet your prospects in person. Odds are, your competitors are also doing anything they can to get in front of your same clients, so make yourself stand out by taking the opportunity to build a lasting relationship. This can be for a meeting in their building where you bring donuts, meet at a local coffee shop, or have a quick lunch or happy hour.”

— Kristin Howell, Insight Global

Sai Blackbyrn

CEO

Continue Learning & Improving Through Struggle

“One thing that all new sales representatives should know is that sales is a process not an art. You don’t need talent for it. It can be learned, and you grow gradually in this field. Nobody starts closing deals right off the bat. The process is long yet doable. Break it down into steps and you’ll find it much easier. Do not let yourself be disappointed if you get rejected from your first few prospects. Keep your head held high and move on to the next one.”

— Sai Blackbyrn, Coach Foundation

Elias Diaz

Director of Sales

Ryan Waller

Real Estate Sales Representative

Know How to Beat Your Competitor

“Ensure you can talk about how you (or your product) are superior to your competitors: In sales, you need to give people a compelling reason to use you (or your product). If you're just like everyone else, it will always come down to the lowest price. Clearly articulate why you/your product is superior and your client will be far more receptive. Pro-tip: Do it in a way that doesn't bash your competitor though, or you'll lose credibility!”

— Ryan Waller, Beth and Ryan

To craft your own value statement, read our article on unique selling propositions (USPs), which includes steps to creating one with examples.

Ryan McEniff

Owner

Be Persistent & Follow Up

“Keep following up! It never hurts to make an additional call to a prospective client. There have been many times where a client wasn't ready one week but a week or two later they have had experiences that have convinced them to move forward with our services. Even if a prospect chooses a competitor, still call and follow up. You never know if the competition has made mistakes and that one additional call will convince the customer to switch to your services.”

— Ryan McEniff, Minute Women Home Care

For more information on the best deal-closing methods, check out our article on the top sales closing techniques for effective selling.

Bottom Line: Best Sales Techniques

Now that you’ve read through some sales techniques from experts of the profession, select one and try to integrate it into your daily sales routine. See how it goes for a few weeks, and then, when it’s become a part of who you are as a salesperson, try adding another. This gradual practice of growth will keep you improving as a salesperson and upgrading the dynamics of your sales process.

14 Best Sales Techniques From Expert Sellers in 2023

Sales Techniques for Lead Generation