Sales training is a good thing, but there is an extent to which sales people are born not made. One has to understand communication in its broadest sense if one is to persuade, sell and negotiate successfully.

Communication is, of course, a two way process. However, one of the most common flaws in poor sales people is that they make it a one way process. They do not pay attention to what the other party is transmitting. This is because they are so focussed on pursuing their own strategy.

The best sales people constantly work on their communication skills, both listening and projecting. They not only need to understand the words, but the body language and vocal qualities with which those words are delivered. Similarly, they should be observing the impact of their messages on the other party and ensuring that there is a constant feedback loop operating so that they can adjust those messages if required. For example, if there is a particularly positive attitude to one of the features of a product, they should make sure they reinforce that.

Equally, alarm signals need to be picked up and acted upon. This will reduce apparent surprises that floor sales people when they come up against objections, at the end of a sales presentation, which should have been picked up and dealt with earlier.