It is all very well selling a product’s features. However sales training should provide individuals with the ability to emphasise the benefits of those features. Potential customers need to understand the benefits of what is being sold to them rather than just the technical specification.

There are many occasions when you will sell something to someone. It is not just the obvious sales situations. For example, a manager may be trying to get staff to work in a new way, or you may be trying to sell yourself to a prospective employer. It is just as important in these situations to demonstrate benefits to the other side.

The benefits alone are not enough in most selling situations. It is also important to put yourself in the other person’s shoes. This allows you to understand likely objections and how you can counter these, or, at least, minimise their impact.

Indeed, one of the cleverest ways to ensure you win the argument is to put forward the other side’s arguments at the outset and then knock those arguments down. This is doubly effective as it not only disposes of the opposition but also increases your own credibility as it suggests that you see all sides.