To be successful in sales requires more than just the ability to arrange meetings, prepare proposals, and source leads. The art of personal interaction and the ability to convince others is often the deciding factor as to whether a deal is won or lost. Having a basic grasp of NLP, with its ability to improve both personal and business communication, is a powerful tool in any sales arsenal.

The central skill within sales is the ability to engage with people. Although there are many differences between individuals, there are basic behavioural rules that are common to us all that govern how we interact with each other. Correctly understanding these triggers will give you a far greater opportunity to persuade and win over others to your sales message, making the closing of a deal far more likely. The following tips will substantially add to your current sales arsenal.

Using the Right Language: Open ended questions are taught to all sales professionals as a method of keeping communication open. But are you aware that over 55% of all communication is non-verbal, and body language plays a more important part in your communication than what you actually say? Understanding your own body language and the message that it conveys can be crucial to ensuring that your customer feels comfortable in your presence. A comfortable customer is a more trusting customer. Trust is an essential step in getting your sales message across.

Using the right words will also help you to take shortcuts into a customer’s psyche. Using the same terminology as your customer is using can help to position you as part of a group, one of the pack. Using the right terminology indicates that you understand your customer and are not an outsider.

Be Approachable: Humans are highly visual, and a well presented person is instinctively trusted more than they more dishevelled competitor. When meeting clients dress for the occasion, be presentable, smart and ensure that you pay attention to the small details, all of which can help set you aside from the competition and make a more powerful first impression.

When trying to "fit in" with a potential client, it's very east to adopt a false persona that really doesn't fit naturally with your natural self. Body language signals will identify your (unconscious) discomfort, and the deception markers will cause distrust from your client. Be yourself, be approachable and be friendly. Listen attentively to your customer and do not interrupt. By honing your natural personality you will automatically solicit trust and comfort from your client.

Know Thy Product: Being an expert in your products means that you can authoritatively answer any questions that your client might have, and identifies you not only as a consummate professional, but indicates a true enthusiasm for your role and your product. In order to buy into your product or service your customers need to buy into you! If you can't be bothered to find out more about your product, why should your client?

Be an Industry Expert: When it comes to new clients and customers the one thing that you have in common with them from the very first conversation is that you are both in the same industry. One of you is a supplier, and the other a consumer. Keeping abreast of industry news will always give you something to talk about with a client, and can make for great ice-breaking material. Spend 20 or 30 minutes a day catching up on the latest headlines and ensure that you read through a couple of topics thoroughly. Dealing with a sales person who is knowledgable and as enthusiastic of the industry as they are is a real benefit for many clients. It also enforces your membership to their chosen "circle", and reduces your status as an outsider.

Give Things Away: At the start of any sales process customers will naturally be guarded and distrusting, it’s natural human behaviour. Having some news articles, web links to useful information or other such resources can really help to demonstrate your willingness to help your customer as a whole, not just in making a sale. The resources should be related to the industry that your customer operates in, but perhaps not relevant to the sale you’re trying to make. Being helpful outside of the sales process demonstrates that you’re not just after the customer’s money, but in developing a good professional relationship.

Do That Extra Little Bit: Extra research before a meeting can really help you demonstrate a deeper knowledge or understanding of your client or their organisation, making the customer feel as if you really do value them. This will set you leagues ahead of any competition that doesn't bother.

Answer all calls in the timeliest fashion possible and deliver on any and all promises that you make to a customer. This is the best trust building tool that you have. A customer cannot buy from someone they do not trust. Building trust is the foundation to any ongoing relationship, and starting a commercial relationship off with a high degree of trust will maximise ongoing sales later, so going the extra mile will pay off.

Humanised Communication: Humans are social, and the power of communicating face to face or vocally is still the strongest. Use email and social media to help manage and source clients, but ensure that key sales messages are delivered in person or vocally. Technology is amazing, but a sales professional cannot hide behind it.

Human Schedules: Your clients will have a natural schedule that they follow. There are peaks in activity and troughs with everyone, but there are also these ups and down within professions. Take the time to learn these and don't time phone calls during busy periods. Phone calls are interruptive, and timing the call well can make the difference between a receptive client and one that is too busy to listen to your message.

Understand how your customers schedule their daily activities and plan your day around this. Don’t call customers when they’re likely to be at their busiest, and don’t be prospecting for new leads when your current leads are more willing and able to take a call from you!

NLP: Studying the basics of NLP, or Neuro Linguistic Programming, can help you to make your own communication with customers far more effective by giving you an insight into the type of person your customer is and how to best structure your words and sentences to make your messages more acceptable to that customer. Study NLP and fully embrace what it offers.