66 Sales Tips: Every Seller Needs To Know in 2022

66 Sales Tips
Every Seller
Needs to Know
in 2022
Tips for New Sellers 4
Tips for Virtual Selling 13
Tips for Building Rapport 18
Tips for Needs Discovery 25
CONTENTS Tips for Prospecting 31
Tips for Qualifying Opportunities 36
Tips for Making a Strong Case for Change 40
Tips for Proposal Presentations 45
Tips for Advanced Selling 54

©️ RAIN Group
66 Sales Tips to Boost
Your Success in 2022
Wouldn’t it be great if there was a silver bullet that would make you more
successful in your sales efforts? Or if there was one thing you could do to
really boost your sales results?
Here’s the bad news: there’s no silver bullet. Sales success takes hard work
and commitment, along with skill and savvy. There’s no shortcut to success.
But while there isn’t one thing that’ll magically transform your sales ability,
there are many (mostly simple) things you can do to help boost your overall
sales performance. As you start thinking about your sales goals for 2022, use
these 66 tips as a roadmap to your success.
3 | 66 Sales Tips Every Seller Needs to Know in 2022 ©️ RAIN Group

11 Tips for
New Sellers
4 66
4 | | Sales
66 Sales Tips
Tips Every Seller Needs to Know in 2022 ©️ RAIN Group
01. Sell solutions
Mediocre sellers sell features: “My product has 10 times more features
than the competition and we’re half the price.”
Average sellers sell benefits: “Our product will save you days of time sifting
through piles of data.”
Top performers sell specific solutions to challenges:
“
Based on our conversations, I understand A, B, and C
are going on in your organization. If you can alleviate
C, you’ll realize an immediate savings of more than
$200,000 and more than $1.5 million in cost reduction
annually. It’ll also free up your staff to spend their time
on more productive activities.”

02. Manage your time
It typically takes just as much time to seal a $25,000 deal as it does to sell a
$100,000 deal (or whatever the equivalent is for you). Why not invest your
time in getting more of the larger deals? Focus on bigger fish in your sales
and prospecting efforts.
03. Keep prospecting

You’ve heard the ABCs of selling: Always Be Closing. But just as important is
ABP: Always Be Prospecting. The best way to get over a lost sale is to move
onto the next sale in your pipeline. If your pipeline is empty, it’s much more
difficult to recover. Top performers are always working to fill the front end of
their pipelines by creating new conversations every day.
For prospecting tips, read 6 Keys to Prospecting Success. 

04. Focus on quality, not quantity
To some degree, sales is a numbers game. But it’s not just about the
numbers. The key is to create quality conversations.
The best sellers have strict qualification criteria and don’t waste their time
with prospects who aren’t at the right level, companies that aren’t the right fit,
or buyers who don’t have the funds to spend. Top performers work hard to
find out this information early on so they don’t spend their precious time on
prospects who aren’t going to go anywhere.

05. Plan and secure your next step
Never leave a meeting or a conversation without a solid next step that’s been
agreed upon. Otherwise, you risk the buyer going silent and not returning
your calls or emails. Instead, schedule the next step on the spot.
If the next step is to send a proposal, let them know you’ll put a proposal
together, but you need to schedule a time during which you can walk them
through it. When a buyer makes a commitment on the spot (putting the next
meeting on their calendar), they’re much more likely to follow through.
06. Shoot high

It’s much more difficult to work your way up in an organization than it is to
get referred down. When you start low, it’s an uphill battle that’s rarely won.
When you start high, however—at the C-suite—and get referred down, you’re
more likely to find the right decision maker. And that person is more willing
to take your call. After all, you’re being referred to them by the higher powers.

07. Be prepared
There’s no excuse for not doing your research before a sales meeting. Gather
information from the buyer by asking them to respond to a few questions
sent in an email or survey so you can make customized recommendations
for their situation. Review their LinkedIn profile, read news articles about the
company, or review their annual report.
If you’re doing a demo, getting information in a pre-call or email allows you

to create a demo geared exactly for what the buyer’s looking to do. By doing
your research and asking the right questions ahead of time, you can deliver a
high-impact experience.
For more ideas, read our Sales Call Planning Guide. 

08. Provide value
Buyers want to work with people who are experts in their field and can
provide value in every conversation.
What value can you provide, not only once a buyer buys from you, but
in each conversation leading up to the sale?
09. Understand your buyers

RAIN Group’s 6 buyer personas walk you through the preferences and
styles of different buyers. It’s essential to understand what’s important to
each individual buyer and their decision-making process.
When you know this, you can more easily match your selling process to
their buying process and ultimately win more deals.

10. Answer the “why?” questions
In your communications and conversations, “why?” questions are circling
around your buyers’ minds. Specifically there are four whys you need to
answer for buyers:
O Why act? Why do I need your product or service?
O Why now? Why should I stop what I am doing to listen to you?
O Why us? Why is your product or service better than the competition?
O Why trust? Why should I believe you?
By being proactive and addressing these four whys, you build a strong value
proposition for why they should buy…now…from you.

11. Share stories
Case studies can be critically important in helping you close the sale. Use
previous customer examples—anonymized or in aggregate if the data is
sensitive or proprietary—to illustrate the positive impact of your product
or service. Showing similar impact through case studies and stories builds
credibility and belief you’ll deliver what you say you can. The stronger you
can make your case, the more likely it is that you’ll close the sale. 
Get 50 powerful questions to

help you lead valuable,
effective sales conversations.
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5 Tips for
Virtual Selling
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Sales TipsSeller Needs to Know in 2022
Tips Every ©️ RAIN Group
12. Create your virtual advantage
When you’re selling virtually, every element of the interaction contributes
to or detracts from the buyer’s experience. This means you must
carefully orchestrate the entire experience from selling to technology.
Using visuals, audio, and content—such as video, screen shares, screen

annotation, and virtual whiteboards—creates an engaging experience for
buyers and help you gain a virtual advantage over other sellers.
13. Turn video on

You might decide not to be on-camera for all your internal meetings, but
when it comes to virtual sales meetings, it’s best practice to use your video.
Even if the buyer doesn’t have their video on, it’ll be easier for them to feel
a connection with you when they can see your face on-screen.
The visual connection not only helps build rapport and trust, but also helps
you engage and collaborate with the buyer as you visually share notes,
build out an idea on a whiteboard, or share other content.

14. Light the stage
Poor lighting can cause buyers to question your professionalism. There’s
no reason to let that happen when the fixes are relatively simple:
O Manage face lighting so it’s even with no dark shadows.
O Reduce backlighting and overhead lights that create shadows

and glare.
O Use purpose-built video lights such as ring lights or desk lights

and dimmers.
O Pay attention to the available lighting based on time of day,

weather, and window placement.
O Check for lighting issues and make adjustments in advance by

doing a preview on your computer’s camera before the virtual
meeting begins.

15. Come in loud and clear
We’ve all experienced it too many times: “Can you hear me now?” “I’m getting
feedback.” “You’re on mute!” Don’t wait for sound issues to happen.
Anticipate potential problems and attend to your audio set-up before

the meeting:
O Get a high-quality microphone. Don’t rely on your computer mic

as the quality is often poor. Instead, invest in an external mic or a
quality headphone.
O Test sound. Do a tech check to test your audio before the meeting.
O Turn off notifications. Your email, meeting notifications, text

messages, and other alerts are loud and annoying distractions for
buyers and anyone else in the meeting.
O Remember to unmute. Take yourself off mute before you need a

reminder.

16. Make a good impression
You need to not only stay present and focused on the buyer throughout the
meeting, but also present yourself appropriately on camera:
O Dress as though you’re in a live meeting. If you’re unsure, dress

up one level.
O Manage color contrast in your clothing choices. For example,

avoid a black top with dark backgrounds. Avoid busy patterns.
O Remain 1.5 to 2 feet from the camera.
O Keep your eyes on the camera, don’t check your phone, or email,
or otherwise appear to be distracted.
O Use expressions and movements that show you’re engaged,

but not so much that it’s distracting. In general, most people are
understated in virtual meetings and should project more.
With virtual selling it’s more important than ever for sellers to take the lead in
the sales conversation and process. Download the Virtual Selling Checklist
to learn how. 

9 Tips for
Building Rapport
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17. Make time for rapport
Establishing a natural flow and space for conversation will help you build
personal connections in person and virtually. Start with the basics: say
hello, make eye contact, and break the ice with small talk. If you’re meeting
with multiple people, fill time with conversation while you wait for others to
show up.
Unless you can tell the buyer wants to jump into business with military
precision, do what you can to build rapport early in your time together. 
Learn more about building rapport in sales. 

18. Get curious
Develop a genuine curiosity about the people around you. What do they care
about? What do you have in common? Being interested in others helps build
relationships.
A good way to get information about people and their needs is to ask open-
ended, introductory questions at the start of your meeting. 
For example, “How was your weekend?” “Are you from this area?” “I see on
your LinkedIn profile you worked at ABC Mobile. Did you ever run into Jessica
Smith while you were there? We went to college together.”
People like to talk about themselves and to tell their story. The more
questions you ask the more people will share. 

19. Be an active listener
In recent research, only 26% of buyers report sellers are effective listeners.
Yet, buyers say this is one of the top factors influencing their purchase
decisions.
Practice active listening by restating, inquiring further, and acknowledging

the implications of what the buyer says.
You don’t have to wait for a sales call to do this. Practice active listening in
your next meeting with a colleague or even over dinner with family or friends.
Active listening helps building connections and trust, as well as identifying
and solving problems.

20. Use your time wisely
While building warm relationships is important, it’s also important to balance
how you spend your time. Start conversations with icebreakers, but don’t
spend too much time chatting. Do your best to read the buyer and find the
right amount of rapport-focused conversation. Don’t lay it on too thick or
overdo your effort to build rapport. 
21. Be authentic
People want to trust those with whom they do business. Buyers will sense
insincerity or untruths, so it’s important to be authentic to build long-term
relationships.
Be genuine. Cultivate your own curiosity about customers and prospects.

Give thoughtful compliments. Don’t put up a front or force niceties.
And if you have questions or need advice in a particular area, ask. This gives
the buyer the opportunity to display some expertise.

22. Focus on common ground
Try to get a sense of the person and their interests before your meeting.
Consider checking out their LinkedIn profile and social media activity.
You can also ask about the buyer’s background, interests, or family during the
meeting to find points of similarity. If you both went to the same college or
are fans of the same sports team, you might find that the relationship gets a
little warmer immediately.
23. Meet buyers where they are

Be mindful of the buyer’s speech, body language, and energy, and adapt
accordingly. This doesn’t mean veering into being inauthentic. But if you tend
to speak quickly and have high energy and you see that your buyer speaks
more slowly and is more pensive, slow down a bit. Match your cadence to
theirs to help them feel more comfortable and build a stronger connection.  

24. Interact regularly
You create shared experiences when you interact with buyers, which is
one of the principles of rapport. And the more interaction you have, the
more chances you have to connect. Try scheduling brief check-ins between
meetings. Even just 15-minute calls or video chats can help strengthen the
relationship. If they’re interested in meeting in person, invite them for lunch
or coffee near their office or at an event.
25. Connect digitally

Strike up a conversation with buyers via email, LinkedIn, text, or other
messaging media. React to or comment on their public social media
posts. If you notice they belong to an industry group, consider joining
yourself—you might make even more contacts.
Building rapport virtually can be challenging. Here are 20 Virtual Sales

Relationship-Building Tips. 

5 Tips for
Needs Discovery
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26. Do your homework 
Being prepared is essential to making the sales discovery process as valuable
as it can be. Do your research and know what information you need to gather
so you can fill in all the blanks. 
Read the company’s website and industry news coverage. Check out its
public-facing social media pages. Ask contacts who may know something
about the company. The more questions you can answer before going in, the
more you can use your selling time to provide solutions.

27. Ask the right questions
Use a mix of broad open-ended, specific open-ended, and specific closed-
ended questions. You may already know what you need to know, but asking
open-ended questions can reveal opportunities you and the buyer didn’t
know existed. Plus, the questions you ask can help you demonstrate your
knowledge of the buyer’s industry, company, or issue. 
If possible, ask questions ahead of meetings, via email or survey. This will
get buyers thinking about their needs and equip you with information to dig
deeper in your meetings.
Ask both afflictions-based questions (pain) and future seeking, aspirational

questions about hopes, goals, and objectives. This will allow you to uncover
the broadest set of buyer needs.

28. Dig in
As you ask questions, try to get beyond superficial answers. If an answer is
unclear, probe a bit more. Keep asking “why?” to get to the root cause of the
customer’s or prospect’s issues. This tactic will allow you to move beyond
the symptoms of a problem and address the underlying causes to help you
develop better solutions.
Seek to uncover the rational, financial, technical, and strategic need of the
business, as well as the emotional, professional, social, and psychological
needs of the buyer.
Learn more about using the power of “why” in needs discovery. 

29. Summarize what you discussed
Summarize key points and information both during and after the
conversation. Recap what you hear by writing on screen or on a
whiteboard during your meetings. This type of real-time journaling will
ensure you and your buyer are literally on the same page. 
After the meeting, send a summary of what was discussed, needs

discovered, and any additional areas of inquiry in an email. This gives you
a reason to contact the buyer again, and reminds them of why they need
your products and services.

30. Practice your cadence
Keeping buyers engaged is a balancing act. Consider the 30 + 3 Rule. Hook
buyers with a solution, case study, or fascinating facts within the first
30 seconds of your meetings. Then, keep them engaged with additional
needs discovery questions every three minutes.
You might also consider using a checklist that you share with buyers
beforehand. This can give your buyers a sense of what to expect during
your call or meeting and ensure that all needs are thoroughly explored
and uncovered. 

6 Tips for
Prospecting
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31. Target effectively
The strength of your list and the precision of your targeting will determine
how successful your prospecting efforts are. Sellers often skip calling decision
makers in an effort to target someone lower on the organizational chart and
work their way up.
Instead, start with the person who can make the decision about purchasing
your products or services. Make sure your list is clean and ready to go before
you start or you’ll find that your day is lost in fits and starts.

32. Offer value from the start
No one wants to hear your capability pitch, your history, or your life story
right off the bat. They’re looking to find out how their lives can be enriched
by working with you. So give them something of value—information, industry
insight, expertise, or something else they can use—in your very first meeting.
Eventually you’ll sell your company, your offering, and yourself. At first, sell
the idea that their time will be well-spent if they elect to speak with you.
33. Make the right offer

Ultimately, your offer might be a particular type of software, technical
instrument, building materials, financial product, operations plan, or
marketing plan. But the interim offers—the offers you make, and they
accept, before they buy from you—must be crafted with the utmost care.

34. Avoid gimmicks
Always opt for a high-integrity approach. There’s no need to use tricks,
bend the truth, or cut corners to generate an initial conversation or close
the sale. Doing so will kill trust, which is essential for sales success. Don’t
do anything you wouldn’t feel comfortable telling your children when you
tuck them in bed at night.
35. Keep trying

It takes more attempts than most people think to get through to top
prospects. Sometimes you need to reach out seven, eight, nine, or more
times to get through to someone. That number goes up and down across
different industries and when you reach out to different titles.
One thing is true: it takes more attempts to get through to your buyers
than you think.

36. Test different approaches
You may need to try different forms of outreach to get through to prospects.
In our research, 82% of buyers reported accepting meetings with sellers who
proactively reach out to them. Cold calling can work well alone, but when
combined with mail (yes, we’re talking snail mail here), email, and LinkedIn,
your success rate typically increases.
Use a variety of touches to reach out to and warm up your prospects—and

make sure each touch has value in and of itself.
Download our guide, 5 Sales

Prospecting Myths Debunked.
DOWNLOAD NOW

3 Tips for Qualifying
Opportunities
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37. Use the FAINT method
An essential part of the selling process is qualifying your leads. One effective
way to do this is to use the FAINT (funds, authority, interest, need, and timing
method). This method determines how qualified a lead is based on:
O Funds: Does this organization or buyer have the financial capacity to

buy from you?
O Authority: Is this the contact who has the authority to decide to buy
from you?
O Interest: Is the buyer genuinely interested?  
O Need: Does the buyer have specific needs that you can solve?
O Timing: Is there intent to purchase and a specific timeframe for

doing so?

38. Know when to ask
about budget
Bringing up budget can be tricky sometimes. While you want to have an
idea of what the client expects to spend, unplanned purchases won’t have a
budget allocated. And you need to anchor with a higher price range than a
buyer might initially be thinking. Garner the buyer’s interest and go first with
investment norming—or sharing a probable price range—and go from there. 

39. Determine your pursuit intensity
As you qualify your leads, it’s also important to know your pursuit intensity.
This is the amount of energy and effort you’re willing to put into the sale.
Measure this on a scale of one to five, with five being the highest and one
being the lowest.
To gauge the pursuit intensity, use the CARE framework:
O Assess your Competitive position
O Determine the Attractiveness of the sale
O Evaluate your Relationship strength with the buyer
O Anticipate the Effort it will take to win the sale

6 Tips for Making
a Strong Case
for Change
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40. Establish the “new reality”
benchmark
Ask your buyer what they want their world to look like once your work is
done. What’s the desired outcome, their new reality? Ultimately, you want
to summarize the buyer’s goal in a one-line mission statement. This way,
everyone’s on the same page about exactly what the initiative is. When
the mission is fuzzy, you risk indecision with stakeholders at odds over
what to do.
41. Help buyers see and feel

the change
Build a blueprint for change, weaving back and forth between the status
quo and the end goal. This concept is called “dissatisfaction layering.” By
going back and forth between the painful current state and the desirable new
reality, you take buyers on an emotional journey while helping them see and
feel the gap between where they are and where they could be.

42. Know your impact model
What’s the impact your solution will have on the buyer’s situation? Why
should they do what you propose? You need to be able to discuss the
business impact in both financial and non-financial terms with confidence.
Making and communicating the return on investment (ROI) case is critical

to success, yet only 16% of buyers report that sellers are very effective
at it virtually. Know how to make ROI calculations for how your solution
will affect the buyer’s top and bottom lines. If you can’t, you’ll have
trouble justifying and communicating your point of view. And if you have
trouble communicating it—especially the money part—and defending its
validity, don’t expect buyers to buy it.

43. Illustrate what matters
Demonstrate the impact your solution will have for the buyer tangibly and
visually—by using charts, calculators, graphs, images, and tables that
illustrate the before and after of the buyer’s situation. Ask specific
questions about the buyer’s situation so you can make your ROI calculation
specific to their needs. Build the calculation jointly with the buyer to gain
their ownership.
But remember that money isn’t everything. Also cover the non-financial
and emotional impacts so you can communicate the complete impact case
beyond financials.

44. Show the risk of inaction
What will happen if the buyer does nothing? What’s the impact of inaction?
Ask about current challenges so you can uncover the risks and negative
impacts of not moving forward. This also helps create urgency for the buyer
to move forward. 
45. Make the solution clear

If you don’t make the solution clear or reveal a clear path for change,
buyers will be confused about what should happen, what needs to
happen, how much work it’ll take to make it happen, and whether the
desired new reality will come true.
Learn more about making a strong case for change using these 6
methods. 

11 Tips for Proposal
Presentations
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Before the Proposal Presentation
46. Know the players

You should ask your champion or key contact about the meeting
participants on their side. Focus on what they’ll want to hear and how they’ll
want the conversation to go. 
A big thing to figure out is the desired balance between presentation/

monologue and dialogue/collaboration. If you can’t get this information,
prepare a blend of monologue and dialogue. And be ready to calibrate as
you go.
Note that dialogue will typically be better than monologue. Most people

feel more connected to, and more inclined to go with, sellers who lead a
good conversation and don’t just talk for an hour. 

47. Do some sleuthing

Remember, you are never the star of your presentation—the buyer is! Make
sure you know what’ll resonate with them both in terms of what you say and
how you say it.
Look up presentation participants using LinkedIn, Google, and other research

tools. Make note of professional activities, publications, awards, and so on.
And keep in mind that most buyers will be looking you up before the meeting,
too, so make sure you project professionalism and have the right messages
of value on your public profiles.  
Get our LinkedIn Checklist, 15-

Day Challenge, and LinkedIn
for Sales Guide.
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48. Define your roles

Define the roles of the presentation team. Someone might play the emcee in
delivery. You might have three area experts. You might bring a support team
to introduce and build rapport.
Three leaders often mean there are no leaders. If it’s clearly you, great. But
if there could be others, ensure there’s one person in charge of making sure
everything comes together and holding others accountable. Whatever the
roles are, make sure they’re clear. 
49. Involve everyone

If multiple people are coming to the presentation, everyone has to say 
something. Often, buyers will mention after presentations that they didn’t
pick one of the providers because one team member was too dominant and
everyone else was too silent.
One person may talk the most, but everyone has to have some role if you
bring them, even if it’s just introductions and after-meeting chat. 

50. Ask about logistics 

You have to know all the logistics—the timing, meeting location, participant
locations, technology, and so forth—to make sure the meeting runs smoothly.
Find out if the meeting is live and if anyone will also be joining virtually. If
you have printed or physical materials, you’ll want to email them to remote
attendees in advance. 
Know how much time is allotted for the meeting and other logistics, such as
hard start/stop times, set-up time, tech checks, etc. If the meeting is entirely
virtual, make sure you know which technology platform you’ll be using. If
you have the option, use yours. You’re used to it, and you’ll have more control
over the process. 

51. Dress the part

Your outfit is part of the planning. Find out how formal or casual the
buyer’s culture is. If you’re presenting to a major financial services firm
with a white-shirt-and-suit culture, you won’t want to show up to deliver in
jeans and a polo because you’ll lose the sale before you even start talking.
On the flip side, if you go with the suit at some tech companies, you might
just turn off people used to a more casual atmosphere. Whatever the case,
know your buyer.
52. Present well

Make sure presenters have the general capability to command a room. If
they don’t, and the presentation is critical, have someone else present. If the
person presenting isn’t world-class, practice the delivery in-house with overly
critical attendees. Let the presenter make mistakes and correct them before
the meeting when it’s safe—not in front of the actual buying team. 

53. Be strategic
Not every finalist presentation is a competition against others, but they
usually are. If you’re facing competition, find out who they are. Ask. If your
buyer won’t tell you, and you have a champion inside the organization, ask
them discreetly. 
If you can’t find out who the competition is, you often can find out about the
presentation timing. If all presentations are on same day, it’s usually best
to go first. Research shows that, on the same day, whoever goes first is the
benchmark that everyone else is judged against, and they’re remembered
most. It’s called the primacy effect.
If presentations are on different days, it’s best to go last. As time passes,

people will remember—and feel most connected to—the final finalist
presentation. This is the recency effect. 

During the Proposal Presentation
54. Build rapport
Attend to the basics of good meeting etiquette. Extend greetings. Make eye
contact. Break the ice. Be prepared to chat a bit to establish a connection with
people. Have a few conversational tidbits at the ready to share. This can help
“warm up” your buyers and establish feelings of camaraderie and trust.
55. Start on the right foot

Lead the transition into the agenda and kick off the meeting. Share an
introduction that includes why you’re meeting and sets expectations.
It’s not unusual for meetings to go awry when people don’t know why
they’re there—or think they’re there for different reasons.
You might also get their input by asking if there’s anything in particular
they’d like you to address by the time the presentation is done. The
more you know, the more you can tailor the discussion to their agenda
and desires.

During the Proposal Presentation
56. Invite participation

Set the stage for buyers to be active participants in the process, not
passive listeners. Ask them to dive in with thoughts and questions
at any time. And be sure to confirm the time available. That way you
can adjust to any changes, whether that means early departures or
even additional time. 
Before you begin your presentation, once again invite interruptions or

questions to make it a conversation. Yes, you want to get your points
across in a Convincing Story, but the best discussions often aren’t linear
and don’t involve you talking at the buyer. If you’re interrupted, you’ll
know buyers are engaged. 

10 Tips for
Advanced Selling
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57. Be a knowledgeable
industry insider
Buyers may trust your offerings or company, but if you don’t have a
strong understanding of both your industry and theirs, they won’t be likely
to trust your guidance. You need to know, for your industry and the buyer’s
industry, the:
O Industry itself, including the players, associations, and companies 
O News of the day, and the competitive landscape
O Details of who’s rising and falling, and who’s acquired whom
O Strengths of each competitor 
Join groups, mailing lists, and associations; read what you should; and make it
a habit to become a well-informed industry insider.

58. Understand the buyer’s side 
It’s impossible to know more about your buyer’s business than they
know. But you can learn enough about your buyers to be seen as a
“knowledgeable insider.” Effort here is the key, and buyers notice.
When you demonstrate you understand their business, including their

pressures, culture, strategies, and agendas, you earn more credibility and
trust. Get familiar with how they make money, their competitors, and so on,
and buyers are more likely to accept your advice.

59. Develop a point of view
Many sellers are either unwilling or unable to develop and assert a point of
view. Good insight sellers are influencers. You can be a change-agent and
influencer to an extent with powerful questions and inquiry, but you’ll always
be limited if you don’t have something to advocate for specifically.
Learn to maximize your

influence in our white paper,
The 11 Principles of Influence
in Sales.
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60. Share your point of view
convincingly
It’s one thing to have a point of view and know your impact model. It’s
another to be able to communicate your point of view and impact powerfully.
Can you tell a Convincing Story? Can you shake up the status quo with

provocative questions? Can you see how what you’re advocating for will affect
the rest of the buyer’s business?
Sellers who aren’t prepared to influence buyers and present persuasively

have a difficult time getting results. 

61. Collaborate
Advanced sellers, or insight sellers, are evangelists. But they also
collaborate, listen, consider, and adapt. A powerful shift happens
when you collaborate: the ownership of the idea and desire for action 
transitions from you to the buyer. 
When you collaborate, buyers become involved parties versus receivers

of messages. And the more involved buyers are in an effort—the greater
their investment of time and energy—the more they’ll want to see it through. 
62. Maximize sales to existing accounts

Educate yourself on the full capabilities of your organization so you know
how and where you can help your customers. Then bring new ideas to your
customers to help them drive their priorities forward.

63. Ask provocative questions
Sellers who succeed with insight selling are disruptors. They’re change
agents.
Insight is all about new ideas and changing the status quo. To do that, you
must not only be able to share new ideas and tell convincing stories, but
also ask questions that purposefully push buyers out of their comfort
zones. Challenge assumptions and existing points of view. Encourage debate
about conventional wisdom, not just for the sake of it, but to make sure the
path forward is the best path for the buyer.
64. Be comfortable with discomfort 

If you’re going to ask questions that drive people out of their comfort
zones, and you’re going to advocate for new ideas, expect discussions to be
uncomfortable. Buyers may push back on you. There’s likely to be debate
and disagreement. The more you’re comfortable with discomfort, the more
you’ll succeed with insight selling.

65. Take the lead
It’s rare that buyers come to you and say, “What insights do you have?” or,
“What do you think I should be doing, but I’m not?” You need to take the lead,
be proactive, and bring ideas to the table that are worthy of buyers’ attention.
And then you have to capture that attention.
Do this with skill and endurance, as well as tact and emotional intelligence,

and you’ll create more opportunities.

66. Build a foundation of trust
There’s a trend in selling to focus on the provocative part of insight selling
over everything else. But people have to trust you before they’ll take
your advice. If you focus on advice, insight, persuasion, ideas, and being
provocative without considering how to build trust, your insight selling efforts
will fall down like a house without a foundation. 
Make sure you attend to building relationships and trust. Then you earn the
right to push back when it’s a good idea to do so. This doesn’t mean you can’t
drive insight right from the start. You can. But the more you build trust, the
more license you have to push, and the more people will accept your advice.

Prepare to Hit Your Goals in 2022
When it comes to preparing for 2022, you need to put in the work. Each of
these sales tips take dedication and practice to learn and integrate into your
process. As you reflect on this list, think about:
O What you’re already doing well and where you’ve received good
feedback. Double down on those things.
O Where you’re lacking confidence. Look to others who perform well

in these areas for guidance and make an effort to practice in low-risk
situations until you’re comfortable.
O Where you need support. What mentors, colleagues, or resources

are available to upskill you in these areas?
O What you avoid. Not all sellers like all parts of selling. What you
avoid is typically an indication of where you need to spend the most
time learning, practicing, and executing or finding support in other
ways to see the biggest wins.
Jot down your top 10 tips from this list. Stick them on your computer and
review them every morning. They’ll go a long way to helping you refine your
skills so you can win more deals in 2022.

CHECKLIST
66 Sales Tips
to Use in 2022
Use these tips as a roadmap to your success across the sales cycle.
NEW SELLERS NEEDS DISCOVERY PROPOSAL PRESENTATIONS

O Sell solutions O Do your homework Before the Proposal Presentation
O Manage your time O Ask the right questions O Know the players
O Keep prospecting O Dig in O Do some sleuthing
O Focus on quality, not quantity O Summarize what you discussed O Define your roles
O Plan and secure your next step O Practice your cadence O Involve everyone
O Shoot high O Ask about logistics
PROSPECTING
O Be prepared O Dress the part
O Target effectively
O Provide value O Present well
O Offer value from the start
O Understand your buyers O Be strategic
O Make the right offer
O Answer the “why?” questions During the Proposal Presentation
O Avoid gimmicks
O Share stories O Build rapport
O Keep trying
O Test different approaches O Start on the right foot
VIRTUAL SELLING
O Create your virtual advantage O Invite participation
QUALIFYING OPPORTUNITIES
O Turn video on ADVANCED SELLING
O Use the FAINT method
O Light the stage O Maximize sales to existing
O Know when to ask about budget
O Come in loud and clear accounts
O Determine your pursuit
O Make a good impression intensity O Be a knowledgeable industry
insider
BUILDING RAPPORT MAKE A CASE FOR CHANGE O Understand the buyer’s side
O Make time for rapport O Establish the “new reality” O Develop a point of view
O Get curious benchmark
O Share your point of view
O Be an active listener O Help buyers see and feel the convincingly
O Use your time wisely change
O Collaborate
O Be authentic O Know your impact model
O Ask provocative questions
O Focus on common ground O Illustrate what matters
O Be comfortable with discomfort
O Meet buyers where they are O Show the risk of inaction
O Take the lead
O Interact regularly O Make the solution clear
O Build a foundation of trust
O Connect digitally
© RAIN Group
Turn Your Team Into Insight Sellers
The landscape of buying and selling has changed more in recent years than it has in preceding
decades. Buyers are more sophisticated and have unlimited research and resources at their
fingertips. Plus, in the current environment, more buyers are working remotely and facing
increased distractions.
RAIN Group’s Insight Selling training gives sellers the skills they need to capture attention,
strengthen relationships, differentiate from their competition, and win more sales.
RAIN Group Delivers
It’s designed to balance learning and application so your sellers aren’t out of the field too long,
plus it’s contextualized for your business and the sales situations your sellers regularly face so World-Class Sales Training
it’s immediately applicable on-the-job. O Modular, multi-modal, and purpose-built for
the modern learner.
Your team will learn to:
O Unique approach to driving behavior change
O Inspire buyers with ideas that matter to them
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O Use cognitive reframing and disruption questions to open buyers’ minds to new ideas Assurance.
O Tell a Convincing Story that intrigues buyers, shapes their thinking, and drives the O Focused on driving the business results
buying and selling process forward important to you.
O Craft breakthrough solutions that create new possibilities O A transformational experience that
O Lead executive-level conversations that shape buyers’ agendas for action ensures the development, adoption, and
implementation of new skills.
Click here to request a complimentary consultation  O Action-oriented coaching prepares sellers for
real situations and provides direct feedback.

RAIN Group Unleashes
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We help organizations:
O Enhance sales capability with award-winning sales training
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O Increase effectiveness of sales management and coaching
Best IP: We study buying and selling relentlessly through the RAIN Group Center
for Sales Research. Our research and field work allows us to create industry-leading
intellectual property to help our clients achieve the greatest success.
Best Education System: We use the best education approaches, methods, and
technologies to make training work, stick, and transfer to the job.
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raingroup.com | [email protected] | 1-508-405-0438 ©️ RAIN Group

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66 Sales Tips

Tips for Virtual Selling 13

Tips for Building Rapport 18

Tips for Needs Discovery 25

CONTENTS Tips for Prospecting 31

Tips for Qualifying Opportunities 36

Tips for Making a Strong Case for Change 40

Tips for Proposal Presentations 45

Tips for Advanced Selling 54

3 | 66 Sales Tips Every Seller Needs to Know in 2022 ©️ RAIN Group

Top performers sell specific solutions to challenges:

5 | 66 Sales Tips Every Seller Needs to Know in 2022 ©️ RAIN Group

03. Keep prospecting

For prospecting tips, read 6 Keys to Prospecting Success. 

6 | 66 Sales Tips Every Seller Needs to Know in 2022 ©️ RAIN Group

7 | 66 Sales Tips Every Seller Needs to Know in 2022 ©️ RAIN Group

06. Shoot high

8 | 66 Sales Tips Every Seller Needs to Know in 2022 ©️ RAIN Group

If you’re doing a demo, getting information in a pre-call or email allows you

For more ideas, read our Sales Call Planning Guide. 

9 | 66 Sales Tips Every Seller Needs to Know in 2022 ©️ RAIN Group

09. Understand your buyers

10 | 66 Sales Tips Every Seller Needs to Know in 2022 ©️ RAIN Group

O Why act? Why do I need your product or service?

O Why now? Why should I stop what I am doing to listen to you?

O Why trust? Why should I believe you?

11 | 66 Sales Tips Every Seller Needs to Know in 2022 ©️ RAIN Group

Get 50 powerful questions to

12 | 66 Sales Tips Every Seller Needs to Know in 2022 ©️ RAIN Group

Using visuals, audio, and content—such as video, screen shares, screen

13. Turn video on

14 | 66 Sales Tips Every Seller Needs to Know in 2022 ©️ RAIN Group

O Manage face lighting so it’s even with no dark shadows.

O Reduce backlighting and overhead lights that create shadows

O Use purpose-built video lights such as ring lights or desk lights

O Pay attention to the available lighting based on time of day,

O Check for lighting issues and make adjustments in advance by

15 | 66 Sales Tips Every Seller Needs to Know in 2022 ©️ RAIN Group

Anticipate potential problems and attend to your audio set-up before

O Get a high-quality microphone. Don’t rely on your computer mic

O Turn off notifications. Your email, meeting notifications, text

O Remember to unmute. Take yourself off mute before you need a

16 | 66 Sales Tips Every Seller Needs to Know in 2022 ©️ RAIN Group

O Dress as though you’re in a live meeting. If you’re unsure, dress

O Manage color contrast in your clothing choices. For example,

O Remain 1.5 to 2 feet from the camera.

O Use expressions and movements that show you’re engaged,

17 | 66 Sales Tips Every Seller Needs to Know in 2022 ©️ RAIN Group

Learn more about building rapport in sales. 

19 | 66 Sales Tips Every Seller Needs to Know in 2022 ©️ RAIN Group

20 | 66 Sales Tips Every Seller Needs to Know in 2022 ©️ RAIN Group

Practice active listening by restating, inquiring further, and acknowledging

21 | 66 Sales Tips Every Seller Needs to Know in 2022 ©️ RAIN Group

Be genuine. Cultivate your own curiosity about customers and prospects.

22 | 66 Sales Tips Every Seller Needs to Know in 2022 ©️ RAIN Group

23. Meet buyers where they are

23 | 66 Sales Tips Every Seller Needs to Know in 2022 ©️ RAIN Group

25. Connect digitally

Building rapport virtually can be challenging. Here are 20 Virtual Sales

Ask both afflictions-based questions (pain) and future seeking, aspirational

After the meeting, send a summary of what was discussed, needs

O Interest: Is the buyer genuinely interested?  

O Timing: Is there intent to purchase and a specific timeframe for

A big thing to figure out is the desired balance between presentation/

Note that dialogue will typically be better than monologue. Most people

Look up presentation participants using LinkedIn, Google, and other research

50. Ask about logistics 

If presentations are on different days, it’s best to go last. As time passes,

Before you begin your presentation, once again invite interruptions or

O Industry itself, including the players, associations, and companies 

O Details of who’s rising and falling, and who’s acquired whom

O Strengths of each competitor 

When you demonstrate you understand their business, including their

Can you tell a Convincing Story? Can you shake up the status quo with

Sellers who aren’t prepared to influence buyers and present persuasively