sk three salespeople the best way to close a deal, and you'll get nine different answers. Everyone in sales loves to exchange tips and war stories, whether over dinner and drinks or on GS Online's MLS Forum.

I firmly believe that you can never be too rich or too thin; I also believe you can never hear enough sales tips. Whether you're new to the sales profession or a seasoned veteran, never stop honing your game. No matter how much business you do, you can always close one more deal, and I'd like to help.

Following are some of my favorite sales tips:

Cut the Small Talk

Beginning a cold call with a canned opener such as "How are you this morning?" or "Is this a convenient time for you to talk?" immediately announces to a prospect that you're a salesperson and probably one who pitches the same spiel to potential customers all day long. Get down to business and show prospects you understand that their time is valuable.

Warm Up Your Cold Calls

Do this by matching your tone to the tone of the person on the other end of the line. If she sounds pleasant and relaxed, greet her in a similar manner. If she sounds harried and ready to talk business, get right down to the facts.

Meet Prospects at Their Level

What you consider to be a standard explanation of a product or service might go way over (or under) the prospect's head. Instead, make the sales meeting more of a conversation and less of a speech.

Don't explain things over and over, which might make you seem condescending; also avoid using jargon that's so far over his head that he's only thinking about the quickest way to end the meeting.

Make a Good Impression

Give some thought to how you present documents. A professional looking leather portfolio (even better, one with a corporate logo and your business card inside) will make a good impression and enhance your corporate brand.

The portfolio can also function as a leave-behind gift to keep your company forefront in the client's mind.

Question Everything

Don't start interactions with potential clients by launching into a sales pitch. Instead, ask leading questions to determine their problems and the areas of their business that your services could improve. Get them to tell you why they need help and then swoop in for the close.

Build Trust

We're all wired to be a little suspicious of salespeople. Your product might sell itself, but if you send a signal to prospective customers that makes you seem dishonest, they won't hesitate to buy a similar product (or worse, an inferior one) from a salesperson who appears more trustworthy.

Watch the Signals

Keep your presentation fresh and flexible, not only to respond to the prospect's questions, but also to his body language. Does his posture reveal that he's receptive to your last point? Do his crossed arms signal that he's now late for another meeting? Watch for spoken and unspoken clues and adapt your pitch accordingly.

Know Your Limits

No matter what product or service you sell, it won't eliminate all of the customer's problems. Overextending and over promising will do major damage not only to your credibility but also to the customer's feelings toward your company. Over promising might close the deal, but it also might permanently destroy the customer's opinion of your company and its products, which is far more damaging in the long run.

Open With Your Closer

If your prospect is sharp, she'll know right away that you're selling something. Why not skip the small talk and start out by giving her the bottom line? "I can save you $___ a year, starting right now" is an offer that's hard for any savvy businessperson to pass up.

Once you have her attention, back into your sales pitch and show her the value-added benefits she'll receive above and beyond financial savings.

Stack the Deck

It's hard for a prospect to say no to a simple chart that illustrates how your product is better than the competition's. Create sales presentations that compare categories in which your company is superior; minimize or eliminate categories in which your company is equal or inferior.

Practice What You Preach

Sales is your job, so treat it like any other course of study. Devote a few hours a week to reading up on other successful selling strategies and testing out new pitches on co-workers, friends or even the bathroom mirror.

The more you practice, the more likely selling will become second nature to you, and this is especially important in high-pressure sales situations.

Laugh a Little

Did you mess up? Lose the deal? Say the wrong thing at the wrong time to the wrong person? Take a day to feel sorry for yourself, and then laugh about it and move on to the next sale. You'll never make the same mistake twice, and a good laugh never hurts.

Sell to Your Strengths

Not every salesperson is great at walking into a business cold and closing a deal. Use your strongest skill sets to increase your sales numbers (not to mention to enjoy your job more).

Are you a born communicator? Do you have a great phone manner? Are you a natural writer? Are you charismatic when face to face with people? Reevaluate your sales strategy and use the skills that come most naturally to you; you'll see major benefits on the next sales call.

Use Your Network

You already know someone who knows someone who'd be very interested in your services. Network like a true professional.

Stay in touch with key contacts when you don't need anything from them, and you'll be the first salesperson they think of when a potential referral comes along. Never underestimate the power of a simple card or phone call on a holiday, contact's birthday or company anniversary.

Tom Lineen is the Sales Director, ISO Channel for Cynergy Data, a merchant acquirer that provides a wide array of electronic payment processing services while continually striving to develop new solutions that meet the needs of its agents and merchants. In addition to offering credit, debit, EBT and gift card processing, along with check conversion and guarantee programs, the company offers its ISOs the ability to borrow money against its residuals, to have Web sites designed and developed, to provide merchants with free terminals and to benefit from state-of-the-art marketing, technology and business support.
Founded in 1995 by Marcelo Paladini and John Martillo, Cynergy Data strives to be a new kind of acquirer with a unique mission: to constantly explore, understand and develop the products that ISOs and merchants need to be successful and to back it up with honest, reliable and supportive service. For more information on Cynergy Data contact Nancy Drexler, Marketing Director, at nancyd@cynergydata.com .