What are some ways to become a more aggressive salesperson?

He's probably right, you should be more aggressive. Without knowing anything about you or him or what you're selling, this advice is almost universally applicable to all sales people and professionals in general. There are a number of different ways to argue this point depending on context, but they all mean the same thing. Maybe it's an article on how women who are perceived as "difficult" tens to make more and earn more peer respect than those perceived as nice. Or maybe it's my answer to what might help the author of a question about conquering their fear of cold calling. Or maybe its Tim Ferriss saying that success can measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations you're willing to have. The message is always the same: you should be more aggressive. The thing holding you back is an adherence to a social contract thats the foundation of your social identity. Those things aren't easy to change. Most people wont ever really understand its there. Every time you get on the phone you're initiating a social interaction thats defined by how you think its acceptable to speak with others. You're probably a nice person and wary of pissing people off. That's normal. Unfortunately its an inhibitor for sales people (and business people in general). Your director has picked up on the fact that you're letting the people you call direct what happens. Go make ten calls with the intention of persuading all ten people to do what you want them to do. Notice how often you end up doing what they want instead. Make it a point to change that. You know how to do it. It's not rocket science.

I agree with Garrick. He only tells you vaguely to be aggressive, but doesn't explain any sales tactics or give specific suggestions on what you should do. He doesn't teach, just orders. But at the same time, he is a director, so it is not his job to mentor you. Also, "aggressive?" That can push the customers away. You might want to reconsider following his advice. It may have worked for him, but it may not work for you if you're just not the "aggressive" type. I suggest searching for some books with tips on how to sell things over the phone. See if you can google some selling strategies online or ask other people directly. Then you can figure out which ones work best for you.

Aggressive is probably the wrong word. The best callers have conviction. They really believe that it's in this person's best interest to listen to what they have to say. So they persevere against initial resistance (they're "aggressive" in your Sales Director speech) Some people are born with it. But most learn it. I always had new sales reps talk to existing customers as soon as I could. Just ask the customer "What do you like about our product and service? What would happen if you didn't have it?" The sales rep hears real end users and how much they like the product. Write down some memorable quotes. Use it as inspiration for those calls when it's tough. I even had one rep who would say "Most of my current customers will tell you all they wanted to do was get me off the phone for the first 5 minutes. Now they'll take your call as a reference if we get that far" P.S Never be a douche and insensitive. It's a fine line. But it sounds like we're not worried about you crossing into that territory quite yet ;)

As a business owner, I get calls from a number of sellers. I was asked to answer this question, so I'll do so from the perspective of someone who takes these calls from salespeople.   Most sellers seem okay with the idea of ending the call right away, just as soon as I say "I'm not interested." I even hear a sense of relief sometimes as a seller thanks me (for not being interested?) and hastens to get off the phone.   I suspect these sellers misunderstand the reason they are supposed to call me. It's not about how many people you call. It's about how many people you find a way to help with the product/service you're selling.   So perhaps your sales manager is hoping you'll push beyond the buyer's initial lack of interest in talking with a seller. To be assertive in this way, you'd have to believe you can genuinely help the person you've called and that time spent with you is going to pay off for the buyer.   Here's one way this recently played out in a conversation where a seller was more assertive with me:   Seller: I'm __ with ____ company. I'm calling today because we have a...   Me: No thank you, I'm not interested.   Seller: Yes, I understand... It would be unreasonable for me to expect you'd be interested at this point. Your recent product launch...   Two things happened that made me tune in. First, the response was fresh and unexpected. Second, the seller started talking about my business and showed he'd done some research on my company.   What would have been even better is if the conversation had started out being about my company and our product launch. Then I couldn't have said I wasn't interested in the first place.   Bottom line -- all buyers are conditioned to get off the phone just as quickly as possible when a telemarketer calls. You have to be more assertive (not aggressive) to keep them on the phone long enough to interest them in what you're selling.

First of all hearing No!! On the phone is just another opportunity to close that person. You just haven't  given them enough information to make a decision . Ask them what's important to them when it comes to making a decision. Most people like to talk about themselves.Take time to find out more about the customer and be able to repeat those things back to http://them.By knowing a few things about them you can taylor your sales pitch around them. In sales please remember this "people don't care how much you know they want to know how much you care" Good luck to you and stay positive.

This really comes down to your sales director's style. It may not be the same as mine (I was asked to answer this question). Best to ask him for clarification. Taking a guess, and without any data whatsoever, I'll blindly suggest giving up on prospecting calls too easily could be an issue. At the start of a call, you have to get over the 'trust hurdle' so the prospect can open up and begin sharing with you the truth of what's going on in their world. Sometimes you have to challenge them a bit and jostle them out of their comfort zone. What products or services does your company offer? Who is your target market? Why have customers typically brought you on board in the past? If you answer those questions, I can give a more specific answer. Most people start off their calls so badly there IS no 'rest of the call'.

Simple: ALWAYS **ASK** FOR THE SALE. People know you're trying to sell them something - so sell it. Ask them to buy! Use phrases like, "Would you like to buy?", "What can I tell you about my product so you'll want to buy?", "What do you need to know so I can sell you this?", etc, etc, etc. Eventually, you learn there's a limited number of objections that people have; and you need to learn how, and know how, to handle those questions or objections. And once you do, you'll sell like crazy.