“The most effective sales techniques go beyond the selling process itself.” That’s according to an interesting post on the Soffront blog, noting that it’s “the small, but critical details that take the sales experience from good to great in the customer’s eyes.”

Soffront runs down nine areas you can use to shine in customers’ eyes:

Prospecting skills. Exceptional salespeople genuinely love selling and understand that prospecting is a key component of the selling process.

Product knowledge. Think this is just common sense? You’d be shocked how much many otherwise good salespeople rely on pre-sales engineers or scripts or fact sheets. Think outside the box, and take it upon yourself to learn the product.

Honesty and integrity. Consumers value transparency, so honesty and integrity rank highly in the list of desired sales traits. Customers can usually tell when a salesperson is being dishonest or shady.

Directness. Hit the important points clearly, concisely, and immediately. Your customers will appreciate the approach.

Relationship building. Develop a trusted relationship with your leads and customers. This establishes a comfort level and makes the sales process go smoother, and increases the chance that those customers will return to you for service and refer your service to others.

Optimism and enthusiasm. Maintain a positive and enthusiastic attitude when speaking to customers. This makes great salespeople stand out from average ones.

Self-awareness and control. An effective salesperson remains cool under pressure and keeps emotions in check.

A closing strategy. Every successful salesperson has a specific closing strategy, be it appealing to a customer’s emotional triggers or answering questions and dispelling doubts.

Creating a need. Establishing a rapport with your customer will enable you to find out what your customer’s needs and wants are and will help you analyze his decision making process. The best salespeople listen to a prospect’s needs in order to alleviate their pain.

Following up with clients. Understand that the customer-salesperson relationship doesn’t end with the closing of the sale.