Speak to almost any self employed professional and most of them will say that they love their job but don't care much for selling their services. Here's some advice to help all those reluctant professionals who need to sell to clients.
We have identified 9 basic selling skills that will help you to sell your product or service. Ensure that you and your sales team master these skills and you will be successful at selling.
Research shows that fear of selling is one of the greatest barriers to business success and, often, professionals are the worst of all. But whether you are an accountant, advertising excec or business coach you still have to sell to keep the business coming in.
We have found a few ideas that will help you to become successful at selling yourself. The main idea is to know your product, know your client and be prepared and professional. The following tips will greatly enhance your ability to sell.
Acknowledge the value of selling
Be positive in attitude, love selling. It is widely accepted that the excitement and enthusiasm of the salesperson accounts for around 50 per cent of success in selling. In a world in which everything counts, the excitement and enthusiasm of the salesperson affects the customer's responds.
Manage your sales activities effectively
As a salesperson, you are responsible for results. You can achieve the required result by setting it as a goal, and then resolving to pay the price that must be paid to achieve the goal. You need to establish clear sales goals. The subconscious mind responds to clarity. Having established the sales goals, it is necessary to determine the actions or activities which must be undertaken to achieve those goals.
Know your product
Know your product, its benefit and competitive advantage Why does your customer buy the product or service? What benefit do you sell? It might look like a haircut, but it's probably admiration. It looks like a motorcar, but it's probably status. It might be called a bungee jump, but it's probably excitement. If you're selling to other companies, the benefit is probably increased sales, lower costs or higher profits.
Identify your customers
Why should anybody buy your product or service? What is the benefit or improvement in their condition? Whose life will be enriched? Who will get the greatest improvement from your product or service? With which customers does your competitive advantage make a difference? With which customers does your competitive advantage make the biggest difference? Customers want to be more, have more, do more.
Identifying customer needs
Do not focus on trying to sell the product which you produce. Warehouses throughout the country are full of products nobody wants to buy. Ask questions, ask questions, ask questions! Find out what benefit your customer desires. Talk to your customers. You will be surprised how often price is not the priority. They may be looking for a local supplier, excellent service, a guarantee, any risk of loss to be assumed by the supplier, immediate delivery, staged payments. If you know your customer, then you have a far greater chance of forming a lasting relationship which should lead to permanent relationship selling.
Be Great at making presentations
Giving a presentation is one of the most feared events in Western society. In surveys of people's fears, death is usually ranked around number six. Giving a presentation is usually number one. To be excellent at selling, you have to give presentation.
Be prepared to handle objections
"We don't want it, we can't afford it, we don't believe you, we've tried it before and it didn't work, we are perfectly happy with our present supplier and it's not in the budget." Your initial reaction could be that you are not going to make the sale. This is incorrect. You have to understand that an objection is a request for more information. As long as the customer is objecting, you are selling.
Close the deal
A customer is someone who is willing and able to purchase the benefit you offer. In a successful sales presentation, you eventually reach the point when it is time to ask for action, time to close that deal.
Always follow up your sales efforts
You may not sell on the first visit or first occasion. Make a decision to go the extra mile, make the second effort, follow up your initial approach. Contact the prospective customer once again within three days. You can always reopen a negotiation with new information, new price, new terms, a better offer following discussions with your boss. Keep your customer informed. Educate your customer to appreciate the benefit you offer and your competitive advantage. After making a sale, contact the customer within four weeks with a view to making the next sale. Follow up direct mail with a telephone call
You are free to reprint this article in your ezine or ebook, or on your website, as long as the contents in the article and the resource box are not changed.
Copyright 2003 - 2004 www.My1stBusiness.com
About The Author
Ben Botes is the head Coach at www.My1stBusiness.com a web portal dedicated to 1st time business leaders and entrepreneurs. Visit the site for hundreds of free Micro Modules, Teleclases, Resources and Coaching designed for you to succeed with your business.
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
Why would a prospect buy from you rather than from... Read More
Everybody is familiar with the old retail chant, "Location, location,... Read More
WHY ARE YOU WRITING THIS BROCHURE OR SALES LETTER? A... Read More
So it's finally come time to sell the business. After... Read More
Sales information resource Just Sell, calls caring "sales love". Here's... Read More
Make no mistake that emotions are the driving force behind... Read More
The leads marketing delivers to the sales team never seem... Read More
The Importance of setting appointments is crucial to running a... Read More
Hello everyone, hope your day is going well! I know... Read More
If you need to hold a fundraiser and don't know... Read More
We would all like to think that our product or... Read More
Special Requirements for Reprint: we ask only that you include... Read More
Ready to put your Web pages up? Ready to sell... Read More
A white paper supports PR, marketing and sales because it... Read More
The time comes for all mortgage brokers and loan officers... Read More
It is vital that insurance salespeople have a steady stream... Read More
A lot of effort is put into getting new clients.... Read More
For the past months, maybe a year, I've been hearing... Read More
"If you don't think well of yourself, no one... Read More
Part I of this article explored how strategies of Neuro-Linguistic... Read More
The number one requirement, whether you are a business owner... Read More
(Objection handling tips excerpted from Objections! Objections! Objections!)People buy people.... Read More
Saturday morning, I sat in my pajamas, sipping strong, black... Read More
I really just don't get it.How can so many businesses... Read More
Alexander Graham Bell once said, "When one door closes another... Read More
In the last decade, the Internet has become a major... Read More
Why should you describe your business to others in 5... Read More
If you are in the mortgage business, the very first... Read More
Anyone that works in sales knows just how important it... Read More
I can remember the first time that I had to... Read More
Most salespeople I know consider cold calling a dreadful, but... Read More
There are many ways to sell and have fun doing... Read More
Selling is as much an art as it is a... Read More
You've polished your sales page over and over againuntil it's... Read More
For technology companies, service after the sale has emerged on... Read More
When it comes to buying mortgage leads, there are many... Read More
Lance has what it takes and then some.Did you know... Read More
The leads marketing delivers to the sales team never seem... Read More
1. Sell your products at a wholesale price to retail... Read More
As a result of providing marketing consulting, training and coaching... Read More
Sales letters, sent via e-mail or snail mail, are an... Read More
I've found that winners say "I choose to." Whiners, on... Read More
Many companies are looking to improve upon the speed, security,... Read More
1. Settle On The Right Way ForwardThe purpose of your... Read More
I would like to share a disturbing little secret with... Read More
Business owners should be more like doctors.Forget selling and start... Read More
Selling--a word that strikes terror in writers and professionals. We... Read More
Any selling approach that lacks a proven strategy, a practiced... Read More
We use only 5% of God's given potential, 95% of... Read More
If you live in England then you will already be... Read More
For two winters I heated my house with an old... Read More
Selling a service isn't the same as selling a product.... Read More
What comes to mind when you think of networking --... Read More
Could this be the worst moment in your selling cycle?You've... Read More
Over the years, many prospects have hidden behind their well-trained... Read More
Normally in this column I dispense highly-intelligent small business advice... Read More
How many times have you heard that you gotta get... Read More
There are many tactics and techniques that go into converting... Read More
Alexander Graham Bell once said, "When one door closes another... Read More
A white paper supports PR, marketing and sales because it... Read More
A reader recently asked me the following: "I enjoyed the... Read More
If you have competitors, then you should have at least... Read More
Any time a clothing store opens or expands, they must... Read More
Have you ever met with, or talked to a prospect... Read More
Back in the days when I sold for CTV and... Read More
Authors/publishers are great at getting their books written. Entrepreneurs know... Read More
Sales |