10 Steps to Selling

System Of Success

10 Steps to Selling Successfully

To bring in the business you need to sale. These top ten tips sales techniques give an overview of the type of skills you need to use to gain new business and build and maintain customer relationships.

1) Preparation

Before you make your first initial contact with the potential client, make sure you research their business thoroughly, understand their industry and take a look at what their competitors are doing. Also, do a little web research on the person you’re going to be talking to.

2) People Skills

Some people find meeting new people easy as it comes naturally to them, but others find it difficult. Remember your face and personality of your company. There are many courses that can help develop your people skills and cover many aspects such as questioning and listening skills, giving and receiving criticism and praise and using assertive behavior.

3) First Impressions Really Count

If you are having your first meeting, first impressions are really important. Majority of people make their first impression in 15 seconds of meeting you. To feel confident, you need to look confident. Make sure you look you clean, tidy and are dressed appropriately. Do not wear jeans to your first meeting; even if they are a casual company, the first meeting is always about looking and appearing smart.

4) Starting A Relationship

Once you've made the first contact, you need to build on the relationship. It is important to listen to and understand their business needs. Once you’ve built that relationship, shown you understand, and earned their trust, you are on the right track to making them a regular customer.

5) Relationship Building

To build on the relationship it is important to maintain regular contact with the client. If you don’t then they will either go to your competitor or lose trust in you. Make sure they know that they can contact you on your email, work number, and mobile.

6) Listening To Your Client

Your client might mention a problem that they are currently experiencing at work. If you can solve this problem, don’t be afraid to give them your professional advice, even if they don’t ask for your help. You have to be confident in finding solutions to their work.

7) Sell The Benefits

Sell the benefits of your product or service. Remember that your product or service is benefiting their business needs. You are helping them gain a flexible work schedule to make their work-life a little easier on them.

8) Don’t Rush The Sale

Never let your customer feel like they are being rushed into a sale. This is important especially if you’re still building the relationship. If you can make them feel that they are in control of the relationship, you won’t risk losing the client to a competitor.

9) Remember A Promise Is A Promise

If you promise to do something, perhaps favor relating back to your services/product, make sure you follow through. If there is a deadline, make sure it reaches your client at least a day before. If you’re forced to extend the deadline, contact the client straight away and let them know.

10) You’re The Expert

Never forget that you’re the expert in your field, make sure the client knows that they can turn to you for advice. You understand the industry and have the knowledge to provide expert advice and share good practice.

Basic (but effective) Sales Tips and Techniques

Today there are more types of sales styles and techniques than you can shake a stick at. So how do you know what works and what doesn’t? It really boils down to what works for you and what works for your product. Think about your target market and their perceptions about your product type. Do they know they need it and simply have to choose from the various brands on the market? Or, do they have no idea how much the product would help them be more productive? Do they even know about your product? Will the sales call be an education for them or you?

Think through these things before determining what methods might work for your product or service. It goes without saying that a sales method that works for office supplies won’t work for management consulting services. Although they are both targeting a similar market, the knowledge and understanding of your prospects will be much different. They have to be educated about how much they can benefit from consulting services, whereas, they already know they have to have binders to put their reports in or paper for their copiers.

So, even though there are many sales methods, the choices are narrowed as you think about your market and what their needs are, as well as what their expectations may be.

With that said, let’s just go over some things that are beneficial in almost any market. These tips are basic guidelines that most any salesperson can benefit from.

Listen to the emotional side of your prospect or client: Emotions are tied into almost everything we do even if we don’t realize it. Your client may mention off-hand that they are really stressed-out about a particular project they are working on (even if it doesn’t relate to what you’re selling them). Make a note of this and see if there is anything you can do to assist them. You may have another client who had a similar dilemma and found a good solution. Make those connections and help where ever you can. You’ll be rewarded with loyalty from all of your clients.

Focus on your prospect or client’s needs: We’ve talked about it before, but it’s worth mentioning again. You may be tempted to sell your client your top-of-the-line model gadget when they really only need the mid-line model. By selling them more than they need, you may be cutting off future relations with them. Once they realize (and they will eventually) that they don’t need most of what you sold them, they’ll feel bitter and resentful toward you for wasting their money and not looking out for their best interest. They’ll see you as a “salesperson” and not as a resource.

Use language that focuses on your prospect or client: Simply changing the way you speak may also make a difference in how you are received by your prospect. Using “you” and “yours,” or “you’ll find...” rather than, “I think” or “Let me tell you about,” brings your message a little closer to home and may grab their attention more quickly.

Help your prospect see the bottom line: If you know your product can help clients save money, or increase profitability, then make sure they understand that. Your product may have an edge in that it includes features that save time. Time is money as the saying goes, and if you can save time you can often sell your product.

Find out your prospect’s priorities: You can save yourself a lot of wasted time and effort by simply knowing how important your product and its benefits are to your prospect. If you’ve listened to them and determined the need, but still aren’t getting anywhere, find out if there are other elements of their business that are taking priority and pushing your sale aside.

If you know they must implement a program before they can spend time considering (or funds purchasing) your product then you can schedule a call back at a later date that may stand a better chance of getting some attention. To do this you have to ask the questions because the information is not always volunteered. (Again, the key is focusing on the needs of your prospect, and having an open relationship already in place.)

Know your prospect: Find out as much as you possibly can about your prospect before your appointment. This will not only help you anticipate their needs ahead of time but will also show them you’ve done your homework and have an interest in their business other than just selling your product. When talking with them, let them do most of the talking. People usually love talking about their businesses and their successes.

For example, you might bring up the fact that you saw they won an award at a regional meeting then let them proceed to fill you in on the details. You might also compliment them on the efficiency of their production system or the quality of their products. This will also open the door to more conversation and the opportunity to learn more about their needs and how your product will fit those needs.

Focus on why they should buy - not their objections: The idea here is that while you are building up the benefits associated with using your product, they will be minimizing their resistance to it. By focusing on what you know the prospect likes, you are building up the importance of the positive and reducing the importance of the negatives.

Sell the benefits - not the product: You’ve heard this one before, but it is worth repeating. In most cases, you’re not selling your product, you’re selling the benefits the product will produce. In other words, you’re not selling digital phones, you’re selling the ability to communicate from anywhere. You are selling freedom to leave the confines of the office and still be accessible. You’re selling the ability to have a more flexible work schedule. You’re selling peace of mind for long trips. You’re selling security. Get to the emotional or financial benefits and you’re on to something!

Never rush the sale or the customer: Remember the section about building a relationship with your customers? This is a very important step. It can help give the prospect the right perception of you and your company. Rushing them instead of letting them come to their own decision to buy can create hostilities that can’t be overturned. It can make the difference between getting the sale and creating a loyal customer, and having to start over with another prospect. In the competitive climate of many markets, you most definitely don’t want to risk losing a qualified prospect who you know needs your product.

Know your products, as well as the market - be a RESOURCE: In order to be seen as a valuable resource for your clients, you have to demonstrate that you not only know and understand your products and the market but can assist them in making good decisions and provide them with tools to improve their business. If you don’t have these skills and knowledge, get them. You’ll be rewarded over and over by loyal clients who trust your opinions and advice and buy from you frequently.

Follow through with promises: If you do nothing else, do this. Always follow through with what you say you are going to do. If you say you’ll send a quote by Friday - DO IT!

If you say you’ll check with someone else in your company about an issue that’s come up - DO IT! Don’t forget, us the technology available to you (even if it’s a sticky note on your dashboard!) and make sure you follow through with your promises.

There is no surer way to lose the faith of a prospect (or existing client) than to forget to do something you tell them you will do.

If something comes up that forces you to have to delay, call them and give them a heads up.

They may have a meeting arranged to present the information you’re supplying them with, and if they don’t have it you’ll both look bad.

Focus on your client’s success: Not to beat a dead horse, but there is tremendous value in being a resource for your client. If you can help them to succeed then they are more likely to help you succeed. Be a coach for your clients (at least in your areas of expertise). You have the unique perspective of seeing how many different businesses operate. Gather this knowledge and share it with your clients or prospects. Make sure they understand that you want to see them succeed, not just sell your products.

Use explanations rather than excuses: If you do have to explain to a customer why there is a problem with their order, their repair, their service, etc. Explain why the problem is there in the first place, rather than using an excuse.

For example, if you provide health care services and you’re having difficulty meeting the scheduling needs of the customer, you might it explain it like this; “With this being a particularly bad allergy season we have had more emergency calls due to asthma (or whatever the case may be) and these patients can’t wait for a scheduled appointment. Our staff is behind schedule, but we are addressing the problem now by bringing in temporary help for these critical need times. So we should be able to schedule your service on ‘x’ date.”

Understanding the problem may help alleviate some of their frustration. Verbalizing the cause may also keep you more aware of the potential problems so you can be more prepared the next time around.

Things to Think About

Wasn't long ago, we would go to your office and sit in front of our computers and entered the world-wide-web. They were two separate worlds back then.

Now those two worlds have become totally interleaved: there are multiple points of contact between them everywhere - mobile devices, smartwatches, billboards, health monitors, in-car displays, till-points, Google Glasses, Alexa, fridges connected to the Internet - the online and real worlds have become woven into a single world. It's getting connected to this new world that can be chalanging.

Overthinking their offering

Big companies can spend years and millions developing a product - and then are crushed when it goes to market and fails. “No plan survives contact with customers!” companies should get a new offering out as soon as possible with minimum expenditure, find what works and what doesn’t, and then redesign and redevelop from there. Let reality be your teacher, not your inner guru.

Don't Run Before You Can Walk

There are customers waiting for your product/service. “If you want to make a million, solve a million problems”. Too many entrepreneurs dream up an idea and then try to sell that to people. Great entrepreneurs first find what lots of people need, then they meet that need with superb services and products.

Teamwork

Having a great team is essential. The idea is only 1% executing the idea flawlessly is what turns an idea into a great venture, and ideas are executed by people - so having a great team is actually an important success factor for new ventures.