The popular view is that only some people can sell, that sales associates are born, not made. The reality is that anyone can sell, and the art of selling can be learned. Certainly, some people will have a natural aptitude for selling in the same way that some people have an aptitude for music or foreign languages. Still, anybody can achieve competence in selling if they want to. At a very basic level, there are five steps in making a sale, which are;
Qualifying Leads: Is this person worth talking to?
Fact Finding: What do they want?
Demonstration: Show them the product.
Overcoming Objections: Dealing with the issues that are stopping them from buying.
Close: Getting the order.
. Create a Sales Mindset
If you’re the shy and introverted type, you will have to overcome some of these personal traits to follow the sales steps successfully. You’ll need to be brave enough to ask tough questions and overcome your fear of rejection. You’ll also need to break some social taboos about what ‘nice’ people are allowed to do. However, what you don’t have to be in the media’s clichéd depiction of a salesperson: pushy, untrustworthy, someone who would sell their grandmother. Such people do exist, but professional salespeople work with their customers to make sure they buy exactly the solution they need, and then they come back and buy more simply because they are happy. Once you’ve worked out how to sell, you’ll wonder how you survived without it. You’ll find those same skills hugely useful when negotiating with anyone, whether with your boss, employees, partner, or child. Selling is a mix of different skills and techniques. It is a process that, once fully understood, becomes obvious, and it involves a breadth of interpersonal skills that center around human psychology and perseverance.
How to sell anything: Easy sales tips
A few selling tips are given below;
. Call on bigger prospects
Larger companies and organizations have greater needs and budgets than small or midsize companies.
. Get to the decision maker early in the sales process
Salespeople often sell to people who can’t buy. Get to the person with the “power of the pen.” It will increase your probability of making the sale while significantly shortening the sales cycle.
. Engage the decision-maker in proactive, strategic conversations
Ask situational or behavioral questions to engage the decision-maker in a strategic and proactive conversation. Don’t talk about your products, features, or functions. Rather, talk about how your product benefits them. Remember, a salesperson’s job is to uncover and prioritize a need and match the appropriate solution. You can’t do that without asking good questions!
. Retain and upsell existing customers
Existing customers are more loyal and spend more money than first-time customers. Identify other departments, divisions, or subsidiaries that could potentially want your products or services. If you look for cross-selling or upselling opportunities within your customer base, you’ll increase your share of wallet with your existing customers and improve your retention rate.
. Weave a web of influence before you need it
Avoid single points of contact. Establish relationships with people up and down the “pyramid of power.” Too often, salespeople have a great relationship with one person within an organization, but if that person were to get promoted or leave, that customer relationship would be jeopardized.
. Ask existing clients for referrals
Our research shows that referred business closes at a higher rate, for more money, in a shorter time. Great question: “Is anyone in your professional network who would benefit from my solutions?”
. Learn all you can about your competition
Create a “competition intelligence” library. Collect information regarding your competitors’ market messaging, advertising, social media fields, website messaging, pricing information, proposals, spreadsheets, etc. And don’t just focus on who you’re competing with now, but who you might be competing with in the future.
. Articulate your unique value proposition
Be able to articulate what your company or product does that your competition doesn’t, can’t, or won’t do. Be prepared to answer the questions, “Why should I buy from you?” and “Why should I buy from you now?”
Summary
As we said at the start, the popular view is that only some people can sell and that sales associates are born, not made. We hope now that we’ve demonstrated that anyone can sell and that the art of selling can be learned in the same way as any process.
