Selling for Beginners
Selling for Beginners by Ben Botes
By: Ben Botes, Copyright 2003 - 2004 www.My1stBusiness.com
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
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.
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