Get To Yes! 5 Things To Consider in Sales
Sales is a huge part of every business. Even in non-profit.
Do you have a product or service that is worth people buying? Chances are yes.
Is your product or service unique, or something that is common that someone else offers?
A mediocre product/service with a killer pitch can sell, just like an amazing product will fail to be sold with a terrible pitch.
I’ve been on both sides over the years.
I’ve sold business to customer (shoes, clothing/apparel, chocolate bars, house-hold cleaning products) and business to business (online-marketing, websites, training, music and more.)
I’ve had terrible pitches, I’ve had amazing pitches. But, more often than not, I’ve been able to close the sale.
What’s my secret?
1. Positive Mindset
It starts with you believing in yourself. Know your strengths and weaknesses.
If you go into a sale with a negative attitude or mindset, it will reflect in your delivery.
Visualize the sale. Think about how you or your product or service can help this customer or business. Let the passion for your services shine through in your delivery. Product knowledge will only get you so far. Passion will get you miles.
2. Knowing your Shit (and if you’re not sure, tell them you can look into it)
You’re selling your stuff. Show you should know what it can and cannot do. How it will help a business or customer. If you go in not prepared. You will fall flat.
Sometimes customers or businesses will ask you questions that are off the wall, and if you’re not sure how that will fit into your offering, tell them you can review their request and see how it could work. If it doesn’t, tell them. Don’t promise them something you can’t deliver on. This can help build trust.
3. Knowing your Client
You can find lots of information online. Social Media, Websites, LinkedIn, how many employees, the list goes on. Talking with a potential client before a meeting is a good way to chat with them and get to know them a bit.
You will find out if they are a decision maker, if they are direct or a chatterbox, family, pets etc.
This will help you construct your delivery, connect on a personal level, and have a better flow to your meeting.
4. Finding the Pain and Pleasure Points
Marketing to me is finding a need and filling it. Sales is a little different. When you strip it all back, people buy for two reasons – To take away pain, or give them pleasure.
When you are talking with your potential client, have some questions ready to reveal this.
If you’re selling a speed boat. It’s a luxury. It’s fun. Some people want to have a pleasure craft.
If you are dealing with a company that needs to acquire more customers, make more sales, showing them how your product or service will do this. Proposing your product or service in a way that will help them reach their goals will help.
If they need a product that is going to help save them time, present it in a way that will show them how implementing your product or service will free up time, provide them less stress and let them focus on their day-to-day.
5. Get to Yes!
The fun part.
Providing your meeting has went well to this point. There is an opportunity here to get to yes. Some people oversell and lose the sale. Watch body language, buying signals from the customer.
When you see these things start to unfold, it’s time to get to yes.
It could be:
You said that you need to improve sales? Yes
You said that you need to save time? Yes
If you could save time focusing on (bills, marketing, social media etc.), do you think having a product/service like this would help? Yes
Based on product/service x/based on what you have seen today, do you think this would help? Yes
There could be many other questions to ask, but if you look – The client said yes to all of those. If they say no, ask them why. This will give you the ability to address any unclear points to help turn to a yes.
In conclusion, everyone has their own approach to sales. Somethings work, somethings don’t. Hopefully, these five techniques will help you build trust with your potential client, and help you along your sales process.
Do you have any other techniques you like to use? We’d love to hear about them!
