Skip to Main Content

Secrets of Successful Selling

 

SECRETS OF SUCCESSFUL SELLING
 
 
 Mention the word ’selling’ and we can all regurgitate hideous memories of aggressive salespeople pressuring us to buy something we didn‘t really want. However, the real heroes of the sales world are those who sell helpful solutions to genuine problems they already know their customers have. They form positive, lasting relationships with their customers that are mutually beneficial.  
 
Profile Your Customer
 
Everyone buys for a reason and the effective salesperson makes it her business to discover that reason. ’Profile’ your customer, gain an understanding of his or her lifestyle, approach to life, likes and dislikes and motivating factors. Your purpose is to understand what problems or challenges your customer faces so you can think of ways that your product or service would be the logical solution to that problem - due to its low-price, ease of use, superior functionality etc.
 
Sell Benefits - Not Features
 
Always remember that you’re selling product benefits not product features. You want the customer to say yes and buy your product. Your customer wants to know why they should buy your product. Because they’re all unique in their own ways, it stands to reason that different customers will value different aspects of your product offering. For example the customer on a tight budget may value low cost whereas the busy executive with little time might value ease of use. The more you can match the benefits of your product or service to genuine needs that the customer has, the closer you are to closing that sale.    
 
To Err is Human
 
Remember that customers are human and they will, to varying degrees, fall prey to the full range of human ‘weaknesses’ such as pride, envy, greed, lust, sloth and fear. You need to understand the emotional driving factors behind each customer’s desire to buy. For example, your customer may envy the type of people who already purchase your product and may be motivated to conform to peer expectation. His sense of pride may be activated if he believes that purchasing your service demonstrates a superior level of sophistication or a determination to stand out from the herd.   The loss of the opportunity to buy your product or to buy it at the ’bargain’ price you’re offering today may induce fear in your customer ie the fear of missing out.  
 
Know Your Product
 
You cannot sell yourself and your company unless you feel confident about who and what you are. As well as being knowledgeable about your customers’ lifestyles, needs and likely emotional states you need to be as enthusiastic and knowledgeable as possible about the benefits of your own products and services. The more you understand your product the more easily you will match the benefits of that product to needs your customers tell you they have. In addition to an understanding of your products’ benefits you will benefit from a constant rehearsing and re-rehearsing of your sales presentation. As you do so always ask yourself what sorts of questions your prospective customers might ask and rehearse what answers you might give. You may have only one chance to close that sale.   By rehearsing the answers to ’standard’ questions you leave room for genuine creativity when asked those unusual and unexpected questions!   

Offer a Listening Ear…
 
The most effective salespeople are superb listeners. They ask the right questions to prompt expansive answers, incorporate their customers’ answers into their own responses and feed them back. They are able to really put themselves in their customers’ shoes. Good listeners are not only in a better position to identify the customer’s needs and evaluate how best their product can meet those needs but they also make the customer feel individual, valued and special.
 
Satisfaction - Guaranteed!

Customers want to feel safe when buying your products. Eliminate risk and show them how much you believe in your product by offering a product satisfaction or money-back guarantee.   Emphasise your guarantee at the beginning, middle and end of the sales discussion to reinforce this no-risk benefit and help your customer feel safe making a purchase with you.

A Friend for Life

Don’t view your sales activity as a series of ‘one-offs’. It’s easier and cheaper to sell to an existing customer than to a new one. Even when (or perhaps especially after!) your customer has passed through the selling process he or she remains a valuable asset. Maintain contact by mailing or calling to inform them about new product lines or offers. Develop an ongoing relationship with them by building up a picture of who they are, what they’ve bought from you in the past and how often. Then you can tailor your ongoing sales approach to better address their needs. If their needs change you’re in a better position to anticipate any alternation in buying patterns. 
 
The 10 Biggest Mistakes in Selling
 
1. Failing to understand your customer and make him/her feel special
 
2. Not knowing or believing in your own product benefits
 
3. Talking too much, listening too little.
 
4. Not having a clear objective.
 
5. Making false promises.
 
6. Not knowing what to say when the prospect raises an objection.
 
7. Viewing the sale as a ‘one-off’ challenge.
 
8. Using aggression instead of knowledge to force through a sale.
 
9. Over-selling and under-delivering.
 
10. Being unprofessional - turning up late, dressing scruffily, failing to return calls, not having the right information to hand and having dog-eared or out of date photographs or selling aids.     

Have Your Say
 
Do YOU have any sure-fire tips for successful selling? Why not share them?  Click here to visit our forums or why not post a comment below?





 

 

Your rating: None
Related articles: 
The Customer Is King
Effective Presentations
Advertising - More Bang for Your Buck