What is the first thing you think off when a sales person approaches you? Do you see this person as somebody who is reliable and honest, somebody you can trust not to trick you into getting something you don’t want or need? Of course not! According to a recent poll carried out by Gallu, preferring to the honesty and ethical principles of different professionals, the sales people were at the bottom of the list as being the most insincere people. Even though the results of the survey referred to the insurance and car sales people, 85% of customers associate all sales people as being deceptive and dishonest.
If you are a sales person you are probably offended by this view, as it is not fair to generalize people and judge them only by the work they do. If you want to change the way people look at you and the entire selling process then there are several tactics that can apply. Make sure you follow the 10 steps according to the given schedule as that is the only way they can be effective.
Listen more, talk less!
Most people have trouble listening, as they would rather be listened to. Be different; learn how to listen to your customers, especially in the first few moments of the sale. Avoid talking about yourself, as people don’t really care about you or your personal life. Don’t focus only on the products and services you offer and don’t use a readymade sales speech that will more likely give the opposite effect than the one you have envisaged. People can recognize when somebody is saying something they learned by heart, instead of being spontaneous and saying things from the heart. It’s not so easy to fool them!
Start by introducing yourself. Keep the information to minimum and share only general things. If you were ever thinking of being modest and keep things to yourself, now is the time to do it. Try not to elaborate on the products or services you offer, as it is still too early to overwhelm your potential customers. There will be plenty of time later on to tell them everything you know about your offer and try to get them into buying from you.
Ask questions, don’t give answers!
We all have one thing in common – we like to talk about ourselves and we rarely care about the others. During sale we need to apply several different tactics. You probably have to sell a speech that you always use to sell your products or services. If you do, now is the time to forget about your sales speech and try to convince people that it is a good idea to do business with you. In order to sell something, you need to be familiar with every detail of your offer and to make sure you know what you are selling. Scratch beneath the surface and think like a buyer. What would you like to hear if you were to buy something? What is the thing that would convince you?! It’s all about creativity. Creativity is the key to success and can help you double your profit. Let’s look into one sell scenario.
Imagine you were trying to sell a CDs. Offering the CDs to random people won’t get you far. In fact you will end up spending all day trying to sell something people don’t need or want. If you want to be a successful sales person try a different approach. Instead of struggling to sell a single CD, you need to find something else to attract customers. If you approach to someone with the lines “Would you like to buy…” forget about it. They will never buy anything from you whether they need CDs or not. However, if you make sure that every passerby is able to listen to the music you sell they might think twice before they turn and walk away. All you need to do is put them headphones and wait.
The main problem is that people have some inherited instinct that tells us to “defend” from sellers and to reject anything they have to offer. You can’t fight that, evolution played its role!
Act as if you are on a date!
Pretend that you are out on a date with a person you really like. What is the best approach to get someone to like you?! Show interest in them! Ask questions and learn about the products they use. Get as many details as you can because that might give you an idea of what these people need. There isn’t much point in convincing people to buy something they don’t need – if they don’t use the products or services you offer you are probably wasting your time trying to close the deal.
Go with the flow!
Be natural and don’t use words with the intent to sell. Speak to your customer as to a friend and be yourself. People can recognize when someone is relaxed and easy to talk to which enables you to create a closer bond and increases your chances of making some profit. A speech doesn’t have to be practiced in front of the mirror before it’s presented to the public that just drains the fun out of it.
Listen to what your customer is saying
When we say listen, we mean really listen to them! Read their body language to determine whether they are in the mood of buying something. If they have a lot on their mind you will only be wasting your time.
Give short and precise questions
In general people don’t want to know you, or what you do in life. For them you are complete stranger you came in the attempt to do some business. However, some people are more curious than others and they find it hard not to ask you something. They will come up with hundred questions before you even sit. If you find yourself in such situation where people ask you a lot of questions the best thing would be to give a short answer and then continue with something else. They might not get it the first time, but shortly they would realize that you want to keep your life away from the public eye.
Recognize the right time for sale
Once you learn what your customer needs you can calculate your chances of success. Don’t bother the people around you offering them things they would never think of buying. Feel their pulse and read their signs. This will help you recognize the best time for sale and attack.
Be short!
Don’t spend hours wasting both yours and the time of your potential customers with pointless chatting. Make sure you are always precise and you tell people what they want to hear. Of course that shouldn’t be a lie, as you will lose your credibility but it should focus more on the positive aspects of your offer.
Learn if the customer is having issues buying your products or services
The first few things we have previously mentioned give you a foundation for the entire process of selling goods or services. Assuming you have followed the previous tips, the next thing you need to do is bring your customers closer to the products or services you offer.
Act on your instincts
If you are paying too much attention to the things you need to say, the benefits from your products or services, then you will be “just another boring salesperson”. Don’t give people the reason to think that. The only thing you can really do is present your products or services the best way you can and let people feel closer to you. Once you give them enough details over the services or products you offer you are passing the ball to them and it is up to them to decide if they want to accept your offer or not.
These few tactics can make a real difference in the way how people look at you, or any other sales person. Who knows, you might be even able to contribute towards changing the general public’s opinion about the sales people behavior and make them have more faith in these people who are only trying to make their living.
