When many of us hear the word sales, we often cringe at the thought of an aggressive sales person hovering over us to make a purchase on an item that we aren’t convinced brings tremendous value. No wonder as business owners, many of us are fearful of the sales process.
7 Ways to Help You Master the Sales Process
Be Authentic and Real
People buy from those they trust and if you are offering true value that will help a customer solve a problem or find a solution and you are yourself, you will be able to develop a relationship with that customer. Find your natural voice and your natural skill. – People will be drawn to you simply because you are being authentic.
Know the outcome you want and believe you deserve it
Great sales people start with the end in mind. They know the outcome going into any sales opportunity. They can see it in their head and believe that they will achieve it. No matter where you are in the sales process – think of the objective you want from that task and build backwards from there.
Personalize the sales experience for each customer
There are four very distinct personality types that need to receive information in different ways. Do not use a “one approach fits all” sales process. Customize it to your customers needs. One of the quick tools I use is the DISC profile. Learn how to identify how to interact with your customer and personalize the experience for them.
Listen and ask open ended questions
If I can leave you with one thought, it would be that the entire sale process is centered on your customer, not you. So you need to create a trusting relationship that allows you to investigate solutions for your customer. To do this, you first have to build rapport, second you need to build trust and third, you need to select a solution that resonates with your customers. So the best sales people know how to listen and ask open ended question (ones that start with How and What) to obtain information that helps them develop the optimal solution.
Dollarize that value.
Customer buy when they believe the value of what they are receiving is more than the price they are asked to pay. So make it easy for your customer to understand what value they are receiving. Dollarize the benefit. Use real numbers.
Ask for the order
A great mentor once told me “if you never ask for the order, the answer is always no”. Be sure not to forget to ask for the business. Don’t wait for your customer to control the process. It is understood why you are there so if you don’t ask for the order, the response will always be no…
Network like a Rockstar
You will not grow your business from behind your computer. You need to be a networking rockstar and my tip is this. Make it a point to reach out to 5 new people a day and make it a point to connect 5 people to somebody new each day. That is 10 tasks that if you take seriously every day… will transform the landscape of your business exponentially!
Mastering the sales process is the number one focus of every successful business owner. It doesn’t matter what type of business or industry you are in, you need to generate sales to grow your business.
