In this article I'd like to explore an area fundamental to business success... the ability to sell. After all as the saying goes 'nothing happens until somebody sells something.'So here goes with my top tips for selling success…..
Tip No.1: Prepare, Prepare, Prepare
As with most things in business, preparation is vital for success. This must include knowing your products, prices and services in detail, and those of your competitors. Also preparation should include gathering the 'selling tools' you are going to use ...the brochures, samples, slides, testimonials that you will use in order to convince the other party that they have a need to buy.
Tip No.2: Set the objective
Another vital part of preparation is to write down the objective. What is it you want to achieve? What will success look like? Using the SMASH mnemonic we can check the quality of our objective:SPECIFIC - Define the desired result in a clear and unambiguous way Measurable - Be explicit in the quantities or value you wish to achieve,and by when eg. I wish to achieve sales this month of £20,000 to Achievable - Is achieving your objective realistic in the current market conditions?STRETCHING - Is your objective realistic but challenging enough? Does it require you to make an extra effort to achieve it?HARMONIOUS - Will the achievement of your objective be mutually beneficial to both you and the buyer? Do they have a need for the product? If not currently, how could you create a mutually beneficial proposal?
Tip No.3: Make the first impression count
When meeting the customer, dress appropriately, make good eye contact, offer affirm handshake and SMILE!!Remember....you never get a second chance to make a first impression
Tip No.4: Ask open questions
In order to sell we need to know what will make the customer want to buy fro mus. The way we do this is we ask them!! More specifically we ask them open questions....in other words questions beginning with either 'who?', 'what?','when?', 'why?', 'where?' or 'how?'these are all questions that will encourage the customer to talk about their current situation, enable us to gather information, and allow us to tailor our presentation to the specific and stated needs of the customer.
A word of caution...it is important not to undermine the power of open questions by jumping in or interrupting the customer. We can't possibly hope to satisfy their needs if we don't LISTEN.
Tip No 5: Sell benefits not features
Now we have actively listened to the customer and checked that we understand their needs or wants, we need to consider the benefits that will be derived by the customer in using our product or services. Often salespeople get so wrapped upin explaining the features of their product (ie. what it is) and they forget that people are really only interested in the benefits of the product (ie. what the product will do for the customer)likewise, our 'selling tools' should be focused on selling the benefits of our proposal, rather than just being used as a list of the product features.
Tip No 6: Summaries the key benefits
As the sales presentation may have taken some time, it is important to allow the customer a short amount of time to consider his/her thoughts by reminding him/her of what has been said and what you've agreed so far.By clarifying and reinforcing the key benefits we are then able to move on to closing the sale
Tip No 7: Ask for the order!!
It is remarkable the number of salespeople that don't actually close the deal and ask for the order. We need to get the customer to say 'yes I want to according to The Institute of Purchasing Management only 20% of customers will ever volunteer an order...the rest we have to ask!!Phrases such as "Would you like to go ahead now?", or "So, when do you want delivery?" are so effective in either getting the customer to say 'yes' or, at worst,in flushing out final concerns they may have before giving you the go ahead.
Tip No 8: Follow up straight away
Having successfully concluded the deal it is important to review areas that went well so that you can do them again next time! Equally, you may want to consider any areas that you will do differently next time, in order to learn and self-develop.You should also check that you are clear on what exactly you and the customer have actually committed to. What needs to be done next to make it happen
Lastly, it is good practice to confirm all agreements and actions to the customer in writing.I hope these eight tips have given you 'food for thought' as you prepare to sell your way to success.
GARY GORMAN
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