Surely you have heard that, in order to make a sale, you have to know your competition. Well, experience has taught us that to sell your products better you need to know your customers well.
You are probably wondering why my competition sells and I don’t? The answer is very simple. Selling is easy when you think about the customer and not the goal.
We all like to buy, but we hate to be sold, how ironic isn’t it? Here is the key to this profession, before selling a product, think about how you would like to be sold. If you manage to convince yourself, then you have achieved your goal.
Here are 7 keys that will make your sales strategies more effective.
1. Preparation
You have to be prepared for everything. The better trained you are, the better your results will be. Before making a sale you must know the product, the company, the competition and your buyer persona.
As consultants we can deduce that the preparation is based on knowing perfectly the customer prospecting you have. Understanding their needs will help you gather the necessary information to finalize the sale. Otherwise you will not be able to solve their problem.
Within this preparation it is vital to take into account the smallest detail. You must look at your client’s environment, see what he has, how he dresses, how he talks. Ask him about the company, what are the problems that affect him, among others.
The idea is to identify something in common to create a connection in that part of the conversation.
2. First impression
Perhaps this is one of the most important key, since it is the first thing you sell. Just as you are looking for personal information from your clients, they will also be looking for it from you. The first five minutes of contact put at stake your credibility and the most essential for a sale, trust.
The only way to be cautious. Is by making these points practical.
- ➡ Break the ice
To address this point you must make the most of what drew the customer’s attention to you. You should start by engaging in a conversation that is of interest to both of you. Be careful, when you are in the middle of the process, don’t arrive as a salesperson. Arrive conversationally, there is a saying that is right “win the friend and you will get the customer”.
These are mistakes to avoid in which many fail. Don’t sell right away. Find things in common. And I assure you that it’s going to be a much easier buying decision when you are encouraged to sell.
- ➡ Keep a natural smile
A smile will always be the best way to start any conversation. It is such a powerful weapon that opens incredible doors. It is the tool that allows the good development of any business.
A potential customer. He prefers a salesperson with a positive attitude that allows him to get infected with it, than a bad attitude that will sour his day.
- ➡ Make eye contact without being intimidating.
Looking the person in the eye while holding a sale implies interest. Don’t allow it to become prolonged since it can be interpreted as intimidation and you could lose the customer’s trust. Be careful with this.
Avoid distractions such as phone calls, looking at watches or any other object that completely steals your interest in your customer. Remember that first impressions count. Worry about having the best relationship, otherwise it can affect you when it comes to increasing your customer retention.
Don’t forget to remember their name, since it is the key to gain their trust. You must be attentive to the moment they pronounce it. And even repeat it as many times as necessary or associate it to be able to memorize it.
- ➡ An acceptable appearance
Appearance is fundamental when it comes to convincing the client. This will depend on the customs or culture where you are. Having an appearance that is in keeping with the context will help you in many ways. There is an old saying that says “image sells”.
There are times when an excellent appearance represents experience, knowledge and position. All of this coupled with attitude, education, and punctuality will give the impact you want to achieve from your prospect.
- ➡ Good posture
Another important factor in a negotiation, since it is responsible for giving information about your emotional state. A bad posture can transmit insecurity or conviction in the sale you are making. This point goes hand in hand with each of the previous points.
3. Sales pitch
The way you talk is the way you sell. This is an old saying that is not far from the truth. Creating a connection with your buyer is the goal of every salesperson, but it’s not so easy to achieve. A lot of it comes down to the words you use.
Imagine yourself for a moment as a buyer and visualize what you feel when you buy. You are full of emotions, aren’t you? Well, that is precisely the effect of the words the salesperson promotes. The right words generate emotions.
There are many companies that previously design their speech and it can work. Our experience has taught us that it is not so convenient.
It is valid to have mastery of the subject and to know the movement of your competition. But there is something essential that you cannot rehearse, and that the client knows when he is born from you. Empathy.
Empathy is an emotion that adjusts to understanding the needs of the other. Surely you have had the tedious experience of a salesperson showing you around the store, taking you from product to product. Well, this doesn’t make it empathetic, it makes it boring.
Customers don’t like this sales cycle. To know the characteristics of a product, it is preferable to read the instructions. In reality, a customer is looking for a solution to his problem or need.
A common misleading example is the sale of cell phones. They usually promote a phone by the amount of RAM or large pixel camera. In reality the customer does not understand this type of promotion.
Making the customer think about the problems he will solve by acquiring the product will give you better results.
Show them that their equipment will support all of today’s applications without crashing. And that your images will be professional, magazine level. It will undoubtedly be the kind of specification that will ensure the sales funnel you’ve prepared so well.
4. Meet their needs
To satisfy the customer’s needs you must know the reasons that brought them there. Generally recurring buyers are always looking for products that offer economic benefits.
Value for money is very attractive to this type of customer. Their idea is to cover their need without having to spend a lot. Identifying this type of problem is your job. You need to clarify questions such as: What are you looking for? Why are you looking for it that way?
If you manage to find the answers to these two questions, you have found what is known as the sell button. The sale button, or also known as the action button: it is the shortest way on a website to go to the purchase.
A customer may require a solution that has a specific functionality. A car sale is a very practical example to understand their needs.
If you approach a customer who is looking at different types of vehicles. After a pleasant conversation you will complete the above questions then you will have an idea what to show him.
Suppose he expresses “I want to go for a ride with my family and I also want to save fuel”. So your analysis would conclude, he wants a small car and he wants a family car.
This stage in the sales process will be almost finished. You will surely make him the ideal offer in which both of you will be very happy.
5. Customer Service
Good customer service is not achieved just by knowing the target or understanding the buyer’s behavior. It is necessary to develop strategies to address concerns, complaints or suggestions to find future product improvements.
Customer service is as valuable as product effectiveness. One of the positive points provided by this attention is the opportunity to relate to the customer. This means that the contact channels remain active, developing loyalty and trust in the buyer.
Being ahead of the customer’s needs is the most successful way for any company. The customer must see that you are committed to serving him. That will surprise him, besides taking for granted that his concern will be solved.
The way you serve reveals the quality of the product you offer. One of the most important factors in the business game is customer service. Moreover, it is the competitive quality that will set you apart from the competition.
6. Customer prospecting
Increasing the sale of your products requires a lot of this term. It is about choosing your customers and then contacting them to offer them the best service or product.
The term prospecting consists of finding little nuggets of gold (customers) to make them part of your business model. In other words, finding the most valuable prospects in an endless number of consumers to introduce them to your sales funnel.
This is an arduous task that requires a great process, such as researching the prospect’s needs. You must have a preparation for the contact or closeness you will make with the person or company. For the latter you must be on target with the sales pitch.
Inbound marketing is one of the most used strategies by social networks to capture potential customer prospects. It is a strategy applied to understand their needs and their commercial capacity.
7. Post-sales
This is the point where customer retention is present. That is, here we do everything we can to establish contact with the customer. The idea is to ensure their loyalty to the product or the company. In other words, to turn them from a simple customer into an ideal prospect.
Follow-up, either by email or voice message, should never be forgotten. For callbacks, you must be prepared for possible rejections.
In case of positive responses send thank you emails from the company. This could be the right time to apply sales closing techniques.
Ultimately, a sales process focuses on providing advice to the customer. The salesperson is the link between the product and the buyer. His objective is to listen attentively to the buyer’s concerns. Asking the right questions is the key that will later help contribute to the solution.
Now that you know the keys to follow, go ahead and increase your sales! Win the customer and enjoy the sale.
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