I have been selling since I was 17 and I have been privileged to meet some amazing sales people in this journey of 27 years. I have learnt that the number one rule in sales is to listen to what the customer is saying for 5 simple reasons:
- To be able to understand the business needs
- To understand the pressures in the business
- To discover the concerns for the business
- To know if there are any personal issues or concerns
- To show the client you’re not all about the sale
Following these 5 simple listening rules, you will need to make the entire sales process easier to assist in having a stronger chance of success.
11 simple steps to selling
1.Understand what the customer is trying to achieve, by asking yourself why is the customer undertaking this venture:
Do you understand their business?
Who are their customers?
How do they gain new customers?
Once you understand them, make sure to offer all your products in your range
2. When presenting to the customer, you must believe that you have the correct solution and a fair price
You need a sales presentation; it can be visual or audio but make sure you have it planned
Rehearse the delivery
Have some objection handling responses ready for the customer’s questions
Refine your closing technique
3. The key to great selling is listening, think to yourself ‘what does the customer want?’
There is only one sure fire way to guarantee to engage your client and that is by knowing exactly what the customer wants
Listening is the most important thing in sales, if you don’t listen you don’t sell
Refer back to the 5 simple reasons for listening above
4. Ask the right questions
The questions need to be simple, don’t complicate things
Always ask open questions. Close-ended questions are those which can be answered by a simple “yes” or “no”.
What, Why, When and How are the basis of all your questions
5. Walk in with the mentality that you already have the sale
Thinking that you have the sale before you walk in puts you in the right mindset
Walk in using the right language (e.g.???)
Make sure you have your ego in check. Overconfidence can put people off. Don’t cross the line between cocky and confidence
Ensure you have confidence in the product
6. Be selective on what you tell the prospect
Don’t tell the customer how you analyse the need
Don’t reveal the systems you use
Never tell the prospect what your costs are
7. When is enough, enough?
Avoid hoping for the best outcome and hold onto prospects longer than needed
Understand what your time is worth
Prayer does not bring a prospect back to life
8. Do not assume
Do you think that you know what the customer needs? Don’t leave anything to chance, make sure, don’t think
If you have not asked enough questions, then ask some more
After every meeting with the prospect email them back with all the information you collected, this way you can confirm the information you collected is accurate
9. Pretend that you need every sale to make target
Being hungry is different to being desperate
Hungry = the want to sell regularly and meet targets
Desperate = you need it to survive
10. Close, Close and when you can, Close
Ask for the sale
Trial closing through the discovery process can help. Offer a solution and then ask the question, also known as the yes yes yes close. Influence the customer to continuously say yes so the last question you ask should be a yes. Suggested script:
“Does that sound right?”
“Is that what you need?”
”Is this the solution that will help?”
Then there is the final close, the last question of the meeting, e.g. “so I will start the paperwork now?” This is the presumptuous close. It can help or it can hinder the sale if you ask too early
11. Be across every aspect of the sale from prospect to sale and then onto the completed product
Be an end-to-end sales person and work on your account management skills all in one process
At the end of the day you need to connect with the customer and not be scared to lose the sale. You need to always be confident and work towards success, follow this simple process will always allow you to be successful.
