People have been trying to sell everything from food to services and jewelry for a millennia, but most sellers fail. A main issue is ineffective sales techniques or a lack of sales training altogether.
One of the most prevalent issues is ineffective listening abilities and thinking your sales pitch will make the sale. This despite the fact that the best sales coaches have preached reflective listening as the only good way to close the deal for years. The truth is that almost everyone wants to talk, including, likely, you. The best advice we give at successful sales techniques salt lake city is to just shut up and listen to your prospects' feelings and motivators.
Just as you like to discuss your own issues and what you bring to the table, your potential customers like to talk about their own businesses or lives. Use the following list of techniques to boost sales strategies or to pass on to with your coworkers or the sellers you manage.
Let's talk about what you should do first, before you start talking to prospects. You need to know your audience and find out what they think about goods and services like yours. Do they know they could use a solution? Do they have a problem you can solve uniquely? How will your solution affect the bottom line?
Next, you need to start listening. Consider these expert sales tips:
- Close your mouth!! Most would-be sellers blab on forever, not even knowing that they have already lost the sale, who is now just trying to get off the phone as soon as they can. You can discuss the benefits of your product and briefly discuss how you can offer solutions, but not unless you know what they expect.
- You can't read minds. Remember that every prospect is unique, and that you can usually not guess what they really need. Get your ego out of the way so you don't think that you know more than they do about what they want. Instead, ask clarifying questions every step along the way.
- Don't be demanding. No one likes to be bossed around, but salespeople often end up doing this when they repeat and repeat their sales pitches without listening properly. A better way is to talk about the benefits of your product or service and listen while the customer talks, coming to understand why, in the process, your solution is the ideal choice. You can coach the client along, but stop there or you could lose it all.
- You will close the deal on emotion. Facts and figures have their place, but making sales is really about whether your customer has trust in you and what you're selling. This is true even if they don't know it. Pay attention to feelings about being overwhelmed and tired, as these are negatives you could help solve. It's also smart to listen for pleasant emotions such as happiness, because this can help you understand your customer's true needs.
- Learn what your customers really need. If they are OK with their own solutions to the problem you think you see, learn more. If not, find out what's missing. If they are only interested in parts of your products, understand that as well. In reality, making any sale is about persuading one person at a time. People who don't feel listened to, will almost never continue a business relationship with you.
- Use your own words to rephrase what they say. Known as reflective listening, this skill lets the client know you're hearing what they say, that you care about it and are thinking about it, and that you are getting it right. Furthermore, this technique clarifies what they expect from you.
- Know what they want Besides learning what the client says he or she needs, find out what the real underlying motivations are. Often, this means saving money but it can also be something like improving speed, reducing worry and more.
These sales tips might not be intuitive at first, but if you just give them a chance you will see that they are very effective. Don't forget that most would-be sellers just rush through with their standard pitches, not considering their prospects' ideas at all. These salespeople are never successful. Find success by shutting your mouth and proving that you really care.