I love selling. If you want to become a businessman you the word 'selling" should not scare you away. Since I was a kid I was exposed to various kinds of selling. These experiences have taught me valuable lessons that I apply up to this day.
| http://www.flickr.com/photos/24256351 |
1. Sell only products/services that you really like or you truly believe in. Selling is enjoyable if you like what you’re selling.
2. Try the products/services on yourself. You can answer questions from customers better if you know your product. For example, I sold this skin care set that has a slogan that says something like be fair in seven days. But from my experience I wasn't fair after seven days. I had great results after 3 to 4 weeks. So when clients ask me if it is effective I can give them honest answers. It is better to be honest to your clients than telling them otherwise just to push a sale.
3. Never push a sale for the sake of making a sale. If you know that your prospect will benefit from the item you are selling it's good if you can convince her/him. But if he said he's not interested then don't push it. People don't like being told what to do.
4. Know the needs of your client. If you know your client does not need your product, please don't push it. Be sensitive. Offer your client what he truly needs not the one that will make you a bigger profit. If you don't have the product he/she needs refer her/him to other people if you must. Read the story below.
There was a time when a friend of mine invited me to a business seminar. I overheard two people next to my table talking about debit cards and checks. For illustration purposes let's name them Jane and Janice. They were discussing about debit cards and checks. Jane is a bank employee and she's trying to persuade Janice to apply for a debit card from her bank. Janice says that she needs something to easily pay for her business transactions. From My friend happened to be a common friend of Jane and Janice and overheard the two women talking. He said "Based on your description I think you need a current account." But Jane said, "No, debit card is better. If you travel it will come in handy." My friend said, "But she seldom travels, and she needs an account for her business not for personal use. Checking account is handy because a lot of her business transactions require checks". After that Jane is still persuading Janice to apply for a debit card.
If this is your selling style your client might get irritated and ran away from you! The next time he/she sees you she'll avoid you because she'll think you'll be selling nonsense again.
5. Follow up. After making a sale, call or send your client a message. Ask her if she has some feedback about your product. This way your client will feel that you care.
Remember the skin care product I mentioned at Number 2? After making a sale for about 2 to 3 weeks (this is the time when the product normally shows signs of improvements) I send texts to my clients and ask them how they are doing with the product. This is a good chance to establish rapport and earn loyal clients.
There you go. I hope this list was helpful. Selling is fun. Plus if you really love to be an entrepreneur you shouldn't be afraid of selling.
Do you have any experience in selling? Tell me about it, comment below. :)