Maybe you are afraid of selling because you aren’t confident in your ability to convince someone to buy your product.
If that’s you, we have some good news. You don’t have to convince anyone of anything. The modern world of sales is not a game of hardball deals and manipulation; it is a world of empathic communication.
Take the time to empathize with the prospect and identify their specific needs first before offering to address those needs.Your product only has value if it fixes the client’s problems.
This method allows you to learn whether you are a good fit to effectively serve the needs of the potential client or not.
If you find your product will not serve their needs, save time and tell them so.
“But wait”, you might be thinking, “Why would I tell someone not to buy what I’m selling?”
It seems counter-intuitive, but consider this: both parties will eventually know whether or not your offer is valuable in the long-run.
It is always best to be honest up front. You will win their respect and often their future business or referrals.
Eventually, the truth always comes out. Even if you can convince the client to agree to a deal, they would eventually be disappointed by your performance.
Your best practice in sales is to be honest and empathetic. Your potential client is the expert on his or her business, let them talk – let them share their experiences and needs.
The goal of the discovery process is to find the prospect’s pain. This is done through active listening.
This means shutting up and listening to your potential client while asking deep, probing questions to draw out the true source of their business issues.
The customer usually knows they have a problem, but only you can determine whether or not you have an effective solution for their problem.
Using your expertise to diagnose their challenges provides them with an educated analysis and creates value for their business before a deal is even signed.
Think of the sales pitch not as your chance to pull off a perfect performance, but more as an opportunity to live up to your name.
Your ability to diagnose the needs of the prospect and explain the features of your product to provide a solution is the determinant of success in your pitch.
By highlighting those (and ONLY those) features of your product that solve the problems you uncovered through active listening, you keep the topic of conversation on what the client actually cares about.
If your solution has real value for the client, make that value the only focus of your pitch. Charisma and showmanship will only get you so far.
Don’t fill your sales pitch with all your product features and competitive advantages, focus on the client’s needs through active listening. A Chinese restaurant menu has pages of menu items, but the majority of customers only order a handful. Feed your prospects only what they’re hungry for.
Remember that a policy of honesty and integrity is the secret to long-term success, so don’t be afraid to tell a prospect when they don’t need what you have to offer. Honestly builds success with substance.
If you are a small business owner who wants to take sales to the next level, Sales Arbiter can get you there.
Our team has a background of small business sales success, and we have a personal understanding of the unique sales challenges of small businesses. We create sales growth and implement self-sustaining, highly profitable, and highly functional sales programs.
Schedule a meeting with us today to get started!
