The most terrifying part of being a business owner is making sales. However, to be a successful business owner, that’s an essential part of what you do.
So how do you get around this major issue? How do you make sales? What do you say? How can you make sales without sounding pushy, salesy, and obnoxious?
We’ve all experienced being sold to in a pushy, sleazy manner, and often it’s an unpleasant experience. We have all come across those who are only interested in shoving their product or service down your throat without caring about understanding what you really need.
No one likes dealing with this type of marketer. So when you’re selling, you may be afraid of being one of those people. Selling is hard because getting someone to buy your product or service can create immense pressure. You want to make sure you’re approaching each customer the right way. And you don’t to be too pushy, but also you don’t want to lose sales because you’re too afraid to close a deal.
So selling is like walking a tightrope. You need to find the right balance between getting your message across and not pushing your customers into a corner. However, this is much easier than it sounds. You can use these five tips to improve your sales process and ultimately close more deals.
1. Build Connections First
Selling is all about building connections with your prospects. Taking the time to connect with a prospect before you share your offer shows genuineness; this makes customers interested in what you’re selling.
Nothing feels worse than when it seems like all someone cares about is your money, so don’t make your customers feel like that. The most essential part of the sales process is building a rapport — don’t skip this step.
The best way to build a relationship with customers is to ask open-ended questions and actively listening. Active listening involves giving your customers your undivided attention and letting them know they have your attention. Use non-verbal cues such as nodding your head to let them know you’re fully invested in what they’re saying.
Ask open-ended questions which need answers that are more than “yes” or “no.” These questions encourage your customers to be more open with you, which helps create a rapport and build trust.
2. Sell a Benefit, Not a Product or a Service
No one cares about your products or services in themselves. People care about what your products or services can do for them.
Thus, when you’re pitching or creating your marketing materials, ask yourself, “Why should my target customers care?” Your answer to this question will help you know how you can sell to your customers.
It’s common to focus on what you’re selling instead of why you’re selling it. The best way to avoid falling into this trap is to focus on the “why.” So when talking to your target market, talk about the benefit or change they should expect when they buy your products or services.
3. Speak about Your Customers, Not You
Again, the major thing that customers what to know is how your products or service will affect them. To them, this is more important than hearing how the product or service has helped you.
For example, a customer will care more about if a face cream can clear their acne rather than how it has cleared yours. So when engaging with potential customers, keep the focus on them. Show your customers how your product or service can improve their lives.
4. Teaching Sells
Focusing on a platform that teaches and is beneficial to your customers will set you apart from the pack. This is because many of your competitors are just focusing on selling, and they’re missing the golden opportunity to generate sales without selling.
Begin by offering free quality content that’s valuable to your audience. This could be in the form of free guides, blog posts, webinars, and tutorials — there are many ways to offer value.
If the content is valuable, your customers will recognize this; they’ll then want more content from you and they’ll be willing to pay for it.
5. Be Brave, Positive and Allow Yourself to Move On
You can generate more sales without being salesy and pushy; always be positive and pleasant to your audience. People pay attention to your actions, and how you handle positive or negative experiences will define your business.
Remember, even if you get money from every person you connect with, you won’t be successful until you focus on what your audience needs. Once you know what your customers need, give it to them. Lead with a heart-based service and your audience will value what you’re selling: sales will follow.
If you take the time to build a rapport with your audience, you’ll know if someone is genuinely interested in your offer. And if they aren’t interested, it’s okay to move on. When you move on from that relationship, perhaps the customer will feel more comfortable and they may refer other customers to you in the future.