Selling is hard! Don’t believe that it’s easy and don’t make yourself feel bad if you did not close as much sales as you can. Selling requires a piece of certain knowledge and experience that can be earned with your failures. The sale is a process. The normal sale could take from 5-10 contacts before you will finalize the deal. Below you can find the top 4 sales techniques that will help you to deliver!
1. Don’t be as formal as you think you should be
Most people think that culture in business is something that connects people and makes selling life easier. Most of the unsuccessful email I receive with sales offers looks like those one generated from the template…. Hello Mr….. I would like to ask if you will be interested….. I’m sending you some details.
That’s not a type of selling that will work. This is a technique used by very young salespeople that do not understand that 1000 of their colleagues are using the same methodology. There are different strategies for sales by phone, mail, or meetings, but there is one important thing about all of them. Don’t be as formal as you should be. Communicate straightforward information to people, do not oversell with the first contact and leave space for questions. For example:
“Hi, Mark…. I love what you’re doing at Incorporation X. Maybe you want to see what we’re doing and how this can improve your great strategy… Can you give me 15 minutes of your time”
This way you’re being different, you make it less formal but add respect to the person on other side needs. You also leave a space for “discussion” and believe me that 80% of your success is the first response…
2. Always be closing….. yes but be patient
Selling is a game…. Game of patience. Do not think you will close the deal right away, that the guy on another side will respond you “Yes Bro!! We’re buying”. It’s a painful process of making people on another site like you… and your product. Usually, it takes up to 10 contacts before you will reach a point where the transaction can be closed. There is one rule of this game! Discuss and don’t let the communication to die! When you initiate the first contact and send an offer, always ask if they get a chance to look at it if they have other questions. Even if the will tell you that they need time…. They will come back to you, treat it as a request to you for a contact in a short period.
You should not leave a response for more than 7 days… if you do that… the sale will die. Don’t be afraid of asking the question! But don’t oversell! By overselling I mean asking the client if he made a “Decision”. You rather ask people “if they have questions”, send them some ideas from your product how it can help and keep sending helpful information.
The client should tell you yes or no! If you push it to hard the sale will die!
3. Do not OVERSELL
Most new salespeople make one big mistake! They think that letting people choose is good for them. Let me tell you the truth. You’re not an advisor! You’re a sales guy. What does it mean? It means that if you reach a client you should have a ready to go proposition which fits perfectly clients needs. Let me handle this way. If you’re selling a car and see a builder coming to you, you offer him a nice semi truck. If you see a lawyer a nice Mercedes or BMW.
This a simple example but it can be more complicated if you deal with products or services which are more complex. Always choose one thing you want to sell and change it only when you see you made a mistake and the client needs something else!
The options you’re giving are taking you out from the sale! Not bringing you closer. You need to understand that you can always sell add-ons or change your offer when. It’s necessary. And that’s fine, but it should be a game adjustment not the creation of a rule
4. Keep a record of your contacts!
If someone says no it does not mean he will make the same decision in a year! If you were professional and did not burn that bridge you can refresh the contact after some period with simple questions like “Maybe no you have time to talk about it” or “Maybe you will give me. One more chance to show you. How we can help”. People. Makes decisions based on their current situation. And in business-like in life situation change! They did not experience the problem then, now the situation can change. Improve your client management immediatelly!
I’m always setting myself a follow back rule in a 3 and 6 months period, and can tell you that 20% of those contacts will be closed. That’s why good salespeople are. On track all the time! Because they are patient and do not forget about those things!