There are many ways to improve selling skills and numerous books have been written on enhancing the same. Experts speak about 100 things while describing a sales process, but there are few basic things that work at any cost.
I have created this cheat sheet basis my own experience. They have worked for me always. Below is the description of those:
Rapport -A mutual bond
- Why are we always at a different level of the comfort zone with our friends?
- What if we treat our clients like our friends only to a certain extent. Just think?
- Will this increase our sales and bond?
I believe that the answer to the above is definitely a big “YES”. Nobody including me likes to talk to a person they are either not interested in or they hate. So yeah that rapport building and a decent friendship will definitely increase the faith between the two parties and will help each other in the long term. See the hacks to build rapport with anyone.
Follow-up in seconds
- Follow up with the lead as soon as you get it.
- Waiting for too long may make the lead cold resulting in the customer not buying your product or solution.
- Immediate follow-up ensures professionalism and makes the customer feel that you take care of his needs.
- After the first call, set a time with the lead for further follow-ups and ensure that they are done on time to avoid lead falling out of your kitty.
- Follow-ups can be done via WhatsApp, text messages, emails, etc.
Identify the problem, sell the solution
- The more you try to sell the product, the more chances are there that you get away from closing him.
- Customer’s needs, requirements need to be identified over the first call itself.
- Always talk from a customer’s perspective; his problems, how your product/ service will fill that gap. How your product/solution will take your customer from his current state to his desired state.
- Your customer does not really care about you, they want to know what is in it for them.
Deliver more than expected
- Getting something expected is normal, but getting something extra is actually a ‘cherry on the cake’.
- If you know that you are best at something then, delivering more than customers’ expectations will always be an advantage for you, it will help you develop long term relationship with your customer.
It could be a ‘No’ just for now
- Salespeople are never trained to accept ‘NO’ as an answer.
- If you were successful in gaining the trust of the client, then even if he is not interested in you, he will surely:
- Come back to you in the future whenever required.
- Will refer his network to you.
- Might not get closed with a ‘ highly-priced deal’ but will surely end up taking the smaller one as a matter of your respect.
Deliver before time
● Don’t wait for the deadline to come and then deliver on the last day… no…never do that!
● Try completing the entire task beforehand and then deliver it for a check-up early and do the relevant changes as suggested by the customer.
● It unconsciously urges him to give you more and more tasks/ projects in the future.
● If the work is beyond his expectations, then he can even refer you to his current professional network or the other people in need.
Long term relationships
● Don’t talk as if you are never going to meet again, your first meeting matters a lot, whatever you speak in that ensure that the client wants to meet you again
● If he gets bored/ not interested or feels like you were not genuine or clear with your concept, then there is a high level of chance that he will not catch up next time and will start avoiding your calls.
● Always follow-up with your old clients, to understand how they are doing, how was their overall experience with the delivery part and so on.
● There are factors that will drive clients away and others that will bring them closer to you and make them trust you. Learn about those factors here.
Selling is basically letting the other person speak more & more in which he will be easily able to display his current problems and will give you an idea to take his case forward!
