Well, you got to encounter sales at some point of time in your life. You better be ready for it as you might soon be selling an idea, service, product, or even yourself to an employer. How well would you be able to do it, depends totally upon your skills and talent.
But, it’s not that everybody is gifted with this talent. As a matter of fact, it doesn’t even come across as talent to some, as they often misinterpret it to be like a salesman kind of job. I remember telling this to one of my friends that I am going to transition into marketing and sales; I was taken aback with his response, he said – “are you going to be a salesman?” I went numb for a moment, embarrassed the next, then regained my senses the very next moment.
It’s awkward when people start labelling your job or passion. But, that doesn’t bother me anymore. After being with sales for so many years, I feel I took the right stand. It was a decisive turn in my career. I am much involved with it already and it has taught me to connect, negotiate, and turn talks into effective conversations. This brings me to the title, the other part – sales is not that tough either..
Trust me, you can sell anything, literally anything to anybody. Even the least-selling ones are not spared. Thanks to me! No, it’s not gonna revolve around me anymore, the idea is just to get you hooked, which I supposedly just did. 🙂
Remember, you could only be taught the techniques. But, it’s about how you use them to achieve the goals you’d like to. There are a few fundamentals that I can list here. Have a read –
Look around
Don’t think you’re all set unless you’ve looked around for sometime. Get to know whoever is related to you, who your audience is, what you’re selling, and other such things. Don’t leave a stone unturned while getting acquainted with the competition. What else? Get the idea of what exactly are you going to pitch for, knowing it inside out is much needed. You got to know it better than anybody, to be in a position to answer all questions about it.
Whatever you do, make sure you don’t waste either your time or even your boss’s time. Homework is crucial.
Don’t sound pushy
Sometimes, being over ambitious could be injurious to your reputation. Don’t be a pushy marketer. Listen to your clients, ask questions, answer them.
Understand, it absolutely isn’t about you, neither it is entirely about your service, plan or product. In fact, it’s about the ones who would consume or buy from you. Show your concern when they ask you something. Ask for doubts, clear them as they come. Don’t interrupt until everything is clear like crystal.
No, it doesn’t mean you have to do all that in one go. Speak more, talk sense. Giving rebuttals would be a nice thing to do. Make sure it doesn’t put you across as a desperate marketer. Acknowledge their apprehensions, try to empathize their situation and suggest what would you do, had you been in a similar situation.
Know who you work for
Sales is all about getting your thoughts in line. You know who pays you each month, but you’re actually working for your customers or those you’re selling to, in a way. Your primary motive is to make sales happen and to do so, you need to understand their needs and serve them in the most appropriate manner. So….. you work for them. Simple!
Know what? Your customers love the fact that you’re always there to get them out of trouble, that they’re your foremost priority, that you’re proactive in giving them all the details, and moreover, that you deal with clarity and fairness.
Sales pitch alone won’t work, you got to be a true conversation starter, influencer, and a great advisor to people that often come-by your website or shop. This genuine ability of yours could attract ongoing visitors to look your way and help you in succeeding in your own goal.
