Yes, they are eloquent and entertaining, they have this appealing personality that allows them to sell anything to anyone. Frankly speaking I am not one of them. I realize it, and, while being a no-sales-type, I nevertheless found my way how to sell my products. If you also do not belong to this highly articulate sell-them-anything type, I have a couple of best practices in value selling for your practical application.
You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want.
Even if you do not have an active sales role, it is still a good idea to learn a little bit about sales techniques. Perhaps, you will have to show your team your vision and path you deem right and you will need to argument your choice; perhaps, you’ll need to describe the best of your products to your customer on telephone, or, basically, you’ll need to introduce yourself to potential partners or investors. It is amazing to have this skill that enables you to appeal to people in your business, in your team, in your environment; it is great to have this ability to make people respect you and your message. Can you imagine having this sort of impact and never having to boast or exaggerate?
In this article I’m going down to the model of consultative selling. I will show you how you can utilize it in order to promote and sell your ideas, products or services. You will learn how to prepare yourself, what to say and how to deal with questions and objections so that your sales pitch acquires confidence and higher success chances.
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The goal is to create value for the customer in the role of a personal consulting expert rather than a hard-selling salesperson.
The consultative sales requires a higher level of trust and credibility than any other sales model. So, right now we are talking about a wonderful base for your business because you build the relationships with potential clients establishing trustworthy ground by means of right questions and no pushing. This helps you to grow a positive image, which will play to your hand.
Unlike other typical sellers, you do not concentrate on foisting something on your target group, your primary purpose is to advise and support, and that’s why they are going to love you and trust you.
Features are often boring, and it takes time to recognize all the possibilities. But when you translate these features into benefits, you automatically build emotional connection with your customer. If you feel ready, concentrate on the advantages of your product or idea, identify them precisely, understand what those advantages may mean to a potential buyer. This way you will be able to communicate this information to your target audience with clarity and sincerity.
Understand the needs of your target group – identify the problems that your product or idea is supposed to solve, address them. It will directly influence the way you pitch. When you speak to people who are not in your field of business activity, make sure you use words and terms that anyone, from any kind of professional background, can understand. You should convey and convince, not to puzzle. Underline your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) – people buy the best possible solution that meets their needs and is adequate to their budget.
Tip:
The more you rehearse and practice your presentation and pitch tone the more comfortable you will feel when the time comes to actually deliver your presentation and try to sell something. Practice what you want to tell your client, and rehearse it as frequently as possible.
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Hold the conversation – You want to establish a connection with your counterpart so that your presentation or your pitch could have this wonderful light feeling of a nice conversation. It might feel awkward and uncomfortable for both your audience and you yourself when you just stand up, come to them and start selling something. You can talk about your idea or a product with inspiration and passion right from where you stand.
Asking questions – Active involvement of your target group is the key to retain their focus. When you meet someone tet-a-tet, make sure you both speak equal time. Do not load your counterpart with too many questions and always listen without interrupting. When you are delivering a presentation in front of the group, encourage the audience to ask questions during the presentation. Of course, we mean relevant questions that would not drive you off your agenda.
Focus on “help” instead of “sales” – Consultative selling means that you identify what your counterpart needs. Concentrate on that and try to keep your sellers instincts and competing aims away from the talk.
Pay attention to body language – Pay attention to the non-verbal communication during your pitch. When people start feeling bored or make repetitive movements by their hand or foot, it is a good signal that you should transition to the next key point of your pitch or wind up your presentation.
No matter how skillfully you are pitching, there always going to be one client who has something to object or has some reservations as for your product/service/idea. And if you turn out unprepared you will end up losing control of the situation. It is important to know and recognize that objection does not automatically mean „no”. It just means that your audience is ready to bombard you with a series of questions and express their concerns. Thus, we can see that objections should not make you cringe but rather accept it as your perfect opportunity to address your counterpart’s fears, reassure them and go on optimistically.
Every time as your audience comes forward with an objection, you can retort with a question. When you approach an objection with a question you are feeling and locate the root of a problem, — you should not sound like you are fighting back tossing the ball in return. Besides, it shows your customers that you indeed recognize their concern and you are eager to cooperate in order to find an objective solution that would satisfy both parties.
If you do not receive your customer’s decision directly on the pitch day it means your counterpart has got some time to think about your conversation and everything you told. What is important here is not to leave the situation open. Your chances to sell successfully fall dramatically if you do not receive confirmation or at least some sign of certainty and leave your customer with thoughts.
Therefore, as you feel that your sales talk is coming to an end, make sure you set some precise date or time for your next step in the process. It gives you the possibility to rework your pitch once again, this time, with regard to objections spawned in the process. If you realize that your product or idea do not really suit your potential client withdraw elegantly. Unfortunately, people seldom do it. It can be a pleasant surprise for the customer, and maybe next time you talk to them he or she will be more receptive and impressible.
Tip:
It doesn’t matter what you are selling, there are stakeholders to always take into consideration, people whom you have to pull on your side for your product or service in order to succeed in what you are doing. That is why stakeholder management is so important. These key players can either propel your sales or scupper them.
As a founder and entrepreneur, I experience every day how important customer centricity is for companies.
Integrate the essential customer perspective into your product genesis and marketing processes. That puts horse powers on the street, until it runs.
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