Prepare
Research the company or client you are selling to, gathering any interesting information you can. When you are speaking with your client common questions are: what do you know about their business or why you think your product or service would be great for them, this is your opportunity to shine with the preparation stage, if you can bust this information out you’ll have them hooked and ready to reel in! Being prepared and knowing your client will show that you have an active interest in what they are doing, and people like to hear things about themselves, we all know that’s true!
Part of preparation is getting a good sleep, it will make your day that much easier and you will be that much more sharp. After I get up from a good sleep (which is hard being an entrepreneur) I sit down and set up my goals for that day. Making a plan of action has helped me stay focused on my targets and has lead me to sales success!
Listen
When your client is talking actively be sure to listen. Don’t just nod in agreement, but also make eye contact. It’s important to find a balance with eye contact, matching the client’s behavior but also keeping a couple tips in mind: too much eye contact will make them uncomfortable and too little will make them think you lack confidence.
While you’re listening be sure to analyze the client’s words and behaviors. You can find all sorts of clues that will help you with your sales pitch, and it is another great way to show that you care about what your client needs. You should recap what your customer expresses as interest or importance while you are stating the benefits of your product.. use their words to reinforce why they need to buy from you!
Taking listening a step further by taking notes about what your customer is saying. This shows even more interest and it can help you remember to recap on some points you may otherwise forget. When you recap show the notes and go point by point with your customer explaining why your products fit their needs with their own words!
Follow Up
Always follow up, whether you get the sale or not. If you did get the sale its nice to catch any problems early so you can fix them before your customer gets frustrated. This will increase your customer satisfaction and turn customers into loyal friends to continue business. If you didn’t get the sale make sure you still follow up, most times it takes a few tries to get the sale. Make that connection with your customers and they will be very loyal!
