Sunday 6 March 2011

ANATOMY OF A SALE IN THE WORLD OF SMALL BUSINESS

Millions of sales people consider themselves professionals. Many read books, join a work shop, attend seminars and practice in improving the selling skills. Very few, however, take the time to carefully dissect a sale and the selling process to analyze it, and find out it is really made of. Lets take a few moments to look at selling from this point of view. As we do , let’s see if we can learn something that can make us better salespeople. Never sell any product or service that you do not firmly believe will offer benefits to your customers that outweigh the cost.
Also find a product or service that has broad applications or enough appeal to enable you to make a good living from selling it. Make your customers think of you as someone they would always like to talk to. Self confidence is the number one prerequisite for success in sales . Self confidence comes from focusing on three key issues. The first is knowledge . Learn everything there is to know about product or service you are selling. The second is practice. Rehearse your sale presentation until you can say it perfectly and convincingly . The third is experience . It takes a long , determined effort and sincere commitment to develop the skills needed to succeed in sales.
Identifying and locating customers will genuinely benefit your small business. Qualify your customers to verify that they are able to make the buying decision. Question such as ; are you a small business owner? Do you have a share in your small business? Will be helpful in the long run. Don’t ever linger on customers you assume will be buying your products and increasing your capital. You can’t tell who will be buying before selling process because perspective customers do not know whether or not they will buy at this point.
The first impression any professional sales person make on a prospective customer is vitally important. Indeed a professional will know exactly what they are going to say, and they expect others to listen to them. Instead tell customers whom you are working for, and do it with pride. Be sure to tell them your small business does, and where it is located. Doing so makes the company seem more real because customers can fix location in their minds. This in turn makes customers feel more comfortable and secure.
Show excitement as you introduce the product or your small business services. Exuberance and enthusiasm are contagious. Create at least one good reason why your customers should take a look and consider buying your product or getting your service. You might say, “this product is new, and we have special introductory offer for today” . The key is to be brief. Put a premium on your time and use it wisely. If you do not, no prospective customer will take you seriously. At this point in the sale, your objective is to get the customer to look at your product or service. Do not jump ahead by trying to sell by merits. That should be the later stage after your presentations.
Wise sales professionals set the stage for their presentation with a brief explanation before beginning the formal presentation . A sensible explanation might go something like :”dear customer, I’m going to take a minute to show you the difference between our products and services and others that are out their markets.
Demonstrate and present to win your business . Be informative. People will always give you their time when they feel they are learning something new and interesting from you. Provide your prospective customers all the information they need to make an intelligent buying decision. Point out all the unique features and benefits of your product or service. Become a great actor. Learn your lines, orchestrate and focus on your basic goal that is to sell your product.
Be clear. The salesperson depends on the customers to understand and retain vast array of facts presented in a single, casual offering. To make matters even more confusing, the salesperson pepper the presentation with jokes, anecdotes, and questions. Then when the salesperson attempts to close the sale, the customer slams on the breaks with line like I’d have to think about it. At that point you have to put yourself in his shoes, and think like him. Remember that you can’t make a successful sale to every one as not all will understand your propositions
The only reason anyone buys anything is that he or she perceives a real value or benefits in owing the product or service . You should master the art of building value into your product or service. For any salesperson to be successful , he or she must master the skill of giving the customers a reason to do business now rather than later. Urgency is made up of two elements: the reason and reward for doing the business now. To create urgency, the customer must first want your product or service. Until this desire is in plan , it is impossible to generate urgency.
Proceeding further , in the sale , you describe the benefits of owing your products or services to the customers. You also point out or demonstrate the unique nature of your special offer. In addition , you describe the stability and reliability of your small business. You demonstrate your own competency, ability, and knowledge. Clearly outline the terms and conditions of the sale. Make your proportion in straightforward manner. Be concise while still communicating all needed information.
The conclusion or the closing pitch should always be logical of your well-thought-out , carefully planned, and professionally delivered sales presentation. The proper time to close a sales is when the customer is ready to say YES. If you have done your job properly, you will get either a yes or even a no at this point. If you have done your job convincingly , you will get more yeses than nos.

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