Many entrepreneurs start out with a big vision but hit a roadblock when they find themselves as reluctant salespeople. They struggle to find a consistent approach that feels comfortable while also being effective, often because they have zero experience in this area.
If this sounds like you or you want to develop a consistent approach for your sales team, it helps to create internal ‘rules for selling’ that will systemise and guide your approach. Once you get used to applying them, you’ll get much closer to your revenue goals.
After owning, growing and selling businesses for over 20 years, these are the rules I apply whenever I’m having conversations with potential new clients. The ‘magic’ in these principles is that they are intentionally designed to shift the focus away from the sale itself and towards genuinely understanding and serving the client’s needs.
These don’t have to be your exact rules for selling but they will give you inspiration to create your own:
1. Focus on the Truth, Not the Sale
Rather than fixating on making the sale, your first priority should be truly understanding your potential client’s needs, problems and goals.
By getting to the heart of what the client cares about, you can come up with a more tailored solution for them. What’s more, the fact that you’re not trying to rush the sale will build trust.
2. Build Genuine Rapport
Instead of launching into being overly bubbly or serious as you get to know a new client, aim to match and mirror their communication style. Adapting your approach to reflect their energy will move you towards establishing rapport and make them feel understood.
Remember, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Once you have made a connection and met the client on their level, it will be easier to guide the conversation.
3. Never Sell Until You Understand Their Problems
Many sales people make the mistake of jumping straight into their pitch or their product features. Before you do this, take the time to ask questions and deeply understand your prospect’s specific challenges, needs and goals. This will allow you to position your solution as the perfect fit, rather than giving them just another generic offering.
4. Set the Agenda
Take control of the sales conversation by setting the agenda upfront and clarifying what you will be talking about. This prevents the client from derailing the process and ensures you cover the key points needed to move them towards a decision.
5. Listen Twice as Much as You Speak
The person who asks the questions controls the conversation, but once you have asked the questions, you need to listen to the answers.
Effective salespeople are excellent listeners. Take notes during the conversation to capture important details that can be used to craft a personalised solution. You can refer to these notes in your follow ups to provide an individualised touch.
6. Avoid Teaching and Create a ‘Gap’
Don’t ‘should’ on your clients. If you pepper your conversations with ‘you should’, you risk giving them the solution instead of showing them exactly how you can provide it. You might also put clients in a position where they are overwhelmed and need to go away and think about things. They might even go to one of your competitors armed with the knowledge you have given them.
If you want to finish with a sale, focus on highlighting the gap between their current situation and their desired outcome. Position your offering as the bridge that can help them achieve their goals.
7. Maintain an Upbeat Attitude and Have Fun
Sales can be challenging, but keeping a positive, lighthearted demeanour will make the experience more enjoyable for both you and the client (even if they start out a little grumpy).
Your enthusiasm can be contagious if your conversations are uplifting. Keep the goal in mind to leave the person feeling better about themselves at the end of your chat.
8. Link Your Value Back to the Client
When you explain what you have to offer, avoid rattling off a generic list of features. Instead, directly tie each element of your value proposition back to the specific needs and goals you’ve uncovered during the conversation. This will highlight the fact that you have been listening and gives you the opportunity to present a more customised solution.
9. Always Give a Reason to Take Action NOW
It’s a natural instinct to delay decisions. People won’t do today what they can easily do tomorrow.
If you look around at different advertisements and emails in your inbox, you’ll notice there is often an incentive to take immediate action. You could include a limited-time offer, a bonus, or even highlight that you only have one opening coming up in your schedule.
Creating a sense of urgency can be the push your client needs to move forward so work this into your sales conversation.
10. Follow Up for as Long as It Takes
Don’t get discouraged if your prospect doesn’t buy on the first interaction. Stay persistent and continue providing value through follow-up emails, messages or phone calls.
Your sale may happen days, weeks, or even months down the line, but your consistent outreach can make all the difference.
Now, what about you?
The above rules show you why it’s so important to shift your mindset from just pushing a product to listening, understanding and truly partnering with a client to achieve their objectives.
Of course, you don’t have to follow these rules for selling by the letter, but you can use them as inspiration to develop a consistent, authentic and client-centric approach.
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This article is an excerpt from Business Blueprint’s exclusive Sales Deep Dive Day, which gave members access to cutting-edge sales strategies and techniques they can apply straight away to grow their business.
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