Sales is tough.
In fact the toughest part of running a business—either a small or big business—is managing the sales process. A business that cannot sell will be wiped out of the market place. Sales equal income and if you cannot persuade people to buy from you, then you out of business.
One of the mistakes many small businesses make is that they place too much emphasis on their products and services instead of marketing, sales and customer service.
The more you market, the more you attract sales opportunities. The more you seize the sales opportunities, the more customers you make. And the more you care and treat your customers well, the more you get repeat sales.
Many small business owners don’t understand the sales process, as a result they’re not able to close more sales and make more money. To close more sales, you really have to understand that sales is a system—it’s a process that works step by step.
To be successful at sales, you have to master the sales system.
Ideally the sales process is made up of five steps:
- Identify
- Connect
- Explore
- Advice
- Close
Identify
This is the first step in the sales process which involves identifying your target market. Who is your customer? What are the specific needs or problems of your ideal customer? Where can your customer be located? You have to be clear about who your target customer is!
Next you have to go for the gold! Go and search at areas where you can find your customer. Go to events, conferences, seminar, Facebook Book groups, Linkedln groups, Twitter, Google Plus and any possible place you can find your ideal customers! Identify them.
Connect
Once you identify your ideal customer, the next step is to connect with them. Sales is all about building relationships. To build relationships, you have to connect and link up with people. You have to get in touch with them. Sales is not a passive game! You have to connect!
You can go by face-to-face. You can also leverage digital sales conversation channels such as your phone, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Linkendln Messenger, Twitter Messenger, Skype and any communication medium to get in touch. Introduce yourself, have the first meeting and get on the second level of connecting.
Explore
Once you connect, you have to explore.
You have to find out the unique needs of the potential customer. You have to explore. You have to build rapport by asking good questions that will make the customer tell you things about his/her needs and problems in relation to your offers.
Note that selling is not telling! We have one mouth, two ears and two eyes. To close more sales and make more money in business, you have to explore. To do this, you have to ask good questions, listen more and observe more! If you can’t do this, forget about the sales!
Advice
It’s only when you ask good questions which enables you explore the customer that you can do a good sales presentation. You have to listen attentively to the customer first instead of focusing on your product features and benefits.
Customers today have a lot of alternatives. They can choose whom to buy from. If you want to close more sales, then it means you have to always be caring (ABC)! To always be caring, you have to understand each customer and leverage your expertise to advice him/her on how to solve his/he problem instead of pushing stuffs on him/her.
Close the Sale
If you should identify your customer, connect well, explore his/her needs and give good advice on how to solve his/her problem, you should always be closing to closing the sale. The customer will believe you and trust you!
Business is built on trust! Once you connect, explore and advice very well, you will build trust. Trust is the foundation of sales. Once you build trust, then all you have to do is to simply follow some simple steps to make the customer make the order.
To ensure the customer makes the order, here are 6 simple tips to use:
- Deal with the boss
If you don’t deal with the boss, you can’t close the sale. The boss is the decision maker, the one who signs the cheque and get things done in the company. Don’t deal with the gatekeepers when closing the sale and asking for the order. Deal with the boss(s).
- Be genuine and caring
People are not interested in doing business with fake and ungenuine people. The world is filled with corrupt, immoral, unethical, disgusting, unfaithful and treacherous business people.
You have to separate yourself from the park, by being genuine and caring. The bosses will close the sale faster with you when they realize that you’re genuine and caring about their needs—instead of just focusing on their money.
- Keep your commitments and build trust
You can’t close more sales, if you fail to keep your commitments. Again, business is built on trust. You have to focus on building trust. The higher your trust rating, the quicker you can close the sale. Be on time for business meetings, exude excellence, talk about your customer testimonials and always find ways and means to build trust with the customer!
- Communicate the Value of your Products/Services
Customers don’t buy products and services, they buy value! The customer defines value as anything that solves their problems, fills the need and makes them fully satisfied.
That means if you’re going to close more sales and make more money, you have to ensure that you communicate the value of your products/service. Show the customer how your products and services will help them and they’ll be more than willing to go with you!
- Overcome Objections
To close more sales, you have to identify and overcome objections. Objections are the little things that can crush down the deal and make you lose the sale. They are things in your customer’s mind that is preventing him or her from making the buying decision.
It can be pricing. It can be packaging. It can be delivery. It can be timing. It can be quality. To close more sales and make more money in your business, you have to identify the objections and deal with them with them professionally. If you can’t do that, then you’ll lose the deal!
- Be Persistent and Keep On Asking
The biggest principle for closing more sales is found in the Holy Scriptures.
It states: “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened (Matt. 7.7 NLT)!
If you think the sales will come to you, you “lie bad!” It’s not going to come to you because you’re good, nice and good businessperson. You have to go for the sales.
You have to keep on asking for the close. You have to keep on seeking for ways to overcome objections. You have to keep knocking on the customers’ door. You have to keep on asking, seeking and knocking on the customer’s door—until the sales door opens and you win the sales!
Anyway, do you want to leverage business blogging to grow and expand your business brand: Start a blog for your business, get contents for your blog, promote your blog on social media and optimize your blog for search engine ranking? Check out our amazing business blogging services for small businesses, companies and organizations.
Talk To Us
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +233 2228133
Mobile: +233 548334499
WhatsApp: +233 548334499
Subscribe for business development and digital marketing insights, tips and strategies to grow your business.