How to Win at Sales
Sales are the lifeline of small businesses. Without great salespeople and a fine-tuned sales process, there’s no revenue to bring in the door and no chance to grow.
In short, sales make the world go round.
The greatest arrogance is thinking your product or service is so good that it doesn’t need sales. Every small business needs sales, but not all small businesses do sales effectively. Here are a few tips to help you win at sales.
5 tips for winning at sales
#1. Listen to your customers
Although it’s probably one of the most basic concepts, at the end of the day, if you listen in the right way to your customers, they are going to tell you what you need to know. And once you get what you need to know, you can start to make adaptations to every single level of business to really meet their needs.
Actively listening is not only a powerful tool for getting more customers, but it also gives you the power to make sure that you’re providing the best possible experience to your existing customers as well.
#2. Respond in a timely manner
Get back to your customers as soon as possible. The early bird gets the worm, and that’s just as true in sales as it is in life. It’s important to get in front of your customers as soon as possible because they’re reaching out to you, sometimes, in an urgent situation.
They’ve got questions. They’re hot. They’re ready to pull the trigger and do business with somebody — often whoever responds first.
It’s important to get back in touch with them within the next 5 to 20 minutes. Research shows that is going to be your best possible window of opportunity to capture their attention and their buy in.
Keep in mind that when someone fills out a form on your website, they’re likely filling out three to five other forms at the same time. The longer you wait, the higher the chance that one of your competitors will get back to them first.
Think about a process you can put in place to be notified and respond quicker. If possible, maybe have somebody devoted to making those quick contacts. Every second that you wait is an opportunity for a competitor to get them first.
#3. Focus on your customers
In sales, it’s important to remember that it’s not about you; it’s about your customer. Too often, when we see businesses pitching their product, the product itself is the only thing they’re thinking about.
If selling the product is all you’re focused on, you’re in trouble. A lot of companies do that, and an overtly salesly message is a lot more likely to fall flat.
Instead, you need to figure out a way to differentiate your message, and that goes back to listening and truly understanding the problems your customers are facing and what their pain points are.
When you can differentiate yourself in the marketplace, you have a better chance of winning.
#4. Give your sales people the resources they need
Equip your sales people with the resources they need to be able to solidify their sales pitch. Having tangible things people can look at and review will make your sales people more successful.
Sales resources include videos, infographics, testimonials, articles and case studies — anything that supports your cause. Give your sales people the tools they need to be successful and to demonstrate value to your customers.
#5. Don’t give up after one no
Unfortunately, a lot of small businesses will give up on a sale too soon. They get a no, and they stop trying to get the sale. It’s important to remember that when you get a no, it’s just a no for now. It’s not necessarily a no forever.
To be successful at sales, you have to work both the front end of your pipeline and the back end of your pipeline, because the back end will always come to fruition eventually. The average consumer will say no to a purchase five to seven times before they actually say yes.
Having the dedication to get past the initial no is really what divides amateur salespeople from the elite. Keep following up because timing could be everything.
It’s also important to find out why they’re saying no. Once you do, you can help to overcome the obstacles to get to a yes.
When you do get a no, it’s also important to stay positive and have a good attitude. If somebody feels like you’re responding to them in a negative way because you’re not getting money from them or making the sale, any interest they had is going to immediately evaporate, and your chance of working with them now or in the future will be lost.
In order to do sales effectively, you need to first get your message in front of the right people on the right channels.
The Marketing 360® platform has everything your small business needs to drive organic traffic to your website, advertise your brand on popular channels, build your social media presence and more. Plus, our marketing team is standing by, ready to help you maximize your marketing efforts and grow your business.
