If you are a small business/home based business owner, you need to sell your product or service to interested parties. Do not think that, being the owner, you need not get involved in sales as you have a marketing and sales team for that. Nothing can be far from the truth.
Being a sales person, who do you work for? There are two types of people in the sales profession. Some people are on regular payroll while others are commission based (Affiliates). Those who are on a regular payroll tend to sell less as compared to those who are on commission.
The reason is obvious. One person puts more effort in selling while the other can be a bit relaxed since whether or not he makes a sale, he will be paid for the month.
So this post will be for those who want to put in serious effort for every single sale and applies to affiliates.
How Can You Sell Effectively in Less Time?
Take it up as a job
Selling can be a very demanding task if you are the wrong person for this kind of job. For some, sales come naturally. They are able to close a deal sooner than their manager can utter a second word while others take months to sell something.
So, what exactly is the secret of successful selling? If you are employed with someone else, think that you are working on your own. Forget the fact that you will be compensated for selling someone elses product and take it up as a sales job for your own business. Think that you are self employed and you will end up making more sales than you would have done, if you had that employed attitude.
Know what you sell
Another quick tip to sell effectively is to offer a product or a solution you really believe in. Just because your company says that this product is good, it does not mean that you have to blindly sell it. Use it, evaluate it and then if you are satisfied go ahead.
People, who sell products which they believe in, sell more effectively than those who do it just because their boss told them that sales quota need to be met. In the online world, I wish people would follow this advice.
Many unethical people promote products from clickbank for affiliate commissions without even trying it out.
Target your customers
Never try to sell the product to a wrong person. Always evaluate the fact that the product or solution you give to someone else is of real value to them. If you do not think that the product will do the customer any good, stop selling it to him/her.
You may succeed in making him buy it for a quick buck, but you are spoiling a long term relation you could have had with a customer. This is how it works in the case of email marketing. People who are in your email list will buy from you again and again if you are promoting quality products.
Be prepared for more than FAQ
To sell effectively, be prepared for any question your customer might ask. Nothing spoils a chance to make a sale more than the inability of the sales person to answer a customers question regarding the product/service.
If you sell SEO service and if your the client asks you about the best web directory to get a backlink you should be able to answer. If not, you cant make a sale.
Be current
Be updated with the current market trends. If you are selling a product or a solution which is no longer the trend in the market, be ready to explain why your product or solution is still worthwhile.
Demos work best
If you can, give your customer a demonstration of your product. It always works wonders when people can really see how your product takes care of their problem hands on. No wonder most online services and products have a trial that helps customers get a feel of what they are getting.
Does your product have a demand?
Sell products based on market demand. If you plan on selling a winter coat in summer, there is very less chance that you can successfully make a sale.
Similarly, you should not be selling ice creams in the winter. In the online world, expect your e-commerce site sales to be low if you are promoting something seasonal such a match tickets or season clothing.
Get to everyone in the family
If you have field staff, make sure that they go to your customers house/client site when all the decision makers are present together. If you have a product suited for a home, it will be best to choose a time when all the people in the house are present. This will help them take decisions and avoid the common excuse, I will ask my spouse/manager/partner and let you know.
Quality comes first
Do not sell subpar products if you want to sell effectively. People can quickly recognize cheating sales people who try to make a quick buck by selling an inferior product or solution.
Update
If required, keep up with your customers and inform them about any new updates regarding your product.
Follow up
Never bother your client by cold calling them again and again. There are lots of companies that keep calling people again and again even though they say that they are not interested in their offering. They sure do make a sale or two out of ten.
Educate
Educate your customer first before trying to sell him your product. Make sure he/she understands the technology (if it is technical) and knows how to effectively use the product to get maximum results.
You dont want to make a sale, provide support and finally the client asks for a refund because the product did not meet their expectations.
Bonus
Give them an incentive to buy your product. The strongest incentive is emotion. If they think your product can get rid of their problems, they will buy from you no matter what.
Support
Assure them of good after sales support and be true to your word.
Have confidence and believe that you are making and not breaking a sale.
This is a guest post by Sam Singh who is Internet Marketing professional and provides Internet Marketing Training in Delhi to Business owners to increase their business visibility on internet