A couple years back my wife and I were shopping for a new car. We wanted something that was good on gas, yet at the same time not a car I would have to cram into because it was too tiny. Being six foot three inches tall and about two hundred forty pounds, you can see, I will not fit into a two door spec, let alone get the rest of my family in there.
After attending the car show at the convention center in Philadelphia, PA, we narrowed it down to a Buick LeSabre or Chevy Impala. The following week we started with the local Chevy dealer to look at the impala. It was a nice car, rode well, price was decent, although could have been better.
We then visited the local Buick dealership to test drive the LeSabre. Again a nice car, rode very well, and priced right. We chose one car over the other, not because of features, options and pricing (although that played a major part in it), but because of the sales person.
At one dealership, the person helping us was very pushy, trying to sell me items I just didn’t want or need, a car in the color I didn’t request, and the list goes on and on. At the other dealership, the sales person was very friendly, asked if they could help as opposed to asking me “can I sell you this car”. We did our test runs in the vehicles that I liked, there was no heavy pressure to buy like the other dealership, and when it was all said and done, I chose the LeSabre.
Now I am sure you have gone through a similar process, or even put potential clients through this. There is a difference between being a really good sales person and an overbearing one. With help from S.C.O.R.E., I have listed five good tips for enhancing your sales.
Education
You need to educate your customers on what it is you are selling. There is a difference between educating them and over selling them on what you are offering. According to S.C.O.R.E., “Entrepreneurs whose businesses are ahead of the curve need to help customers understand the value of their products or services.”
Prospecting
This is basic sales knowledge 101. You need to continually work towards developing new sales leads. Not all come walking through your door or cold call you. You need to set time away each day for a little prospecting. Define who your customers most likely are and work towards bringing them in.
Make a Great Offer
We all remember the line from the file “The Godfather”, and that is, “I will make him an offer he can’t refuse”. In the classic Brando voice, you can just hear it ring true. You need to follow that advice. What ever it is you are selling, if you have a database filled with customers already, and you see some have not been by in a while, you need to make them an offer to bring them back in. Say you paint houses for a living. Offer a customer or a friend of that customer a huge discount, such as “winter sale 40% off 3 entire rooms painted if you sign up today”, or something along those lines. Then get that offer into the hands of your customer. If you have a new customer and they are teetering back and forth as to whether or not they will use your service or buy your product, make them an offer as well. You need to make them an offer they will find hard to pass up.
Persistence
Be persistent in your sales approach. You do not ever want to give up. Keep in mind as long as it is friendly and not overbearing, being persistent will pay off.
Show Your Worth
Not only are you selling your product or service, but also yourself. You need to show the customer that you are worth working with and buying from. Can they trust you? Do you have integrity? Are you not trying to pull a fast one on them to make a sale? You need to sell yourself the customer so they feel comfortable working with you. Show them that working with you will help them in regards to whatever product or service you provide.
So there you have it. Five tips on sales to help your business, sales team and most importantly yourself, get ahead.
By: Bruce A. Tucker
About the Author:
Mr. Tucker is the Associate Director of http://www.Indocquent.com, an online resource where you can advertise your business, products or services throughout the world.
http://www.Indocquent.com/freeaccount, will also publish any article that you write in regards to your business on their website as well as disseminate it throughout various media outlets.
Published By: Indocquent.com- An online resource where you can promote your business, products and services around the world.
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