So, how did you see yourself?
Potentially most of us have a salesperson inside us and we sell on a regular basis, whether that’s a concept, a product, a service or ‘ourselves’ in relation to getting that next job. I believe it’s the interpretation of selling that is the great debate that we all have a view on – and long may it continue!
For those of us who start our own business, it’s generally because we are passionate about a product/concept or service and we can see an opportunity to share that with others. So often I hear people say, ‘I’m not a great salesperson though’ and ‘I don’t want to be seen as salesy’. The great news is nor does your client – they just want you to help them.
It is so important to remember at this stage that you are absolutely the best person to ‘sell’ your products/service because you are the one who created it, therefore the most passionate about it, you are the expert and know all the detail around it. Whatever you may feel you lack in ‘selling skills’ you will make up for in your enthusiasm to help people!
The great news continues you don’t need to be a ‘great sales person’ to sell your product, you just need to continue to be helpful and focus on problem solving (the bigger the better) and be a solution provider and look at it from the view of a customer, not a salesperson, and things will start to feel different – think helping not selling!
Of course, there is more to it than just that, but this is a key part of the foundations we can build on.
So why do we buy things anyway?
Some of the reasons that people buy are..…
- Enjoyment and pleasure it gives us or others – I ‘need’ to buy it item!
- It gives us an edge/status and makes us feel powerful or in control of our life
- It is financially beneficial e.g. save us money, makes us money, or adds a profit to our bottom line, or financial rewards to our life
- It makes us function more productively/efficiently – so we can accomplish more in less time
- It removes some of the stress from our lives
- It’s a necessity – food etc
So essentially if we consider the above and look at who we are helping and in what way we become a lot clearer on which way(s) we are providing outcomes and getting clearer on those people are.
My five top tips to get you thinking.
- Establish which of the above reasons does your product/service sit in (it can, of course, be more than one and it may be something else)
- List all the benefits of the product/service you are promoting (from a customer view)
- Make a list of the outcomes you provide
- Establish who your customers are (do some market research – they are not always who we think they are). Listing the benefits first will potentially give you another type of customer who would benefit from your product that you haven’t contacted before
- Decide the best routes to target those people – another huge topic in itself!
As I often say ‘there is so much more to a sale than the final transaction’ this is great news as it means we have more control over it than we think.
Need some clarity on who you are speaking to, how you help them and where you should be spending your time.
Then take a look at my bitesize online podcasts full of great outcomes.
www.2summitup.com/ten-actions/
‘We all have the answers within us, we just need the right person to ask the questions’
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