Potentially most of us have a sales person 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 sales person though’ 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 is the most passionate about it, you are the expert and know all the detail around it. Whatever you may feel you lack in sales techniques, you will make up for in enthusiasm!

The great news continues you don’t need to be a ‘great sales person’ to sell your product, you just need to 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 sales person, and things will start to feel different.

So why do we buy things?

The main 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. saves 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 – and can also save us money, whether that’s personally or in business
  • It removes some of the stress from our lives
  • It’s a necessity – food etc

So essentially if we focus on the above and become a great problem solver, solution provider and a good story teller which includes the benefits of our products then we have most of it covered – right? Not quite buts its a great place to start.

My five tips to start you on your way…

  1. Establish which of the above reasons does your product/service sit in (it can of course be more than one)
  2. List all the benefits of the product/service you are promoting (from a customer view)
  3. Make a list of the problems you can solve and/or solutions you can provide
  4. Establish who your customers are (do some market research) Listing the benefits first will potentially give you another type of customer who would benefit from your product that you haven’t contacted before
  5. Decide the best routes to target those people – another huge topic in itself!

 

This is of course just one step of the many elements to the science of selling, so this is a definite to be continued, but it’s a great place to start if you feel you need to make some changes.

I have an image at the end of a week of people saying ‘I solved 10 problems this week and gave my clients 4 great solutions’ – I might just try this one myself when I do my end of week review! It does give us a feel good factor when we know we have helped others.

Finally, remember…

‘We all have the answers within us, we just need the right person to ask the questions’