We’ve all been approached by a salesperson out of the blue before, and we usually have our minds made up on an answer even before they say “hello.”
If you’re not a seasoned salesperson, this process can seem intimidating. How do you go from the initial greeting to successfully closing the deal? There’s a simple approach that’s also highly effective. It turns a sales encounter into a conversation where you and the prospect decide together whether your product can help them.
Building Relationships is at the Heart of Successful Sales
Think for a second about the brands and companies you buy from. It’s likely that you have a relationship with them. You interact with them on social media. You go to them for the information you need to help solve your problems. The brand feels more like a trusted friend than a random salesperson.
The heart of successful sales is building relationships. This is what high-pressure sales is missing. Good salespeople build and nurture these relationships so that when the person needs your product, it’s already an easy sell.
Start Where Your Prospect Is
Like any relationship, it starts with getting to know each other. You have to listen to your customer and find out what they need from you. You also need to explain to the person what you offer and how it uniquely solves their problems.
Through the process of listening, questioning, and carrying out a two-way conversation, not a sales pitch, you can discover together whether your product is the right match for them.
A Better Benefit than Making a Sale
What if you discover that it’s not a good match? Now, you’ve spent a great deal of time and effort on someone who won’t buy, taking away from time you could’ve spent closing a deal with someone else.
It may sound counter-intuitive, but actually this could be the best outcome. You want to help the person and when they don’t buy, it means your offer doesn’t solve their problem right now. It could be that it doesn’t address their current needs, or maybe they’d like to buy but aren’t in the right financial situation to make a purchase.
Start the Relationship the Right Way
If you can turn this around and find another way to help the prospect, you’ve succeeded. Send them useful information or put them in touch with someone they should get to know. Offer your expert help and the person will leave the encounter with a positive impression of you and your business.
You’ve just started the relationship on the right foot. In the future, when the prospect is ready to buy what you have to offer, they’ll come to you. In the meantime, keep in touch and engage them wherever possible.
Sales can be a natural and effortless process where you work together with the prospect to help meet their needs. Want to learn how to do this? Check out my program, Essential Sales Skills . It teaches you the ‘how to’ of the process so you finally get the sales results you deserve.
Business Skills Training Courses 