The ability to sell
someone something - whether it's a product, a service, or an idea - is
the fundamental skill at the core of many, many jobs in the business
world (especially ones with commission-based pay). When it comes to
closing a sale, it's not all about smooth-talking your buyer. It's just
as important to be able to listen intently, think critically, and to
intelligently apply effective sales techniques. By doing these things,
not only will your personal sales increase - your business's will as well. See Step 1 below to get started.
Part 1
Interacting With a Customer
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1
Satisfy your customer. Above all else, try to keep
your customer happy and satisfied. Humans aren't perfectly logical
creatures - if someone likes you, they're more likely to buy from you,
regardless of the deal you're offering. Be friendly, charming, and open
with your customer. Give her peace of mind. Whatever your customer is
looking for, that's what you should try to provide.
- This applies both to your conduct and to the thing being sold. Not
only should you be a customer's friend up to (and after) the point of
the sale, you should do your best to convince the customer that whatever
you're selling will give him exactly what he wants - that it will solve his problem, save him money in the long run, etc.
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2
Listen. It's pretty difficult to satisfy a customer
if you don't know what she wants - luckily, most of the time, all you'll
have to do to figure this out is to simply
listen. This isn't
hard - at the beginning of your pitch, ask a customer what you can help
with and let the customer describe her problem or desire. Once you know
what she wants, you'll be able to decide which products, services, etc.
best meet her needs.
- Don't just listen to what a customer says - try to pay attention to how
she says it in terms of facial expressions, body language, etc. If, for
instance, a customer seems impatient or tense, you'll know that you can
probably satisfy him by offering him a quick, easy solution to his
problem, rather than giving him a lengthy sales pitch for your whole
range of products.
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3
Give your full attention. When a customer is
considering making a purchase, you want to give the impression that
you're available to fulfill any needs or answer any questions that may
arise. You
don't want to give the impression that you're
distracted or that you're attending to your customer as an afterthought.
Whenever possible, interact with customers on a personal, one-to-one
basis, returning to your other duties only when the job is done.
- This being said, try not to be an annoyance to customers. When
you've gotten a sale, you can back off somewhat and allow your customer
some breathing room. For instance, you might say something like, "Great,
I think you'll be happy with this purchase. I'll meet you at the
register when you're ready!"
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4
Demonstrate your product/service's value. When it
comes to convincing a reluctant customer to make a purchase, flowery,
glowing praise for your product or service is only going to get you so
far. To really get the customer on your side,
show your customer
how the thing you're selling will make their life better. Whether it
will save them money and time, give them peace of mind, or simply make
them feel good, make sure your customer understands exactly how the item
you're selling benefits him in
real, practical terms.
- This is a common sales tactic. For instance, car dealers let
customers go on test drives and guitar salesmen let customers play on
their instruments - even department stores let customers try clothes on
before they buy them. If the thing you're selling is intangible or
something you can't let customers touch before buying, think of another
way to show customers its value. For instance, if you're selling solar
panels, you might help customers estimate the savings they'll have on
their electricity bill.
- An old saying goes, "Sell the benefit, not the product." Focus on
what your product or service allows your customer to do, rather than on
the product itself.
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5
Know your field. Customers like buying from
salespeople who seem knowledgeable without being condescending. Be a
friendly resource for your customer. Ideally, not only should you know
the products and/or services you're selling like the back of your hand,
but also those of your competitors. If you know this information, you'll
be able to make comparisons that cast your product or service in the
best light possible and your competitors' in a less favorable light.
You'll also be able to intuitively recommend certain products based on
your customer's unique situation.
- For example, if you're selling televisions and you're approached by a
single father wrestling to control 3 unruly children, you might want to
use your knowledge of your products to recognize that a certain model
has extensive parental control options and to use this information as a
selling point.
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6
Close. It's relatively easy to get a customer to
like a product, but your commission ultimately depend on whether your customers
buy
your products, which is another matter entirely. Try to get a
commitment from customers the same day you first meet them - a customer
that leaves the store to "think about it" might not come back. If a
customer is reluctant to make a purchase immediately, try to sweeten the
deal - offer a minor discount or "throw in" extra bonuses in exchange
for a customer's commitment.
- Additionally, try to streamline the purchasing process so that it
can be completed with a minimum of hassle. Accept multiple methods of
payment, offer options for enrolling in an installment plan, and keep
paperwork to a minimum. Not only will this make your customer's overall
experience more positive, but it will also reduce the likelihood that
customers will get cold feet before completing the process.
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7
Build relationships with your customers. Customers
that feel that they've been respected and satisfied by a business are
likely to give it a good review to their friends and may even return for
future purchases. Building happy, respectful relationships with
customers is a great way to give yourself a long-term sales boost. Try
to genuinely connect with customers - when all's said and done, even if
it can be tempting to think of customers as nothing more than numbers on
a balance sheet, remember that these are
real people with real emotions and that nearly all of them appreciate human warmth.
- After making a major sale, consider sending a quick note or making a
phone call to make sure your customer's enjoying his or her purchase.
This can give the impression of a friendly, personal relationship.
However, don't overdo it - most customers will eventually want to be
left alone.
Part 2
Using Sales Techniques
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1
Create the impression of urgency. Most customers, whether they're conscious of it or not,
hate
the idea of missing out on a good deal. Giving the impression that, by
passing on a sale, your customer is missing a special offer or a
limited-time deal is one of the oldest, most effective tricks in the
book for getting reluctant customers off the fence. To do this, try to
call attention to certain deals that won't be offered forever or certain
products that are almost out of stock and encourage customers to "jump"
on these opportunities.
- Some business even take this to a borderline-unethical extreme,
increasing a product's price so that a big, appealing, limited-time deal
reduces its price to normal levels. This sort of trickery is unfortunate, but, sadly, common.
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2
Flatter shamelessly (but subtly). The stereotype of
the salesperson as a slimy flatterer isn't entirely unearned - by
playing to a customer's ego, you can increase your chance for success on
almost any given sale. The trick here is to genuinely flatter your
customer without seeming transparent, cloying, or phony. Pour on the
honey, but don't overdo it: when your customer takes your exclusive deal
on a new car, she's
smart, not
an absolute genius. When a heavy customer tries on a suit, he looks
slim, not
astoundingly dashing. Flatter, but be reasonable and realistic.
- When in doubt, it's hard to go wrong by complimenting a customer's
taste at having picked a certain product. A simple "great choice!" or
"ooh, nice!" can work wonders.
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3
Make customers feel obligated. Most people are more
likely to do things for others when the other person has already done
them a favor. Particularly sly salespeople can take advantage of this
fact by giving the customer the impression that they've received some
favor or act of kindness. Sometimes, being attentive and responsive to a
customer is enough - for instance, a shoe salesman who tirelessly runs
back and forth from the storeroom so that a customer can try on a dozen
pairs of shoes has demonstrated serious kindness simply by doing his job
well. Other times, small "actual" favors are necessary, like getting a
customer a drink or clearing time out of your schedule for an
appointment.
- For best results, make sure your efforts are noticed. For
instance, if you have to schedule an appointment with your customer,
pull out a schedule book and visibly cross out another appointment when
you write theirs down.
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4
Don't rush a sale. It's tempting, especially if your
commission is on the line, to pressure a reluctant customer into a sale,
rush him to the cash register, push him out the door, and forget about
him. Obviously, this isn't a smart way to make sales. Customers don't
like the idea that they're being tricked or swindled, so sales tactics
that rely too heavily on making fast, high-pressure pitches can build
hostility. Even if these tactics result in short-term sales gains,
negative word-of-mouth can cause long-term downturns and tarnish your
image.
- The smartest salespeople present convincing pitches to the customer, then let the customer decide
to buy the product, rather than pushing them to do it. While good
salespeople do everything in their power to play up their product's
benefits and minimize its downsides, they never attempt to actually make
the decision for the customer.
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5
Be responsible and reliable. Other, slier sales
techniques have their place, but if you do nothing else as a
salesperson, try your best to have personal integrity. When you make a
promise to a customer, deliver on it. When you make a mistake, offer a
sincere apology. Respect is at the center of any sales transaction.
Customers want to respect a salesperson enough to be confident they
won't be swindled, salespeople want to respect customers enough to
assume they'll get a good review for their hard work, and businesses
want to respect customers enough to assume they'll be paid for goods or
services rendered. When one of these respect-based relationships breaks
down, sales suffer, so do your part and earn your customers' respect by
being a respectable human being.
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