sales tips & articles

Well it’s hard to believe but it’s only 6 weeks until Christmas and this time of year always brings with it challenges for both business owners and salespeople. As we approach the festive season and the business year draws to a close, many decision makers prefer to put off decisions and new business meetings until the New Year. This is both challenging and de-motivating for salespeople but also frustrating and stressful for business owners, who need to keep generating revenue.

To help overcome this, it's important to keep prospects focused on the value and benefit their business (and they) will experience now, rather than later. It's also important to keep your language focused around their buying reasons and ask needs based questions. For example:

• How you are improving their current situation i.e. quicker sales, improved productivity, increased profit
• How much time or money you save them
• How it will solve a problem, challenge or frustration e.g. computers or network continually down, losing customers
• How you can fulfill a need or desire i.e. look great at the Christmas party, see your picture in the paper or achieve that goal

You might also like to:

• Mention success stories or outcomes that other customers have noticed
• Suggest they utilize the quiet holiday period to minimise disruption to the business
• Suggest finalising the paperwork now for delivery or installation in January

No matter whether it’s face to face or over the phone, when you communicate what’s in it for them, rather than what’s in it for you, it helps your prospects to make an informed decision on the priority and importance of the meeting or decision.

So unless your product or service is geared to retail, corporate gifts, entertainment or holiday and travel (and many more of course) where there are still new sales to be made next month, start getting busy with your marketing and prospecting and get in front of as many people as possible in the next couple of weeks.
Once we hit December the end of year is in sight and decision makers want to close off, not start new business discussions.

This sales article was written by Karen Andrews, Director of Shine Sales Solutions, a Sydney based Sales Coach, Strategist and Sales expert that works with businesses to increase their sales through strategy development, sales coaching and mentoring.

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