sales tips & articles

This week's blog post is from my very good friend and business mentor, Andrew Griffiths. If your not familiar with Andrew or his books, he is Australia's Number 1 Business Author with releases such as "101 Ways to Market your Business, "The Me Myth"and "Bulletproof Your Business".

Each week he writes a business bullet (well worth signing up to) on a topic relating to small business; this week it was all about sales and well worth sharing.

1. Being a great sales person starts when you get out of bed in the morning.

People who are really good at selling normally have a very positive outlook on life. They are energetic and enthusiastic about what they do, sincere with their customers, interested in their industry and passionate about their products. Every morning I take a few minutes to think about my day ahead. I visualise how it will look, the positive encounters I will have, the things I will sell and the great things I will get to do. Most of the time, this becomes the reality. How you think about your day is more than likely how it will turn out. So I suggest that you make it a fantastic day and it will be. A great attitude is always rewarded.

2. Take a few minutes extra to look the part.

I believe very strongly that looking the part is just as important as playing the part. When it comes to any kind of retail it is really important to take the time and make the effort to be well groomed and have clean and well-ironed clothes. Right or wrong, people form an opinion about you in the first seven seconds of any interaction. If you look smart it shows that you respect yourself and the people you will be selling to.

3. Have a big, warm and welcoming “hello”.

Many people are really terrible at saying a simple “hello” to their customers. My advice is very simple. Stop whatever you are doing, stand up straight, put a huge smile on your face and give them a big, warm hello. Most importantly look the person in the eye when you are smiling. We are rarely greeted so well in any store and if you do this, your warm smile will not only be remembered it will be sought after. Your customers will tell everyone they know just how nice you are. An added bonus to you is that it is really hard to feel anything but fantastic about life when you are spending your day connecting with people simply by smiling.

4. Stop what you are doing and focus on the person in front of you.

There is nothing worse than having a distracted sales person try and half sell something to you. Their focus is elsewhere, they mumble answers and they offer little help or advice. Whenever you are with a customer give them you full and undivided attention. Focus on them, listen to them, show them what they are looking for and make sure you have given them what they want. It really is simple yet less than ten percent of sales people do this. If you want to shine in the world of sales this is a great place to start.

5. Never judge a book by its cover.

It is surprising just how much we all do this. I have been caught out a number of times and now I make a point of treating everyone exactly the same. Who knows how much money someone has or doesn’t have? You certainly can’t tell that by what someone is wearing even if you think you can. Treat every single customer as your most important customer right then and there and I guarantee you will sell a lot more of anything to anyone.

6. Make someone’s day.

It is surprisingly simple to really make someone’s day. We all seem to be so focused inwards, thinking through the various issues and challenges that fill our day that often we are shocked and pleasantly surprised when someone makes our day by saying something nice. I suggest that you become really good at giving sincere compliments to people. At first you might be a bit uncomfortable with it but believe me, it will grow on you and it will start to feel fabulous in a very short amount of time. Tell someone if their hair looks nice, or their necklace is pretty, or if they have great taste in books, or if they have a great smile. The only catch is that you have to be sincere in your compliment otherwise it just doesn’t work. Make it your mission to make as many people’s day as you possible can.

7. Have some recommendations ready in each section.

Being a great sales person means being able to make a recommendation on the products you are selling. After all if you can’t do this, you are really nothing more than a money collector. Be clear about what products or services you do actually recommend and you have to believe in them 100%. If you don’t it shows. And always give a recommendation. If you do, you will be amazed at how many more sales you actually get.

8. Use every interaction to let the customer know more about your business.

All this takes is a few words at the end of a sale, or during your conversation, to let your customer know that you are open “seven days a week” or that you will be open on the public holiday coming up, or that there is a sale due to start in a few days and so on. Use every interaction as a wonderful opportunity to educate your customer about your business. Remember it is our job to tell our customers what we can do for them, it isn’t their job to find out.

9. Make it really easy for your customers to buy from you.

If you want to attract more customers and keep them coming back more often, develop a can do attitude that promotes making selling easy. What could be improved or streamlined to speed things up and to keep people moving? Is your sales area cluttered? Do you struggle to find a pen for people to sign credit card slips? Look for any way possible to make it easy for your customers to buy from you and they will.

10. People want to hear their own name.

We all like the sound of our own name and in the retail environment I suggest you try and use your customers name whenever you can. Make the effort to remember your regular customers names, they will appreciate it a lot, more than you realise. Think about how it makes you feel when you go into your favourite store or coffee shop and they know your name. When handing back a credit card thank the person using their formal name, Mr Smith or Ms Smith. They will notice it and remember that you did it. Even if the name is hard to pronounce, that in its own right a great talking point.

Next week I will give you another 10 top sales tips. If you can’t wait till next week visit a friend of mines website – Karen Andrews from Shine Sales – she has a pile of excellent sales tips and a sensational newsletter that is all about selling.

Read more of Andrew's Business Bullets by clicking here

If you are just starting out in business or in sales here are some quick tips and tricks you can use to get you in sales mindset, develop a sales language and start selling !

1. Be yourself
2. Have you ever bought anything of anyone you didn’t like?
3. People buy people, not companies so relax and just be yourself
4. Having a good Introduction/Elevator Story ready
5. This will help to give you confidence whenever you go into networking or face to face business meetings. Your introduction should only be around one minute and include who you are, what you do, your experience (if relevant) and what is the benefit of doing business you.
6. Ask questions, ask questions, ask questions
7. It’s the only way you will know what your clients really want. When you know what they want you will know how you can help them.
8. Think about the benefits of your business and its products and services. What makes then unique or superior to your competitors?
9. Why do I need to buy your products or services? How will they make a difference to me?
10. Talk more about the benefits or the ‘why’ elements rather than the features so your clients understand why they would want them.
11. Know where to find new clients
12. Get out there and find your potential clients, don’t wait for them to come to you. Networking is a good place to find clients and there are hundreds of groups around. Try BNI, Chamber of Commerce, and Women’s Network Australia, Australian Institute of Management or type ‘business networking’ into Google.
13. Sales takes time
14. Increasing your confidence in sales and the ability to win new clients takes time, it isn’t easy for everyone, so give yourself some time. Allocate some time each week to focus on building new sales.
15. Follow Up
16. One of the hardest elements of building a business is finding a constant stream of new clients. You have already done the hard work through networking, advertising or marketing so don’t waste it. Make that follow up call now! The biggest complaint that people have in relation to sales is that no one ever followed them up.

 

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For many people, just the thought of sales evokes terror and fear. Many business owners and salespeople that I have met and worked with have experienced some type of fear relating to sales or the sales process and typically, it’s a "fear of rejection".

When I started my sales career, I faced the similar fears but mine was around cold calling and the fear of rejection over the phone.

I would only cold call as an absolute last resort or when my Manager forced me to do it. Funnily enough, once I got through 2 or 3 calls I was on a roll and I would be successful in making appointments. The hardest thing for me was to just pick up the phone and start dialing the number. It didn’t take me long to realize that calls lead to appointments, appointments lead to quotes and quotes lead to sales. Over time, I got better and better and I knew how many calls I had to make to get appointments that would ultimately lead to sales. So my biggest fear became my biggest strength.

There are far too many people who are not achieving their sales targets, revenue growth or personal goals simply because they are allowing their fear to take over. When you learn to overcome this fear, back yourself and give it a go, you will be more successful. This success will inspire you to keep trying it again and again and again.

It’s also interesting to note that rarely, does the negative feeling or fear come true. For example, many people are afraid that if they ‘upsell’ or suggest accessories or add-on products (which is such a simple and effective way to increase sales) they may lose the sale. If it does, it would be extremely rare. The customer has already decided to purchase, so isn’t it simply good customer service to ensure they have everything they need?

Another fear that regularly pops up is asking questions. Just about everyone in sales knows that great questioning helps to overcome objections and progress the sale. However, many people don’t ask good, probing questions because they are afraid the prospect or customer might give them a negative answer or will feel like they are prying or being too pushy (when all you’re really doing is building a complete picture and understanding of their situation). It’s much better to know about these things during the sales process so you can do something about it, rather than finding out right at the end when it might be too late.

So what can you do to overcome your fear in sales? There is no magic answer or quick fix that will work for everyone but there is one thing that will absolutely make a difference.

Push your fears or concerns aside and just try

When you try, be realistic in your expectations as it may take you several attempts before you begin to get better.

Here are a couple of other suggestions that you might like to try:

1. Identify (and write down) the negative thoughts that come to mind when you have to do what you fear most.
2. Identify your underlying beliefs you have of yourself and the situation? For example, do you think you are bothering people and they will get annoyed when you call?
3. Write a positive belief that will empower you and to overcome it. For example: ‘What I have to sell is extremely valuable and can really make a difference to the business (staff/situation/life). This is a much better way of looking at it than believing you are annoying.
4. Ask a mentor, co-worker or friend to help you or role play with. Tell them what message you want to get across or how you want to sound and see what feedback or advice they can give.
5. Never assume that the outcome will be negative and it’s not worth asking or trying. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. For example, if a prospect is showing interest and giving buying signals simply ask the question “Would you to like me to arrange delivery for next week?” or “Would you be free on Wednesday to start”
6. Be realistic in your approach and understand that sales is a numbers game. Not everyone that you speak with or meet will have an immediate need for your product or service.
7. If you do encounter some negative comments, don’t’ take it personally, because it isn’t personal. It’s business.
8. Get inspired. It can be difficult to motivate yourself to do something that you are always putting off, so instead look for inspiration from those who have been through the same thing and overcome it. Ask them for advice and tips on how they overcame their fear and what success they got out of it. When you are inspired, you will be motivated to try.

There isn’t a person I know in sales or business that hasn’t experienced some type of fear they have had to overcome. So do as the author Susan Jeffers suggests and “feel the fear and do it anyway”

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


If you liked this article, subscribe to our monthly Sales Success ezine. You will learn...

* Easy ways to increase your sales and grow your business
* Simple strategies to sell yourself, even if your not in sales
* How to generate sales easier and quicker!

Enter your details at the top of the page or click here