Whether you're a sales person in a store or a small business owner, getting a customer to buy a product or service you offer represents success for you and satisfaction for your customers. Anyone can sell a product or service, but getting the most out of a sale and getting the customer back takes some practice and skill. Here are some simple steps to becoming a good seller.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Facilitate the Sale
Step 1. Say hello and attract your customer
Even if you're making a deal, there's no harm in making the person you want to sell to feel comfortable. Welcoming a customer will give them the confidence to buy your product.
- Smile with your eyes. The human subconscious can easily distinguish a fake smile from a real one. Like? Real smiles include eyes, while fake ones don't.
- Be careful not to make too much eye contact. Harvard researchers have found that salespeople who stare too much at their potential customers risk discouraging them. The theory is that eye contact means submission, which definitely doesn't entice you to buy.
Step 2. Define their needs
It takes all the time it takes to define a customer's needs in order to be able to sell them what they need. There is nothing worse than selling a product or service that the customer will later be dissatisfied with. The best question to ask is: "What do you need it for?" Keep asking questions to narrow the circle on what the customer really wants. Doing so will show a willingness to understand and a legitimate interest in the buyer's needs.
Step 3. Recommend the best product or service
It is important to understand how the things you offer work. Once you understand this, you can offer the best. Make sure you offer relevant products or services to satisfy the customer.
- Many successful restaurants allow waiters to sample the dishes on the menu for free, to better understand what they offer. In this way they combine their expertise with practice when a client asks: "What do you recommend?"
- Trying out many, if not all, of the things you sell is part of your job. Customers recognize an amateur or an indifferent one from a kilometer away. Even if the product you offer isn't discounted or free, it's part of your job to try it out.
Step 4. Try to catch the signals of a possible purchase from your customer
The signals can be verbal or not. Questions like "How can this help me?" or "What is the best product for my needs?" are classic examples of buy signals. A non-verbal cue, on the other hand (if you are dealing with a person physically), is when a customer holds an object in their hand as if they already had one.
Step 5. Close the deal
When you see the signs of a possible sale, stop trying to sell and close the deal. A common mistake that can cause a sale to be lost is to keep offering products or services after the customer has already indicated they want to buy.
Method 2 of 3: Close the Deal
Step 1. Start with a direct or indirect close
These are two of the most basic closing techniques. Better to learn the indirect method first. Unless you are pretty sure that the customer has taken the bait and is ready to make the deal, direct selling is rather inadvisable.
- Direct sales: "Can I fill it in for you?" or "Can I send you a contract so you can get started right away?"
- Indirect sale: "How do these conditions seem to you?" "Do you think it is acceptable?"
Step 2. Try the “pros and cons” closure if you want to impress the rational side of the customer
A lot of sales are very emotional decisions in which the buyer convinces himself to make a rational choice, for example when buying a car. But some situations simply contemplate pros and cons. Use this technique to impress the rational customer:
With this technique the seller makes a list of pros and cons together with the customer. A good salesperson makes sure the pros outweigh the cons
Step 3. Try the puppy closure if you trust your product
The puppy technique is often used by those who - you guessed it - have a pet shop. Doubtful customers are allowed to bring a puppy home with the possibility of bringing it back if the customer is not happy. He takes the puppy home, plays with it, and the deal is closed, in fact, not by the seller but by the puppy. If you believe that what you are selling has a lot of charm and is difficult to leave once tried, this is the right technique to use.
Step 4. Try being cocky, but only if you're really good at it
The “presumptuous” closure is when the seller assumes that the customer has already decided to buy and begins to package the sale: “The sound system is crazy. And I bet he'll fall in love with the 8-cylinder engine, it's a marvel. So, do you want it red or black? Notice how the seller takes the sale for granted. It does not give the customer a chance to object. The risks of this technique are pretty obvious, so use it carefully!
Step 5. Learn to leverage emotions
Emotions are an extremely powerful thing, especially when associated with money. If you learn to handle your prospects' emotions without making them feel manipulated, the deal is done:
- Try the hurry technique: This is when the seller tries to close a purchase by pointing out that the product will run out or that it will not be available at that exceptional price for much longer. By doing this you play on the customer's feeling of remorse.
- Try the “once in a lifetime” technique: here too you play with the customer's remorse. The salesperson counters the prospect's objection that it's too early to buy, saying it's never too early to make such a major purchase in life.
- Try the sales bidding technique: This is when the salesperson offers a small incentive to the customer, such as a modest discount, saying they'll make money if they close the deal. "If I still do this sale, my wife and I can go on a cruise." This relies on the client's guilt - their fate is tied to yours.
Step 6. Try to bite him with the detail technique
This technique assumes that the deal on one detail leads to the deal on the whole sale. “Do you prefer our wireless service in the package? No? Okay, let's do it without wireless."
Step 7. Try the denial technique
Keep repeating phrases like "Is there anything about the product that you are still unsure about?" or "Is there any reason you wouldn't buy it?" puts the customer in a position not to be able to refuse the sale. Continue to apply in negative form until the customer accepts.
Method 3 of 3: Make a Lasting (and Good) Impression
Step 1. Stay with the customer as long as possible without nagging them
If you keep walking back and forth to your boss's office, you will begin to sow doubt in your prospect's mind. Try to be with him as much as possible once you have a sense of initial interest. Use your precious minutes to continue the sales process and convince the customer that their choice is the right one.
Step 2. Don't overdo it if that's not what the customer wants
Do not sell extra items beyond what the customer wants - "Do you want the biggest offer?". It can work when the customer doesn't know what they want, but too many salespeople use this technique without setting a limit. There are two good reasons not to do this in most cases:
- It can make the customer uncomfortable about the original purchase. If the customer is unsure of the first purchase, the best thing to do is to close the sale as soon as possible. If you try to sell more, the customer will wonder what they will miss by making only the first purchase.
- It can discourage a second purchase. A lot of good salespeople live off repeat customers. If you go overboard with someone, they won't come back to buy from you a second or third time.
Step 3. Be sure, don't be discouraged
Being a seller is all about staying safe. Any missed deal makes you feel inadequate and sows doubt. But don't do it: stay safe even in the face of pitfalls. Believe in yourself. Because every time a customer buys something from you, he hopes to buy some of your security along with the car, the mortgage, the vacuum cleaner. Remember that. Think ahead of a technique to close the deal with each client.
Step 4. Follow up with customers after the sale
Good after sales service is essential for repeat customers. Offer to help customers by answering their questions and concerns about the product or service you sold. Check that all products have been received to satisfy them and to know if they have any other questions.
Advice
- Even if you can't close a deal, make it a pleasant experience for the customer. If he doesn't even buy this time, he may come back in the future.
- Know your products / services. There is nothing better than being confident and prepared about what you are selling.
- Don't be afraid to use a few jokes to break the ice, but know when to be serious.
- Take your time. Even if you or the customer are pressed on time, it is entirely necessary to offer the right things and identify their needs.
- If the customer doesn't give you buy signals, try closing the same to see if they're interested. If they accept, you've made it. Otherwise, keep trying to figure out what they want.
Warnings
- If you are selling something in person, be professional. There is no need to overdo aesthetics, but looking presentable will make the customer more confident in buying from you.
- Stop proposing after the customer gives you signals that they want to buy. If you keep offering other options, he may become unsure about buying and end up buying nothing.
