5 tips for making a sale

5 Tips for Making a Sale

Some people in the business world seem to have an innate sense for how to sell a product.

For others, this ability seems like something akin to magic — a special power only available to a select few. If you fall somewhere in the middle, just knowing your customer and really believing in your product may be enough to help you make sales. If, on the other hand, you’re in the “selling is magic” crowd, you may need to hire a wizard or two to help grow your business.

Here are a few tips to help you land clients and make sales:

1. Know Your Customers

Create a profile of your company’s ideal customer — and be specific. In what age range is he? Is he married or single? Does he have kids? A mortgage? A professional job, or is he a blue-collar worker?

This profile will help you target your marketing efforts to your ideal customers, making the sales process easier. You can also tailor your sales techniques to this customer profile.

2. Find the Right Sales Staff

The first thing you need to consider before hiring salespeople is what kind of salespeople you need. Are you looking for someone who can build long-term relationships with your current customers…or someone who’s more suited to finding and landing new accounts?

Be clear about what qualities you want in a salesperson before you start the hiring process. This will help narrow down the applications so you can decide who to interview. From there, create interview questions that are broad enough to let the candidate show you what she can do.

3. Know Your Product — and Be Passionate About It

Your sales staff should know your product, backward and forward. They should also be just as passionate about it as you are. Why is this product special? How can it make people’s lives better?

Remember — a customer doesn’t necessarily care about a product’s features. He only cares about what the product can do for him — how it can make his life easier.

4. Give Clear Answers

Don’t beat around the bush. If you don’t know the answer to a question, say so — and tell the customer you’ll find it for him. Make your answers clear and direct — no company jargon, no corporate double-speak. Stumbling over your answer, or making one up on the fly, will hurt your credibility with the customer, making the chance of a sale drop to zero.

5. Always Be Learning

Selling is an art, and there’s always something new to learn. Whether it’s a new sales technique, a bit of psychology that can help you overcome objections, or a better way of qualifying leads, soaking up all the information you can find can make you a more effective salesperson.

About the Author:

Angie Mansfield writes about a range of small business topics for a variety of sites, including Reputation.com.