The “secret to successful selling” is something that sales professionals and entrepreneurs search for like the holy grail. There are thousands of books about the subject. White papers and blogs are shared to help you find this elusive “white whale.” Videos are produced all the time to help you “fill the funnel” and “close the sale.” But here is the secret I have found about sales. There is no secret. The process to growing your sales is simple…not easy. Are you ready for it? Want to hear it? Here goes… 1. Make more sales calls (to real potential buyers).2. Ask for the order. I know that’s not sexy and not detailed. But I find in most cases (including my own), when sales are trailing, these two things can help. Let’s dig deeper though. Here are some more tips on growing your sales in nearly any market. 1. Be a Learner Not an Interrogator: If you have been in sales for more than 3 minutes, you have heard people tell you that you need to “ask questions” and you need to “listen.” There are all kinds of memes that will tell you that you have two ears and one mouth and to use them accordingly. But one trap you can fall into is to ask questions in a sequential order. You have a script (even if it is of questions) and you follow that. You want to get to the answers so you can qualify this prospect. In this instance, you are asking questions, but not really listening. Take on the role of a “learner.” Listen to their answers and ask follow up questions with things like, “Tell me more about that.” This will allow you to learn more about the problem you are trying to solve, but also the person who you are meeting with. 2. Provide Value: One of the best ways to connect with a person (buyer) is to listen to them honestly (see above). The next is to sincerely try to help them. Obviously we are all in business, and we want to make the sale and make money. But if you listen, you might find a way you can provide them value outside of the transaction. Do you have an article you can share with them? Are they new to town? Can you help them find a place to shop? Whatever. Listen to them and provide value up front and you will create a person that wants to do business with you when the time is right. 3. Ask For Next Steps: I said above that we need to “ask for the order” and that’s often true. But sometimes that’s jumping the gun. What I like to consider is “what is the logical next step?” Ask for that. Sometimes sales professionals are reticent to do this because it might seem pushy. To be honest, I think it’s weird if you have just spent time with a client and don’t ask. You have just wasted their time and yours. Maybe the next step is to put another appointment on the calendar. Maybe it’s to ask for the order. Maybe it’s step where the client needs to provide you information. Whatever it is, ask for that. The fact is, there are many subtle steps to the sales cycle. But if you take these 3 steps you will start to see progress in your sales journey! Don’t ever miss a post from Hasseman Marketing! Sign up for our VIP newsletter here.
