5 Ways to Make Selling ...
Estee Lauder, who built a billion-dollar cosmetics empire, said: “I have never worked a day in my life without selling.” This strategy is something that every small-business owner should take to heart. You may prefer to focus on the core activity of your business – Web design, accounting or car repair – but you must make selling a priority. Without sales, there is no business – if you build it they will not necessarily come. Here are five ways to make selling a less difficult task.
Let others sell for you.This doesn’t mean you must employ a team of salespeople. Let your satisfied customers become your unpaid representatives. Use referrals from them to create “warm” leads to your next customers.
Make a habit of asking customers for referrals. If appropriate, offer an incentive, such as a $25 coupon for every referral that brings a new customer.
Include a referral request on your invoices so customers can conveniently provide you with the information when paying your bill.
Listen, don’t talk. Don’t try to “sell” anything. Let the potential customer talk his or her way into using your services. Being a great listener will help you develop the message that encapsulates what you do. Just saying “we prepare your tax return,” does not convey anything meaningful to the customer. But it, in the course of a conversation, a potential customer says he thinks he is overpaying his taxes, you can describe your services by saying “We prepare your tax return to provide you with every write-off you’re legally entitled to.” You’ve answered the customer’s concerns because you took the time to listen and hear them.
Talk to customers as one business owner to another. Have you noticed the different way in which you are treated when you are acting in your capacity as a professional versus when you are trying to sell your professional services? With the first hat, you may receive deferential treatment; with the second hat, you often are looked down upon. For example, when you make a sales call to promote your services, no one may want to listen to what you have to say, but when a customer engages you to provide services, the customer hangs on your every word. Correct this demeaning treatment – instead of viewing yourself as a salesperson when promoting your business, discuss problems and solutions from one business owner (you) to another (the potential customer). This can make you more comfortable in promoting your services.
Change your attitude about selling. Some business owners are loath to put on the salesperson hat; it feels too much like begging rather than selling. Changing your mindset can make it easier to operate in the selling mode. Slogans and catch phrases can help you reorient your thinking so that selling becomes a more comfortable activity:
Print out and display in your work space any slogan that can remind you to remain positive in your selling activities.
Think about the big picture to develop a collaborative effort. Depending on your business, your services may lend themselves to working as part of a team to provide a complete product for a customer through reciprocal referrals. For example, an attorney who helps a small business incorporate knows that the new company now needs stationery, business cards and signs. The company may also require Web site design. If the attorney can network with a printer and a Web designer for referral purposes, the printer and designer obtain a ready-made customer.
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