Gone are the days of the sleazy salesman. Customers are looking to spend their hard-earned money on quality products and services sold by trustworthy sellers, and who can blame them? If you’re having trouble converting prospects into customers, here are a few tips the best salesmen use for successful sales.
Use a Consistent Sales Process
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel in order to make a sale. Concentrate on what works during your interactions with clients. When you find a process that brings you success, apply a version of it to every deal. Once you have the opportunity to analyze which tactics are successful and which aren’t, you’ll be well on your way to a tried-and-true sales process that you can depend on.
Know Your Product
It’s not enough to be a personable salesman anymore. Customers have more access to information and can sniff out an inauthentic seller faster than they can push you out the door. Instead of relying on old-fashioned and pushy sales methods, take the honest route. Make an effort to get to know the product or service you’re selling and why it would work for them. To gain the customer’s trust, you need to prove that you have their needs in mind.
Personalize Your Correspondence
Avoid sending out mass, one-size-fits-all emails to your clients. Take the time to get to know your prospects so that you can personalize the messages you send to them. Making an effort to tailor your words is an important step in gaining your clients’ trust and having your prospects feel that they’re more than just another sale.
Stay Honest
While it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of closing a sale, don’t stretch the truth to your prospects. If the service or product you’re offering doesn’t have the feature they want, or you can’t lower the price to what they’re looking for, let your prospect know upfront. Otherwise, your dishonesty will come to light eventually and will probably end in a blown deal.
Know When to Walk Away
It’s tough when you’ve invested a great deal of time into a prospect, but know when it’s time to walk away if a deal is going south. Your product should solve a problem the prospect is having or perform a service they want or need. If what you’re selling does neither of these things, it’s time to call it quits. Move on before you’ve overstayed your welcome. The client will look more positively on you if you walk away gracefully, and it may even earn you a referral.
Ask for a Referral Every Time
Speaking of referrals— ask your clients for one every time! These are the easiest sales to make because customers are much more likely to do business with someone their friend or family member recommends. When you’ve had a positive experience with a customer, politely ask them if they know anyone who might require your service or product. If you do receive a referral, follow up right away.