Be a Good Salesperson

Knowing how to sell a product is a skill that must be practiced. Good salespeople have a strong work ethic and never give up on a sale. You must know your product, know your customer, and be able to clearly show how your product will improve the life of your customer. Develop a sales pitch that is specific to the needs of your customer and follow up to close the deal. If you are not able to close the deal, continue to develop a relationship with the customer. You may win them over eventually.

Steps

Giving a Sales Pitch

  1. Plan ahead. Before you give a pitch, learn about your buyer and how your product can help that customer. Also identify the objective of your pitch. Do you want to make a sale? Do you want to introduce the customer to your company and start a relationship? Consider the amount of time you have to give your pitch as well.[1]
    • Appealing to your audience is the most important part of your pitch.
    • Write down your talking points and get some feedback from a friend, colleague, or family member. Try to find people who are similar to your target audience.
  2. Create different pitches. Your pitch will depend on the method you use to deliver. Prepare a pitch for in-person, phone, and elevator speeches. An in-person pitch is a formal presentation that you give to one or more people. Your phone pitch is for cold calling or following up with people who have expressed interest in your company. Your elevator pitch is for informal situations and should only last 30 seconds.[2]
    • Any pitch you give should include your name and the company name, the product you are selling, and how the product can help your customer.
    • Your pitch should have a beginning, middle, and end.
    • When you give an elevator pitch, be sure you have a business card with you since you are limited on time.
  3. Cater to your customer. A sales pitch is not one-size fits all. It must appeal to the needs of each customer. Think of who your customer is, what your product can do for them, and what other products you are competing with.[3]
    • For example, if you were selling a natural, organic cleaning product to a family with small children, you may emphasize how effective yet safe the product is for children. If you were selling this product to a young millennial, you may emphasize how the product is environmentally friendly.
    • For the family, you may say, “I think you will love this product. Safe and gentle products are really important to our company. We developed this with families and children in mind.”
    • For the millennial, you may say, “Our company is really concerned about making sustainable products that do not harm our environment. We are socially responsible just like our customers.”
  4. Ask questions. You do not always have time to research your customer. You can understand your customer by asking questions. Once you understand the customer’s needs and wants, you can tell them how your product is a solution.[4] You may ask the customer:
    • About work or school
    • Their frustrations
    • Their goals
    • For example, if you were selling a computer, you may ask: What do you use your computer for? What do you like about your current computer? How would you improve your current computer?
  5. Focus on the solutions. You may have the best product out there, but you must show how your product will help your customer. Instead of focusing on the specific qualities if your product, focus on how the product will help your customer.[4]
    • For example, instead of talking about the large hard drive and processing speed of the computer, you would talk about how your customer would be able to surf the web faster or save more pictures, videos, and music files.
  6. Address objections. Think of some of the most common objections to the product that you are selling. Is it the price? Is it a new or unpopular product? Is the product similar to something else on the market? Write down the top 10 most likely objections and come up with a response.[4]
    • Practice your response to these objections before you pitch the product. Your response should be very natural.
    • Never ignore or discredit an objection. Say, “That’s true” or “I completely understand” to acknowledge their feelings.
  7. Close the deal. After you have addressed any objections, it is time to move the conversation forward. Do not expect the customer to close the deal. Here are some phrases you may try:[5]
    • ”So, when would you like to make your first purchase?”
    • ”If I can give you a discount today, would you be interested in purchasing?”
    • ”Based on your needs, I think this product would work really well for you. Would you like to give it a try?”
    • ”Can you commit to doing business with us today?”
    • ”If we can resolve the one issue you have with our product, would you be willing to a sign a contract in the next 2 weeks?”
  8. Follow up. Your customer may not be ready to make a purchase. If your customer does not give you a firm “yes” or “no,” tell them that they should think about it and you will follow up with them later. To follow up with a customer:[4]
    • Exchange contact information
    • Set a time period for follow up (e.g. 1 week, 2 days)
    • Do not give up until you get a final answer. Many sales are made during the follow up period.

Developing Traits for Success

  1. Have empathy. To sell a product, you must be able to feel what your customer feels and then adjust your sales strategy. While you may enter an interaction with a specific sales pitch, you must adjust your pitch if a customer is not responding as you hoped.[6] Pay attention to your customer’s body language and facial expressions. If the customer is folding their arms, not making eye contact, or fidgeting a lot, you may need to try a different approach.
    • When you show empathy, acknowledge whatever concern the customer has and let them know that you are on their side.[7]
    • For example, if a customer is saying that your product is too expensive, you may say, “I understand that. I know that price is an important factor, and you are looking for the best value that suits your needs.”
  2. Be responsible. Do not blame other people when you are unable to make a sale or meet your numbers. If you have made a mistake, take responsibility and come up with a solution to the problem that you face. Also be open to any criticism or suggestions you receive about your work.[8]
    • For example, you should never say, “It’s not my fault that people aren’t interested in the product.” Instead have the attitude that says, “Why aren’t people interested? What can I do to change my approach?”[8]
  3. Stay optimistic. As a salesperson, you will get turned down a lot. Think of rejection as just part of your job. Remember that the customer is not rejecting you as a person, but the product that you are selling.[8]
    • Think of rejection as an opportunity to try out a new strategy or go back to the drawing board.
    • Use your failures as a learning tool. Keep a written record of your sales approach and the associated outcome. This will help you figure out which strategies work best.
  4. Strive for excellence. Most successful sales people have an ego. They strive to be the best at what they do and are self-motivated. Set performance goals for yourself and do whatever it takes to meet them.[8]
    • For example, a goal may be to speak with 5 new customers a day or make a new sale once a week.
    • If you work on a sales team, try to be the top performer. If someone is doing better than you, try to step your game up.
    • Being competitive is good, but do not sabotage your coworkers or lie to customers to get the job done.

Understanding Your Product

  1. Know the benefits and features. You should know your product better than anyone. What are the features of the product? How is this product helpful to customers?[9]
    • The features are the characteristics of the product.
    • The benefits are what the product will mean to your customer.
  2. Identify the price. Your product probably sells for a specific price. You may offer discounts or deals to get new customers or make a sale. Be clear about what type of deals you can offer and how low you can go.
    • It is important that you know the price options before you speak with a customer. You do not want to make an offer that you cannot stand by or get in trouble with your supervisor or company.
  3. Research the competition. Any product you sell will have competitors. You must know what your competitor is selling and how your product is different and/or better. If your customers bring up another product, you will be able to tell them why your product is better able to meet their needs. You should know:[10][11]
    • The price of the other products
    • How your product compares
    • How they reach out to your customers

Closing the Deal

  1. Choose your strategy. There are three types of closing: hard, medium, and soft. Your closing strategy should be based on your intended outcome and your knowledge of your customer. Prepare a closing in each one of these categories.[12]
    • A hard close requires your customer to respond “yes” or “no.”
    • A medium close is more of suggestion.
    • A soft close is a suggestion that makes the customer believe they are acting based on their own free will.
    • If you have an indecisive customer, you may starts with a soft close and then give them a hard close when you follow up. You may say, “Why don’t you think about what we discussed today, and I will give you a call Friday morning.” When you call Friday morning, you may say, “The deal that we discussed is for a limited only. I need an answer today.”
  2. Give a time deadline. If you need an answer from a customer by a certain time period, give them a deadline to act. This is useful if you are offering special discounts or pricing or if you are trying to meet e deadline yourself. Try some of the following:[12]
    • Hard close: “The special pricing ends this week. We need an answer today.”
    • Medium close: “The discount is only running through the end of this month.”
    • Soft close: “Think about what you want to do, and I will give you a call tomorrow afternoon.”
  3. Come prepared. Have a pen, a note pad, and a hard copy of the proposal with you when you go to close the deal. The customer should be able to see in writing exactly what they are getting. You should always have your pen in case a customer is ready to sign on the dotted line.[13]
    • If you are not prepared and a customer is ready to close a deal, the customer may be turned off and change their mind.
    • Remember that you are representing your company. You need to look organized and trustworthy.
  4. Nurture a relationship. Just because a customer is not interested in buying your product right now does not mean they will not be interested down the line. Work on developing a relationship with the customer to build trust. If a customer likes you personally, they are more likely to buy from you.[14]
    • Offer to take the person to lunch, dinner, or coffee. People are a little more relaxed outside of the office setting.
    • Send your customer an interesting article related to their business or personal interests. For example, if a person was interested in new farming equipment, you may send them a press release about a new product. You can simply send an email saying, “Hi Ashley, take a look at this article. I think it’s something you may be interested in. Hope to speak with you soon.”
  5. Smile and make eye contact. When you make eye contact with a customer, you are saying that you are confident and interested in them. If you do not project confidence, the customer will not be confident in what you are selling. You should also smile and maintain a friendly attitude no matter what the customer says.[15]
    • This takes come practice. Practice smiling in all different situations. If someone is kind, irritating, annoying, smile through it.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2012/01/05/how-to-craft-an-effective-sales-pitch/2/#5f5cca575c52
  2. ↑ https://www.score.org/resource/plan-your-sales-pitch
  3. ↑ https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2014/02/how-to-make-good-sales-pitch.html
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 http://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2014/04/18/10-steps-for-giving-a-convincing-sales-pitch/#54f1c6b3efec
  5. ↑ http://blog.hubspot.com/sales/closing-phrases-seal-sales-deal#sm.0000c18dr8u0ocncyde2mmldjwq9m
  6. ↑ https://hbr.org/2006/07/what-makes-a-good-salesman
  7. ↑ http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/how-to-sell-answering-it-costs-too-much-html.html
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 https://www.cpsa.com/articles/5-characteristics-of-successful-salespeople-(part-1-of-6)
  9. ↑ https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/sales-skills.htm
  10. ↑ http://www.inc.com/guides/201105/10-tips-on-how-to-research-your-competition.html
  11. ↑ http://www.infoentrepreneurs.org/en/guides/understand-your-competitors/
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 https://hbr.org/2011/12/how-to-close-a-sales-call
  13. ↑ https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/222558
  14. ↑ http://www.inc.com/aj-agrawal/how-to-land-your-next-big-client.html
  15. ↑ https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/222558
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