Sell a Product

Selling a product doesn’t have to be complicated. At its most basic level, a sales program is defined principally by what you sell, who you sell it to and how you sell it. Beyond that, sales involves staying focused on the details of your product and customers. As a sales program continues you will want to keep paying attention to changing trends and the needs or desires of your customers. By observing these changes you will be able to adjust your program and keep your sales strong.

Steps

Showing Enthusiasm for the Product

  1. Study your product.[1] If you are able to convey knowledge about the product, and to answer questions that customers may have, then they will understand that you really care about the product. If you find the product worthwhile, they are more likely to as well.
    • It is absolutely vital to know your product inside out. If you do not know something a customer asks of you, try saying something like “I don’t know the exact answer for that, but I’ll be happy to look into it and get back to you right away. What’s the best way to contact you when I find the answer?”
  2. Emphasize the perks of the product to customers. As well as getting good product information to the right people, it is important to translate the product's features into benefits. This makes it easier for the customer to see why they should purchase the product. Think about things like:[2]
    • Will the product make the customer’s life easier?
    • Will the product create a sense of luxury?
    • Is the product something that can be enjoyed by many people?
    • Is the product something that can be used for a long time?
  3. Ensure that the product has been adequately explained. If you are not doing direct, person-to-person sales, then you will need to ensure that good product information is supplied via retail packaging, point-of-purchase displays, and any marketing materials.[3] Even if you are selling products directly or making a pitch, having good product information on display will help you convince customers.[4][5]
    • Make sure that all product information is informative, true, and complete.
    • Make sure that the language on product packaging and marketing materials is clear, direct, and easy to read.
    • Invest the time and money to ensure that your product, packaging, and marketing materials look good—high-quality photos, vivid colors, etc.

Connecting with the Buyer

  1. Share your love of the product.[1][6] A good salesperson believes in the product that is being sold, and transfers this enthusiasm to the customer. There are numerous ways to show your love of a product.
    • Don’t neglect body language and tone. You will convey energy and enthusiasm if you speak clearly about a product, and show expression when discussing it. On the other hand, if you mumble when customers ask questions about a product, or cross your arms over your chest, then it will appear like you are distant and don’t care about the product.
    • Be prepared to discuss how you use the product, or how other satisfied customers have. Specific stories about the product make it relatable to customers. For instance, if you’re selling a shampoo, you can tell a customer something like: “My hair is usually so frizzy, but ever since I’ve started using this it’s been as smooth and straight as it is right now.”
  2. Anticipate your customers’ motivations.[1]. You want to be able to answer any questions that customers may have about a product, but even more importantly, you want to anticipate those questions. This shows that you understand customer needs. Make sure that you are able to connect emotionally with customers by addressing those needs.[2]
    • Think about your typical customers. What motivates them? What needs do they have? Are they young? Single? Wealthy? Do they have families?
    • Once you have an idea of your customers in mind, think about how your product can help them meet their needs or reach their desires.
  3. Practice breaking the ice with customers. If you are working in direct sales, the way you connect with people is critical. Instead of asking the close-ended question "May I help you?,” ask the more positive, open-ended questions like "Are you looking for something for yourself? Or a gift for someone special?"[1] In addition, be ready to make remarks about your product that will interest customers and start deeper conversations. For instance, if you are in clothing retail, you might say: “You know, ugly Christmas sweater parties are really popular right now. Have you ever been to one?”
  4. Convert the customer's motivations into the product's characteristics. In marketing, this is known as "positioning," and it consists of equating the product with the customer's hopes and desires. A number of factors are important when positioning a product[7]:
    • Position the product in the best spectrum of the market possible. Don’t pitch the product too high or too low in terms of affordability and luxury.
    • Position the facts about the product according to the person you're selling it to. You may have a handful of different facts, but it's up to your skill to know which of those facts best serve each individual sale.
    • Don't fudge facts or lie outright. Product positioning is about perception, not deception.
    • Position the facts so that they transcend the product itself. This means that the desirable, positive values associated with the product are what sell it. Companies that excel at this include Coca-Cola, Apple, and many designer goods or labels. Think about how your product will connect with a customer’s lifestyle or values, and not simply serve a function.
    • For instance, if you are trying to sell a relatively high-end minivan to a wealthy older person, you might mention its luxurious features. Do this by saying things like: “Take a look at that wood trim—it’s just beautiful. And those soft leather seats—they’re so comfortable. They’re perfect for taking a nice sunset drive.”
    • If you were trying to sell the same minivan to a family with three children, however, you would emphasize its more utilitarian features. For example, you could say things like: “The third seat adds lots of room for carting friends around. It also folds down when you need room for hauling groceries, sporting gear, and things like that. And did I mention that side air bags and anti-lock brakes come standard?”
  5. Be honest about your product. Long-term lovers of your product will only come about if you've been honest with them. This means being transparent in your delivery of product information and also admitting your own lack of knowledge or mistakes you've made. Don't be afraid of honesty; it builds trust.
    • If you ever are not able to answer customers’ questions or supply them with what they need, offer to follow up with them later, as soon as you are able to.
    • Make sure customers know they can come back to you later if they have questions or concerns.
    • If it ever turns out that a product isn’t right for a customer, be honest about it and help the customer find what he or she really needs.[1] Even if you don’t make the sale today, your honesty and generosity will be remembered, and can translate into future sales.
    • For instance, if you are trying to sell a sports car to customer who eventually tells you that he has five young children who he drives to school everyday, you could say something like: “Well maybe you’d be better off with a good minivan or SUV. But if you’re ever in the market for a second vehicle, come back and talk to me and I’ll help you get a good deal.”
  6. Close the sale. There are many styles and methods of closing a sale, but one of the most effective has the mnemonic, ABC: "Always Be Closing."[8] As you confirm your prospective buyer's interest in the product, put forward trial closes like, "Does this sound like the product you want?" or “So what do you think? Will this meet your needs?”
  7. Give customers time to consider. Appearing overly pushy is a turn-off for many buyers.[2] They may want to go home and do a quick online search for more information. Let them do so with your enthusiastic and supportive pitch in mind. If you've been truthful, helpful, considerate, and enthusiastic, and the information you've given them matches with what they read online, they are likely to come back to your product.
    • Sometimes, it pays to let your customers take the lead. Give them time to consider, and keep quiet while they do. Only offer more information when they request it.[9]
    • Don’t let customers get away without knowing how to contact you. If you are working in a store or on site, make sure customers will know how to find you again (especially if you will be moving around). Make sure to tell customers something like "I'll be right here at the counter if you need me," or "Just ask any sales associate to page me if you have any questions."
    • You can also give customers your contact information so they can get in touch with you if they have questions or want more information. Slip the customer your business card or other contact information and say something: "Call me anytime if you have questions, and you can also find me right here in the store on weekdays."
    • Use your instincts. If you think a customer is close to buying, stay nearby without being intrusive. You’ll want the customer to be able to find you quickly. The last thing you want is for a potential buyer to decide to purchase and then be unable to find you.

Selling Products as an Owner Salesperson

  1. Familiarize yourself with all aspects that feed into the end sale of a product. As an owner salesperson, that is, one who owns the business that is selling the product, you have the ability to affect more than just the interaction with buyers. In addition to the strategies mentioned in the rest of this article, you can also use other functions to improve your sales. Advertising, merchandising, and marketing are support functions for sales.[10] Selling is the goal of these support functions and a good owner salesperson needs to have a decent understanding of each of these.
    • Read basic texts on marketing. These will inform you about many of the tactics and techniques underlying advertising, merchandising, and marketing.
  2. Market your product. It is important to make your product information available through as many channels as possible. Today, the range of potential placements has increased a great deal thanks to the advances in communications. Give your potential buyers many possible places to find out more about your product in numerous ways, such as:
    • Word-of-mouth
    • Advertising (radio, TV, print, email, social media, online ads, etc.)
    • Sales representatives
    • Trade shows
    • Conferences
    • Cold call sales
    • Product placement in movies, sports, etc.
    • Local community events (for instance, donating a product to a local benefit auction will draw attention to your product and serve a good cause)[11][10]
  3. Review your sales performance.[12][13] You should analyze your sales at regular intervals. Is the product selling well? Is stock low or high? Are you profiting? How are your competitors performing? Being able to answer these questions will help you maximize your sales, and keep growth steady.
  4. Troubleshoot sales, if necessary. If you are not selling well, you will need to enter problem-solving mode. Improving your sales will involve reassessing your product, customer base, and marketing.[14]
    • Change your tactics periodically. If customers hear the same sales routine over and over again, or see the same display month in and month out, your product might start to seem irrelevant.
    • Consider deleting a product from your line if it is not selling well. Stock can be sold at discounted prices to liquidate it.
    • Review your target market and sharpen your sales focus. Your buyers might be changing, and you will want to keep up with them, or else find a new market.
    • Re-evaluate the product design, distribution, packaging, etc. Tweaking the product with your target market and sales strategy in mind can improve your sales.
    • Change the price of your product. By studying your sales data and competitors’ performance, you may be able to tell if you are charging too much or too little for your product.
    • Make the product exclusive, or available for a limited time only. Sometimes, controlling supply in this way will increase demand and sales. Make sure that this tactic works with your overall sales strategy, however. If you are marketing a product as perfect for everyday use, it may not work to also market it as exclusive.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 http://nasp.org/article/CB879426-E9F9/how-to-master-the-art-and-science-of-consultative-selling.html
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 http://www.inc.com/steve-tobak/how-to-sell-anything-to-anybody.html
  3. ↑ http://www.forbes.com/sites/onmarketing/2014/07/23/the-five-things-product-packaging-must-do/
  4. ↑ https://hbr.org/2003/09/how-to-pitch-a-brilliant-idea
  5. ↑ http://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2014/04/18/10-steps-for-giving-a-convincing-sales-pitch/
  6. ↑ https://www.aabacosmallbusiness.com/advisor/blogs/young-entrepreneurs/sell-every-product-with-love-222925933.html
  7. ↑ Mark H McCormack, What they don't teach you at Harvard Business School, pp. 127-130, (1986), ISBN 0-00-636953-7
  8. ↑ http://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/always-be-closing.asp
  9. ↑ http://nos.ukces.org.uk/PublishedNos/SFHSS04.pdf
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/179084
  11. ↑ http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/economic/friedman/mmintroduction.htm
  12. ↑ https://www.marsdd.com/mars-library/using-sales-metrics-to-assess-your-sales-performance-and-competitiveness/
  13. ↑ http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/230876
  14. ↑ http://www.sellingpower.com/content/article/?a=10089/10-tips-to-improve-your-sales-performance
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