Are you finding yourself having to do some sales work, but you have no idea where to start when it comes to how to talk to customers and sales? Then keep reading because in this article, I’m going to go over five things to keep in mind when it comes to talking to customers in sales. By the end of this article, you’re going to have a better understanding of what it takes to sell confidently in today’s sales environment.
Tip #1: Start thinking of sales purely as conversations.
If you want to know the best way to start selling something, it’s to stop trying to sell something. Seriously, a lot of times, the easiest way to take some of the stress off sales is to simply view it as having a conversation with another person. By doing so, you’re going to be able to focus more on what the person’s actually telling you so that you can actively listen to their needs and concerns.
Look at their body language and also just pick up on things that you wouldn’t otherwise be focused on if you’re just thinking about selling them something. By doing this, you’re going to be able to be more outcome independent. And as a result, you won’t care whether or not that conversation leads to, or doesn’t lead to a sale.
In turn that helps build trust with your prospects because they know that you actually have their interest on their side, as opposed to just being another sales person, that’s ready to shove something in front of them and hope and pray that they are going to buy that particular product or service.
Tip #2: Focus on how you can help others.
By doing so, you’re going to be able to better connect the, “what’s in it for them?” into the conversation.
A lot of people that are new to sales spend hours practicing their demo or the different features of the product or service that they’re selling, that they forget that they’re actually just talking to another person on the other end and that their time would be better spent focusing on what that person cares about and whether or not the product or service that they have can actually meet the needs of that person.
For example, a bad retail clothes salesman might focus their entire time of their conversation with you on the number of pockets that this pair of pants has whereas on the other side of the spectrum, a good salesperson would focus their time explaining to you about how you’re not going to have to worry so much about having to carry a ton of things or forgetting to bring something along because you have a handy set of pockets with this particular pair of pants.
It’s all about perspective and positioning when it comes to sales. So if you can think about it in the lens of how you add value to the person that you’re trying to sell to, it’ll make your sales conversations a lot easier.
Tip #3: Make sure that you’re being present in every single conversation.
This means that if you have a script, I want you to throw it out the window. Instead, focus on the key bullet points or takeaways that you want every single person you interact with to understand about the product or service that you’re selling.
By focusing less on your sales pitch or your immediate sales goals, you’ll be able to actively engage with what the other person is saying. And by doing this, you will then be able to connect with that person at a higher level. As you think about those key takeaways that are non-negotiables for your prospects to understand, make sure that you come up with open-ended questions or key questions that you can ask your prospect in your conversations to make sure that they actually understand what you’re trying to convey to them.
For example, After you’ve gone over an important benefit of your product or service, you might take a step back and ask your prospect, “Mr. or Mrs. Prospect, thinking about all the benefits from XYZ, how do you think that could apply to your particular situation?” By asking this sort of question you’re giving your prospect a space to interact with you, engage with you and actually show their understanding of the thing that you just went over.
Tip #4: Always be real
Authenticity matters much more than you think. This is a personal preference for me, but I like to work with salespeople that are real and who they are, and they don’t try to put up a front or a sales mode when they are engaging with me. You and me both know what we’re talking about here. It’s that overly energetic sales person who thinks everything you say is interesting, or just has a fake persona.
Just check out an episode of Selling Sunset if you want an example of that. Now I’m not saying that this doesn’t work for certain people, but what I am saying is that by selling this way, it can be super exhausting. The reason why is because you have to be on all the time if you’re not going to be real in your sales conversations. If you’re not real with your prospect, then you’re just putting up a front or a facade that this person is engaging with. And as a result, you have to manage these two different personalities of who you are when you’re selling and who you are as an actual person.
If you always had to project this personality that is your sales personality, then it will lead you faster and faster to a state of burnout in which it won’t be sustainable for you to sell for very long. I cover topics like burnout and more in my other sales articles that you might find helpful on my channel.
Tip #5: Always own up to everything that you sell.
Integrity is the bedrock of how you build trust with your prospects. It’s how you make your prospects from one-time buyers to two time buyers to lifetime buyers. If you want to connect well with your prospects, you’re not only have to be real with them from tip number four, but you also have to hold yourself to the highest standards when it comes to accountability.
For example, when somebody asks you a question that you might not actually know, this means that you’re willing to say, “Hey, I actually don’t know that, but I’d be happy to get back to you after I’ve done some more research.” And then doing that research and following up with your prospect. Always strive to be open and honest as to what you can and cannot do as well as what you do know and what you don’t know in every sales conversation. By doing so, you’ll build way more trust with your prospects that if you just pretend that you know something when you’re actually fudging your response.
When a salesperson doesn’t have much integrity in how they sell, it leads to bad customer fits which in turn lead to unhappy customers and less business for you in the future. So it makes no sense for you to not own up to everything that you sell.
Big takeaways
There are two things I want you to remember from this article:
- The first takeaway is to rewire how you think about sales. Instead of trying to make every single interaction a sales conversation, focus on just having a good conversation with another human being. By focusing more on connecting genuinely with the other person on the other end, you’re going to be able to better deliver value. And as a result, assess whether or not you can actually help the other person and provide them with a meaningful solution. Trust is typically built one step at a time. So you have to be okay with not every single conversation leading immediately to a sale.
- The second big takeaway is to focus on delivering value. If you always put your prospect first and their needs first then your needs will ultimately be met as well. The easiest way to break through the noise in today’s sales environment is to actually be genuinely helpful in your sales conversations.
If you found this article helpful, be sure to check out my YouTube channel to get new videos every single week I’ll help take you from zero to self-starter as you grow your business, get more customers, and hone your business acumen. Also, feel free to share this with anybody that you know that might from hearing this sales advice.