Your sales strategy can make or break your business. However, you don’t need to spend thousands on elaborate marketing schemes. You only need these easy, classic methods to establish relationships with your customers. There is a reason why professionals always rave about these tricks. Today, we’re bringing them right to your doorstep!
Today, we’re talking about 9 simple sales tips and techniques that work in any niche. Let’s get started.
Influence
by Robert Cialdini
⏱ 13 minutes reading time
🎧 Audio version available
Add a Sense of Urgency to Your Pitch
This is a sales technique that’s as old as time and has worked for centuries.
There is nothing like a limited time window that makes people jump to buy something.
See, in most cases, people don’t buy until the last possible moment and when they are in desperate need of your product.
This inaction can be countered by creating a sense of urgency for your prospective clients. Help them realize that they absolutely need your solution right now. Remember, even if they are sold on why your product is important, they may hold off buying it.
How can you add a sense of urgency? There are three easy methods.
First, you can tease them with limited enrollment. Whether you’re bringing out a new product into the market or adding new features, offer your prospect a limited enrollment program of, let’s say, 10 clients, who will be testing it out.
Or you can pitch your offer around an upcoming price increase. As time goes on, and as you add more to your product, it will increase the amount of value your customers get. To encourage clients, both existing and prospects, to buy quickly, announce the price increase in advance.
Lastly, you can go the traditional way, which is offering discounts in exchange for making a decision right here, right now. This works for any and every type of service– whether you’re offering products, services, consultations, or even training sessions.
Perfect the First 90 Seconds of Your Pitch
No one knows how to perfect a sales pitch better than Robert Herjavec, entrepreneur, investor, and shark in ABC’s Shark Tank. There is no doubt Herjavec has heard more than a few pitches in his day. His advice on the best technique?
You’ve got to make it exciting from the get-go. When it comes to delivering your pitch, it’s about more than just telling your client your stats and highlighting a reel of numbers and clients you’ve worked with before.
According to this master investor, “You have 90 seconds, if you’re lucky. If you can’t make your point persuasively in that time, you’ve lost the chance for impact. Facts and figures are important, but it’s not the only criteria, you must present in a manner that generates expertise and confidence. If you’re not prepared for it, you may just miss your next big opportunity.”
That means not spending too long talking about your company, the endless benefits of your service, and client reviews. Otherwise, you’ll lose interest before you know it.
Share Customer Stories
This is it. The quintessential sales tip. It’s a classic for a reason. People are much more likely to buy a product if they know that it’s definitely worked for someone else. While your sales pitch should involve more than just talking about your clients, it’s important to share success stories.
Collect the best stories from customers and keep them in mind; be ready to share them, should the opportunity present itself. Examples of this include if your product helps someone lose weight. With that person’s permission, you can show off the results. Or you could share the stories of return customers.
Don’t be shy to share your customer stories online. Post your reviews on social media or your website; post Instagram stories, favourite them, and have testimonials as social proof that your product works.
Have Clear End Results
People don’t want to buy products and services. They want results. It’s your job to sell them on exactly how your solution will benefit them and what they’ll get after signing up. This is one of the most valuable techniques you can use because it captures attention and builds credibility.
Let us give you an example. Let’s say you’re selling a security system. Educate your clients about how the system works, how much of an investment, both money and time-wise they should expect to make, and how much ongoing support they’ll have access to.
Understand Your Market
In any given niche, whether you’re selling sports equipment or yoga sessions, you can’t be an effective salesperson if you don’t fully understand what your market is about and who you’re selling to.
This goes far beyond knowing your prospect’s name, title, and email. You need to understand what makes them them in order to cater to their needs. Find answers to the challenges they face; what does a day in their life look like?
And above all, know how you can make their life easier. This incredibly valuable knowledge will end up helping you and your prospect. Now, you’re able to position your product in a way that resonates with them.
End With an Action
Want to see your rates skyrocket? End your meetings with an action. That means after you have agreed with a prospect, instead of saying, “We’ll contact you to follow up on our next steps,” sit back down and create those next steps right then and there.
You’re going to be seeing amazing results. Instead of struggling with contacting clients hours later, switch to this technique. Pull up your calendar and book the next meeting with them on the spot.
Have the Right Mindset
The truth of the matter is that with sales comes a lot of rejection. This upcoming tip will help you not just overcome it, but do better next time.
Everyone who’s tried their hand in sales knows that lies ahead: hours of picking up the phone, knocking on doors, and pitching to prospects. You need to prepare yourself for hearing “no” a lot and for hearing it multiple times a day.
But that’s the wonderful thing about salespeople. They develop thick skins. Understand that no amount of sales strategies or education is going to make your product perfect for everyone you meet or turn skeptics into buyers.
This thick skin will help you to shrug off dismissals. You need to be strong enough to be able to pick the phone up again, to march to the next door, and pitch again, even after hearing a rejection.
Take it from best-selling author, business strategist, and philanthropist, Tony Robbins, who writes,
“The most painful mistake I see in entrepreneurs is thinking that just having a good plan or a great product is enough to guarantee success. It’s not. Business success is 80% psychology and 20% mechanics. And, frankly, most people’s psychology is not meant for building a business.”
He adds,
“The biggest thing that will hold you back is your own nature. Few people are emotionally ready for the challenges of building a business.”
Don’t Be Vague
It’s like that joke in the comedy series 30 Rock. A company has a wildly popular ad, and they don’t specify exactly what they’re selling.
You need to be clear. If you sense that your prospect is a little confused, backtrack and explain again. Picture this scenario. You’re in the middle of a sales pitch. So far, people are listening. They’re nodding their heads, but some are staring blankly around the room, and you’re not getting any questions.
If you start picking up on this uncertainty, instead of just continuing with your prepared script for the sake of getting out of there, pause.
You have just been presented with an amazing opportunity to flex your sales muscle. Address the uncertainty you’re sensing. The deal isn’t lost yet. Instead of asking point blank, “Does that make sense?” say something like, “I feel like this point isn’t 100% clear. Would you like me to explain it in another way?”
Chances are that your prospects will be relieved to have you save them from having to admit they didn’t understand. And bonus, this is a great learning opportunity to add these potential changes to your sales strategy.
Ask, Listen, and Act
The number one most important tip we can offer isn’t from us. It will be from the person you’re trying to sell to.
They are giving you, or are willing to give you, the answers you’re looking for. All you need to do is ask them the right questions, listen carefully to their answers, and take action. Your questions should be direct, creative, and planned. Take what the customer said and respond to prove you’re paying attention and want the sale.
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