Small Business Sales: The Practicalities

Remember that effective selling is essential to the success of your business. So whether you will be making the sales or have a team to do that, you should do everything you can to ensure that your sales are done in the best way possible.

Selling is one of the most important aspects of any business.

I suggest that if you at this point have not yet worked through the Micro Module on Finding Clients and Knowing Your Clients, that you do that now.

As you go through the following nine skills, think of the practical issues of your specific service, how can you implement these steps, what else could you do? In order for this module to be effective you have to work through it and not just read it. Use this as your opportunity to become a great presenter.

Step 1
Know your product, its benefit and competitive advantage

Your product may seems to be a haircut, but it's probably admiration. It looks like a motorcar, but it's probably status. It might be called a bungee jump, but it's probably excitement. If you're selling to other companies, the benefit is probably increased sales, lower costs or higher profits.

Why does your customer buy the product or service?
What benefit do you sell?
In which way is your product different from the competition?
Do you have a unique selling proposition? What is it?
What is your competitive advantage?
Why should anybody buy the product or service from you?
Is your product perceived by the customer as being better in some way?
Is it cheaper/faster?
Does the customer buy because you are an extremely pleasant person?
Who is your competition?
Why do some customers buy from the competition?
What is the competitive advantage of your competitor?
In which areas are your competitors superior?
In which ways are they inferior?
How can you creatively imitate your competitor?
What is "unique" about the product?
Does it provide better durability, not like another in nature, quality or form?
Is it unique by its appearance and/or design? Does its appearance convey desirable qualities?
How does the product compare with the competition?
Can the product be recognizable and prove useful and be price competitive?
Service - will it require less servicing or less costly servicing than existing products?

Step 2
Identify your customers It is only logical that in order to find your clients, you need to know who they are.

Who or what do you plan to sell your product to?
How do customers perceive themselves?
How do you plan to acquire customers?
What distribution methods will you need?
What features do your customers want?
What are they prepared to pay?
What form of advertising and promotion will be effective to produce sales and sell the product?
What will promotion and advertising cost?
Where is your target customer most likely to buy your product?
How important is price to a customer?
How important are product or service quality and convenience to your customer?

Focus on customers' needs. Listen to your customer.

Why should anybody buy your product or service?
What is the benefit or improvement in their condition?
Whose life will be enriched?
Who will get the greatest improvement from your product or service?
With which customers does your competitive advantage make a difference?
With which customers does your competitive advantage make the biggest difference?

Customers want to be more, have more, do more. People buy for ego needs, status needs, self-actualization needs, etc. People buy for safety, security, admiration, social status, recognition, prestige, respect, to increase sales, lower costs, increase profits, self-improvement, excitement, popularity, greater health, self-expression, influence, power, financial success, more knowledge, greater skills, companionship, self-esteem, fear of loss, desire for gain.

Step 3
Consider our tips

Get past the receptionist and on to the decision-maker.
Be cheerful and polite, have – and show – a good knowledge of the target company.
Explain that what you offer will need to be assessed by an appropriate manager. Where possible make appointments. Different businesses will have different ‘best times’ to see them. You’ll struggle to catch a builder or farmer when the weather is good and remember that most people still adopt the traditional lunchtime.
When arranging appointments always offer a choice. Asking ‘Which is better for you?’ makes them choose, and is better than an open-ended ‘When would be good for you?’ which can elicit a negative response. I
f you’re selling a product that needs demonstrating, make absolutely certain that it’s working perfectly before you leave for the appointment.
Know exactly what you want, but try to think, talk and respond form the buyer’s point of view.
Sell the benefits and not the features of your products or service. Remember that the likes of Kodak don’t sell films, they sell memories. Try to ask, early on in the conversation, questions which cannot be answered with simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ responses.
Open questions lead to improved discussions, and if you’re listening closely to the answers you should be able to work out any problems the buyer may have.
You need to know these if you are going to sell solutions.
Take objections seriously, but try to turn them to your advantage.
Think creatively about how you can offer to overcome objections and make sure you fully understand each objection before addressing it.
Recognize buying signals – questions like ‘Will it take unleaded?’ and ‘What guarantees do you give?’ W
hen you begin to hear these close the sale quickly.
Never forget to go for the close and don’t be embarrassed about asking for the order – that is what you’re there for, after all.

Step 4
Follow up

The sale is just the beginning. Following up the deal will strengthen the relationship with your new customer, and could provide opportunities for additional sales. And finally don’t forget that continually evaluating your sales process is vital if you’re hoping to refine and improve it – few things are ever perfect.