What to do if you hate the sales process….

We all know we have to do ‘sales stuff’ to get new customers – PROSPECTING…, phone calls, sales visits, networking at events, etc. but many people absolutely hate it. They do not feel at all comfortable/have a lack of confidence in carrying out ‘cold calls’ and face to face sales visits.

Some ‘strange people’ (like me) love the whole sales process, which is why I like helping people who find it no fun at all. Here is one strategy I mentor & coach my customers with that makes the process so much easier - and more effective.

HAVE A SCRIPT

This will be listing what the person you are calling or going to visit wants to hear – a hint, how will they benefit from what you are selling. Write out a full script with Features and Benefit of your product and service. 

PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE

Good salespeople constantly practice their Scripts or Dialogues (The Pitch). Practice it talking aloud, in front of a mirror or best of all, with someone. When you have ‘nailed it’ you will come across as sharp and it will increase your confidence enormously.

USE THE SCRIPT

I always have the full script by the phone ‘bit of a security blanket’ for when I get tongue tied. I keep a list of bullet points on my iPhone that I refresh with before going into a meeting and, for presentations have it in front of me.

AIM TO BECOME CONFIDENT AT SALES

Like a lot of things, the main reason people don’t like ‘doing sales’ is because they are not good at it. But, with some good pointers as to what you are going to say, (and what your prospective customers want to hear) and some practice, all that changes. As you improve your presentation you should enjoy it a whole lot more.

So; read the books of sales masters, sign up for courses on sales, read articles and blogs on persuasion. Better still, contact me for some coaching & mentoring…..it’s what I do best www.goodliaisons.com.au/contact.html. Once you really get ‘get into’ sales, you may actually find it fascinating, as I do.

 After all, the ability to convince a total stranger to give you money is a pretty remarkable skill.

New Year ‘sales’ resolutions to grow your business

The Australia Day weekend sees the end of our holiday season. Next week we return to the real world, albeit slightly hungover, sunburnt and a few kilos heavier. Our New Year's personnel resolutions tucked under our (tighter) belt, but what of our business commitments, here are four suggestions to work on to help make 2018 a better year for you and your business.

1. Work closer with existing customers.

The ‘experts say’ ‘80% of your business invariably come from 20% of your customer base’. Is this the case with your business? It would be an interesting exercise to work on, maybe you will be surprised with the outcome and, it could encourage you to spend more time ‘servicing’ them to grow their orders and your sales.

It’s a hell of a lot easier to get a current client to give you more money than convince a stranger to become your client!

Don’t give up on the prospecting mind you – you need to keep that pipeline ‘topped up’.

2. Value add your offerings

Customers that know you will probably pay you more if you give them reason to. You have worked with them over a period of time so have got to know them. Add an additional or enhanced service or feature to their previous order, a new premium version, and see what happens.

This gives you the opportunity to meet with customers to tell them about something new, that you can say ‘has been especially developed with them in mind’, powerful!

3. Having A Learning Schedule

There are 3 fundamentally different paths to growing your business in the next 12 months:

* Offer something different/better

* Reach more people with your offers

* Become a better entrepreneur

One strategy you could explore to help you with these ideas is to engage a Business Coach to achieve your goals. My customers often tell me ‘We are doing ‘okay’ with the business but know there is potential to grow it however, we do not have the time, resource or experience in sales & marketing to do it’.

Business Coaches can help with potential areas for learning including but not limited to digital marketing, productivity, sales techniques, planning, industry knowledge, leadership, systems building, etc.

4. Time Management

Learning how to be time effective is absolutely vital! You must focus on it this year if you want to really improve your results.

The year will go quickly. You must act now with great force and velocity if you want to dramatically improve your business’s results.

This blog is based on an article by Siimon Reynolds, one of the world’s leading high-performance coaches for CEO’s and entrepreneurs – http://siimonreynolds.com