Selling is a process. A process of communication. If you use this communication effectively and persuasively, your prospect will walk away with a problem solved and you will have gotten paid. A true win/win situation. If you fail to communicate properly, you may walk away with a commission but your prospect will walk away unhappy and with the problem not solved. When this happens, typically the customer will make your life miserable.
All sales are based on effective multi-level communication. By this I mean to truly be effective in sales you need to have the ability to develop rapport, know how to ask questions to discover a need, link that emotional need to your product or service, close the sale and find handle objections. All of these skills are developed from either years of practice or from modeling a communication process that works.
The most important skill to develop in sales is definitely the ability to communicate persuasively. Persuasive communication means first knowing that what you are saying is worthwhile, that it will make a difference.
One of the biggest mistakes that I made in selling was assuming my prospects already knew about my industry. I didn’t understand that my prospects were looking for an expert that they could take the advice of.
Often times in persuading your are teaching a prospect a new way of seeing what they believe they already know. Of course most prospects will never admit to not knowing about what you’re selling. Most of them will be terrified of being “SOLD.”
Educate your prospects. Teach them about your product or service so they have an understanding of what works.
I have often referred prospects to my competitors when I felt it was a better fit for what they were looking for. The funny thing is, those prospects almost always bought from me anyway. They valued someone who would give them honest advice over anything else.
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