The need to sell isn’t always limited to those who work purely in sales. Professionals from many different sectors and roles often find that this is a necessary part of the job. If you don’t have a lot of sales experience, entering the selling arena can be intimidating. However, the reality is that non-sales professionals often make the best sales people – all you need is a few tips on how to get started.
Set realistic targets
A little goes a long way where sales are concerned. Rather than setting yourself unrealistic targets that will cause stress and be difficult to meet, start small. Dedicating just 15 minutes a day to achieving one sale can add up to considerable numbers at the end of a week/month/year. Plus, you’ll be able to achieve more as your confidence builds.
Avoid a broad-brush approach
The reality is that 50% of the prospective leads that you have just won’t be a good fit. The key is to ask questions early on that identify those that aren’t ever going to be interested in doing business with you and then disqualify them from the process. This allows for a more targeted approach, focusing your resources on those who have the most potential.
Selling isn’t a dirty word
Every business sells – whether that’s directly selling a product to consumers or creating clever marketing to attract new clients. “Selling” has something of a bad reputation but it’s important to get past this idea if you want to be successful at it. Sales are integral to business success and the right approach will ensure that you’re always looking for opportunities that could help drive your enterprise to greater growth.
Avoid out of date sales tactics
The perception of a salesperson is often someone who just talks at people, who pitches, persuades but doesn’t really ask questions or listen. Most people are keen to buy and are always looking for new opportunities but don’t enjoy being sold to. So, if you want to be more effective where sales are concerned, steer clear of these out of date sales tactics. Instead, focus on building a relationship that is mutually beneficial for everyone involved.
Be personable but professional
It’s important to establish some kind of a rapport when you’re in the process of selling. However, this alone won’t pave the way for success. It’s not just about getting on with someone but also understanding their needs and challenges, and working towards ensuring that prospective clients or customers know these are understood.
Switch from a hard sell to stories
Case studies, illustrations and storytelling will go a long way to illustrating for a client how what you are offering could help them overcome issues or obstacles and lead the way to positive change. Storytelling is engaging and inspiring – as compared to a hard sell, which can feel generic and often has the impact of simply making people switch off.
Non-sales professionals often make the best sales people – if you want to start making the journey into better selling our
Selling for Non-Sales Professionals course is a great place to start.