There’s no doubt that selling is a well crafted art that takes talent and practice. Your skills will be refined over the years and through intentional learning you will get better. And because we sell to peoples’ emotions, there are limitless factors and influencers that differentiate each sell. However, there are some that stretch across the majority.
When selling to a customer, no matter the product or service, you want to touch on their purchase points. These points are the keys that unlock the door to a sale with the ultimate goal of acquiring a faithful long term customer.
Quality Is Not King
One of the most common mistakes that a new entrepreneur makes is believing that product quality matters most. Unfortunately, it doesn’t. Yes, you must have a good product that provides what you say it does. But the success of your business doesn’t rely on its quality but rather on your ability to sell it.
Just take a look at some of the major brands you buy every day. Probably the majority, if not all, of them are not necessarily the best quality product of its kind. However, they do a great job at earning your business. And they are greatly successful because of that.
Take for example, Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies. I love their soft batch chocolate chip cookies with some good, cold milk. Mmmmmm. But are they the best quality cookies out there? No, not at all! However, they do deliver a good product at a price that makes me happy. And it’s their marketing that sells their cookies to me and the masses.
Now, please do not get me wrong. I’m not saying that you should not produce quality products or give high quality service. You should. But just doing that will not keep you in business. At the end of the day, you must sell what you have. And that’s why quality is not king. Selling is.
5 Tips To Sell More
So what are some ways that you can position your offer that will reach the majority of customers? Below are 5 of the biggest I have used in my career with tremendous success.
1. How: Benefits Trump Features
Customers don’t buy features. They don’t. What they do buy though are the transformational benefits. It matters more to them that your product can better their life in “X” way, or save them “X” amount of time, or give them a better “X” experience.
Because of that, stop selling them on the specifics but rather sell them on the transformation they will receive from using your product or service.
2. Trust: In The Friend Zone
Think of someone you know that you go to for advice? I bet it is probably a friend or family member. Why is that? Because you trust what they have to say. They have your best interest at heart and will tell you the truth because they want to help.
That’s the same with customers. You need to reach the “Friend Zone” so they will trust what you are selling them. But never abuse that trust. Bond that micro friendship with integrity and honesty. By doing this, you’ll create returning customers for years to come.
3. Laughter: The Barrier Buster
Humans are emotional beings and unfortunately it doesn’t take long after being born for us to be lied to, lied about, taken advantage of, and mislead. Because of that, we tend to shop with barriers so that nothing or nobody will cause us more pain.
So how do you bust through their emotional barriers? A quick and highly effective way is with laughter. Laughing releases endorphins, which is simply a feel-good chemical. When you make a customer laugh, it makes them feel good. And because it is you making them feel good, they subconsciously begin to like you and tear down their barriers.
4. WOW: It’s The Little Things
Ever heard that it’s the little things in life that matter most? Well, it’s true with selling as well. Those little extra things you include with your product or service that they didn’t even know about, gives them a “Wow!” moment. And those moments are money!
Maybe it’s a small two percent “Thank You” discount included in the payment. Or maybe it’s an extra week of service that wasn’t mentioned. And it could even be sending a handwritten follow up note that they wouldn’t get from a competitor of yours.
It doesn’t have to be big nor does it need to be costly. Get creative and start “wowing” your customers. It’s those little things that drive even greater sales.
5. Beyond Satisfied: Customer Satisfaction Is Not Enough
Want to stand out in the minds of your customers? Then give them an unforgettable experience. Get out of the mindset of just providing customer satisfaction and challenge yourself to exceed their expectations.
You see, anyone can “satisfy” a customer. It’s done every day by simply offering a good product at a low price. The customer gets what they want and is satisfied. But to take that a huge step forward and move beyond satisfaction is what will leave a lasting impression and reason for them to return.
This post originally appeared here.
This article was syndicated from Business 2 Community: 5 Quick Tips For More Sales
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