Being able to ‘sell’ is key to business success, but what if you’re not a natural? Sales doctor Tony Morris offers his top tips to close a deal
- People often hear the word ‘sell’ and panic and think of all the negative connotations that they don’t wish to be associated with – pushy, annoying, aggressive… My first tip is to change the words ‘try to sell’ to ‘help people buy’. The person you are targeting should be the right audience for your product or service, otherwise you need to refocus your attention on the right person. Therefore, you are not selling to anybody; you are helping them buy from you.
- There’s a well-known saying in sales, ‘people buy people first’. I agree but would go further, adding ‘like them’. We gravitate towards people like ourselves, so my objective is to be like a chameleon and mould my behaviour around the people I speak to or meet. As an extravert, I find the most challenging people to connect with and build rapport with are analytical introverts. I’m fully aware that I need to tone down my outgoing bubbly behaviour as it will make them feel uncomfortable and on edge, which of course is the last thing I want to do. The challenge is to be aware of the various behaviours and mirror what you see.
- People like to talk, particularly about themselves. They may wish to talk about their business, family and hobbies. So if we can get them talking, they’re comfortable. If they’re comfortable they’ll like us, and if they like us they are more likely to buy from us. The art of getting people talking is all about asking them open questions and most importantly listening to their response. We have two ears and one mouth and we need to remember to use it the right way around.
- It’s been said that most sales people give up after three or four attempts and buyers take 10 to 11 ‘touch points’ before making a decision; this could be a combination of phone calls, texts and emails. This is one major reason for sales people failing, a lack of perseverance and tenacity. Therefore my fourth tip is to not give up. This doesn’t mean keep calling and being a pest, it means keep calling and giving value and change your approach to try different things.
- In my years of networking I have learned that everybody knows 1,000 people. So if the person you’re speaking with isn’t necessarily right for your product or services, then who do they know? The majority of sales people don’t ask as they feel it’s desperate or pushy, however if you have built a good rapport and they like and trust you, then why wouldn’t they try and help you?
