4 Ways to Sell yourself and your Company!
For many individuals in business the “first sale” or the entire aspect of selling a product or service can be extremely intimidating. Entrepreneurs are constantly questioned about: orders, paying employees, and creating the best possible product for your consumers. Small business owners can gain key information regarding their consumers by evaluating their behavior and the powerful methods behind their buying choices.
- Define Your Buyer
The secret of selling anything to anybody is not attempting to sell just anything to just anybody. Whether you work in retail, auto sales, or business to business, you’ll have far more success if you’re familiar with the characteristics of your target buyers and thoroughly qualify each prospect against that matrix. This is called an ideal buyer profile, and it’s like having a secret weapon. By finding the specific type of “anybody” who is just right for your product or service, you’ll avoid wasting time on poor-fit leads. Instead, you’ll have more time to devote to buyers with a good chance of becoming customers.
2. Ask questions, and listen
No matter how thoroughly you’ve researched your prospect, there will be gaps in your knowledge, and you won’t be able to help the buyer solve their issue if you don’t fully understand it. For this reason, it’s critical to ask thoughtful questions during your conversations, and a lot of them. Be curious. It’s good to have a list of questions prepared as a jumping off point, but you don’t have to stick to them if the conversation takes an unexpected turn. People like talking about themselves and their situations, so your genuine interest and curiosity will help them warm up to you.
After posing a question, fall silent and simply listen. Really hear what the buyer is saying, and don’t just wait for your turn to speak. Then after they’ve finished their thought, communicate their message back to them, ask them to verify if you understood them correctly, and pose a question providing further clarification. Not only does careful listening help you get a grip on the problem, but it also makes the prospect feel good. And if you truly tune in, they’ll be more likely to return the favor when you have something to say.
3. Remember, you’re selling to people
When you’re sending countless outreach emails each and every day, it’s easy to forget that leads are people. But they are, and they want to be treated as such.It’s important to be professional in sales, but it’s also important to be personable. Buyers have lives outside of work, and things they’re passionate about that have nothing to do with their jobs. Build real rapport with your prospects by letting the conversation drift to the personal every once in a while. It doesn’t have to be, and shouldn’t be, all business all the time.
4. Keep it personal online
Don’t forget: even though you’re selling online, you’re selling to a person. Make sure your website, landing pages, forms, emails, and call-to-action buttons are tailored to the audience you’re trying to reach. Maintaining a human aspect to your communications increases the likelihood of prospects engaging with you and your product.
These are just a few ways to get you on your feet. As an entrepreneur, remember to keep all ears open. It is important to be aware of what is going on around you, what trends are popular and what is the next “big thing”. Society is changing everyday, and you never know what opportunity is going to fall your way. Now, go out there and sell not only your ideas and your company but yourself.