Alice

Here are some tips on various selling techniques. Controversially I’m treating them like my marketing methods: building relationships, spreading expertise and gaining credibility, as these attributes can all be used in conjunction towards a goal, to sell a product or service.

1. Don’t over-stuff. Avoid the overwhelming desire to include everything all at once at the beginning. I know you are brimming with ideas, but taking a step back to view the project as a whole, dividing it into manageable chunks so it can be understood better: after all, you can’t eat an elephant with one bite.

2. Remember to drip feed. Now you’ve separated your selling concepts into easily digestible portions, it’s time to introduce them slowly to your public. Prepare a particular and realistic goal you want to achieve after each publication, and don’t be afraid to segregate it even further if you think that would help. There should be no rush with this project.

3. Be gentle. Don’t go hell for leather with your delivery, don’t raise hackles or set any alarms going, you need to gradually convince your audience to think like you. Try and get into their heads, predict how they will react, provide soothing solutions to counteract any controversy, and be prepared for the unexpected.

4. Experience it. Now’s the time to carefully describe every aspect of your project or service. You need to ‘get inside’ it to be able to describe it appropriately, release every foible and explain its excellence, efficiencies and satisfactions. Make your customer visualise what it’s like to use or experience your project or service and how it will make their lives better.

5. Add value. Now’s the chance to introduce the very essence of your product or service. What’s it made of? How does it tick? What’s it’s best device? How does it compare to your competitors? What makes it better than anything else? How it will improve your customers’ lives? And what good value it is for the price you are asking for.

6. Work in progress. Don’t scare away from describing how your product improves during the selling process. Publicise any improvements, upsell any upgrades, talk about trials and the successes you had with them.

7. Eliminate objections. Describe how your customer cannot live without your product, or how their business will excel with your service. Provide case studies on various scenarios, show before and after situations with evidence, explore every possible objection your customer may have, and find a solution for them. Remain positive while acknowledging any provisions customers may have, and be ready with suitable and credible answers.

8. Use others’ help. Getting testimonials, particularly video because a visual representative has far more credibility than just a statement, will speak volumes. Alternatively get photographs of your testimonials, especially if they are holding or experiencing your product or service. Make sure they say what their problem was, and how your product or service provided the solution for it, this is much better than saying it’s great.

9. It takes time. Remember, like marketing, selling can be an ongoing process, just that there are milestones met and objectives reached along the way. Makes sure your goals are realistic, the time-frame is achievable, and there are apt rewards as a consequence. Incentive is just as good for you as well as your customers.