The What, Why and How of Sales - An Ultimate Guide

Always wondered what to sell?
Well, it could be an idea, a product or even a service. We at Gritly firmly believe anything can be sold
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But wait, how to sell one of these is the next question that pops up in your mind, isn’t it?

Here is how you find ways to sell a product :

Solve a customer problem

Solving a customer problem will be a great way to identify why your product/service exists. Google wouldn’t be here if it didn’t solve the problem of integrating searches. Always the best sales pitch comes after you identify and solve a problem. One idea can change the way you sell. Being keen on the pain points and small issues that you come across in everyday life to come up with that perfect sales strategy.
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Appeal to enthusiastic hobbyists
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When consumers are passionate about a particular topic, they’re usually more engaged in investing money to get the exact product that matches their wants. This willingness-to-pay is an important indicator when evaluating the potential reach and opportunity of any sale. Thus, touch upon the passions of the customers and tap into those emotions.
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Sell what you are good at

‍Sell with utmost conviction. You will only be able to convince someone to buy a product if you are convinced about it being a good product in the first place. Be thorough about the product and ensure you know every detail. Imagine, will you be convinced if this product is sold to you? Here is the answer. Put yourself in the shoes of your customer and empathize.
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Read reviews on existing products and do your research

‍Research can be the biggest asset. It gives the customers an impact that you know everything about the market and thus validating their choice. It also has a psychological impact on the mindset of the customers and gives them more than a few reasons as to why they must choose you over the competitors.
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Litmus test before you sell

Test your ground through a sales pitch. Practice elevator pitches amongst friends, family, colleagues and more! This will give you a fresh perspective on where all you can tap into. Once you find your rhythm, keep notes of valuable feedback and continually practice.
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Always be on the lookout

Keep an eye on the competitors and lookout for all your potential leads. Never miss an opportunity to build a network and make a sale. Keep a card/brochure always ready in hand because you never know when you will meet a potential sale prospect.

And here are the most important 7 stages of selling :

1. Prospecting and qualifying : The first step is to do the groundwork and get your hands dirty. Involve yourself to delve into identifying the people who might be interested in your product/service. If you are smart, tap into your competitor’s customers too ;)
2. Preparation/pre-approach : Prepare everything that you need before making that sales pitch. Right from FAQs to what your customer might want to hear from you. A good salesperson researches a prospective sale, familiarises with the customer’s problems and needs and learns all the relevant background information about the reasons why they need your product/services.
3. Approach : This is THE TIME for you to shine! You introduce yourself, explaining the goal and purpose of your call or visit, and establishing a conversation with your prospect. First impressions are very critical to building your future customer’s trust. You work to establish an understanding and rapport with the customer. This warms up the customer and makes them feel at ease and not feel as if you are invading their privacy. This sets the base for your sales pitch.
4. Presentation: Once you have your customers' needs in place, you will know if they would get additional benefits from a greater product or service offering. You can also sell and pitch additional products that go with the product your customer is considering. This shows you are not just doing sales but also adding value.
5. Overcoming objections : After you’ve made your sales deck, it’s natural for your customer to have a few questions. Good salespeople look at these problem statements as new arenas to further get to know and respond to customers’ requirements and hesitations. Be well ready and use some of the following ideas:
   - Acknowledge their views and present them with alternate solutions and plans. Tell them you will get back to them if you don’t have an answer.
   - Ask questions about their point of views and then give them your thoughts and expertise.
   - Restate and Reiterate the customer’s hesitation. By saying it aloud, you can reduce its impact and show that you care.
   - Ideally be prepared for what customers will say, and be ready to have a full conversation and DO NOT turn defensive. Keep practicing mock scenarios.
6. Closing the sale : The final– and most challenging – part of the sale is closing it and cracking that deal! This is where you actually have to ask if the potential customer is willing to go ahead and pay. If your customer has been convinced enough, they will make that translation and Voila, your sale is done!
7. Follow-up : OK, so you’ve cracked the sale. While it might seem like you are done with your task, the customer journey is still on loop. Follow-up is an integral part of making sure that your customer is satisfied and you retain customers and get referrals for new customers. This might be as simple as sending a thank you note, or following them up with post product/service experience questions. This will ensure that you are always on-top of your customer’s minds even after the sale and thus increase your goodwill.

And now, how do you find the right customers to sell your product? Here are few ways:

1. Ensure to get referrals from your existing customers : Formulate a referral reward system that will motivate your existing customers to go that extra mile for you to get new customers. For example, send a follow-up email to your customers after they receive their product/service and have given their feedback. This way you not only retain your existing customer base, but you also gain the trust of the new customers as word of mouth does its magic for your sales.
2. Use a properly detailed media plan: It is extremely important to have a budget allocated for Digital Marketing that’s backed up by a strategy and media plan. Understand where your potential customers are and what they are doing. Then target them through your ads and other collateral. A properly done Digital Marketing can be extremely rewarding. This way, you can segment your audience and target the specific customer set that you want your business to have.
3. Offer discounts for new customers: Research on which segment of your customers redeem the special offer, then target them with promotional messages that encourage and entice them to try out your product and eventually become a regular customer. For example, when you have launched a new product/service line, announce flash sales and vouchers for say the first 100 customers. This not only increases the rush to buy your product but also helps indirectly in word of mouth of marketing.
4. Build Collaborations and Partnerships : When you are new to the market that you want to do sales in, establish either a barter or incentivized collaborations and partnerships with the influencers or companies that complement your product. This helps both you and the partner mutually. Through collaborations, you also gain the trust of the niche audience. Ensure to track all the returns carefully and plan how you want to continue the partnerships with that influencer in the future too.
5. Enable an easy UI/UX on your website and socials : Keep your customer's journey very easy and simple. Do not have complex statements or designs on your website. Most of the sales that happen are very calculated and hence you don't want your user to get annoyed and confused looking at your website that has landed on even accidentally. Work on SEO specific blogs, and content that might help your customers identify you easily. Even on social media, have an active presence and give the user a sneak into what your product's real values are.
6. Participate in conferences to promote your business/service: One of the tried and tested ways to acquire sales is through strategic networking. Be with people who can be a potential sale or talk to people who can give you leads. Make sure you are present at conferences where your customers are present and ensure you put up a stall or handover pamphlets or even just go talk to them. This way, when your customer is in need of any product, they will have a brand recall and think of you. Alternatively, you can also be a part of LinkedIn groups, Facebook Groups and others to meet new customers.

We are all set to spill the beans on how to become a salesperson and land in your dream sales job! Visit us at www.gritly.us