If you want to be an entrepreneur, you have to sell. To put it bluntly, this is probably the least favorite aspect of entrepreneurship for many beginners and maybe even many experts. The fact that we have to ask our customer to shell out even a few bucks can fill anyone with overwhelming dread. But selling doesn’t have to be a chore. Here I describe how you can upgrade your sales strategy in five easy ways. With these easy-to-implement techniques or hacks, you can defeat your aversion to selling and become more successful at it.
1. Don’t ask for anything upfront just yet
Making a sale is just like dating. You wouldn’t ask a complete stranger to marry you (or maybe you would?) So don’t expect a new customer to commit to buying from you right away without first getting to know one another. That’s why you don’t ask for anything upfront just yet.
First let your customer know about you, what your expertise is, and how your offer will improve their lives. Only then will you make your sales pitch. Experts say that it can take as many as ten touchpoints for your customer to trust you and buy from you. So be patient and don’t expect results right away. Trust takes time. You have to earn that trust because no one is going to give away their trust to just anyone. So delay the ask and focus first on implementing the sales strategy tips below.
2. Give more value than what is expected
This is one of the easiest ways to upgrade your sales strategy. Everyone likes it when they buy a product and they’re pleasantly surprised when a little something extra is added in for free. For example, sending a personalized thank you card in the mail is like receiving an unexpected bonus. That’s going above and beyond what the customer expects. That cultivates loyalty, which can pay out big time in the future when you want to make another sale.
Customers remember little touches like these, and it doesn’t take much effort to do. The next time that you have a product or service you want to sell, your customer will immediately think back to that nice gesture. They will be more likely to buy from you again because they’ll know that you will do more than expected. So giving more value than what’s expected will increase your odds of sale success.
3. Eliminate friction
Ever been frustrated when you visit a website and it takes a long time to figure out how to load a shopping cart and make a payment? So this sales strategy tip is all about making it easy. If you have a website with your sales page, also have a page dedicated to an FAQ. An FAQ is where you can answer all the possible questions that your potential customer might have.
If you sell physical products, make sure that the check out process from shopping cart to payment is clear and easy to navigate. Eliminating friction will lead to more sales because it’s easy for the customer to do. This will upgrade your sales strategy very easily.
4. Handle objections strategically
When a customer has an objection, it’s because they doubt whether your product or service can guarantee to get the results that they want. They’re on the fence about shelling out their money for a product that won’t work or doesn’t live up to their expectations. To overcome this, think of ways to lessen their fear of your product not working or turning out to be a waste of their money.
Often, sellers will set up a “guarantee or your money back” policy. This is to assure the customer that there is no risk to buying their product if it doesn’t meet their expectations. Also put yourself in your customer’s shoes and empathize with them. What objections can they have? Have your answers ready in your sales pitch or sales call so it demonstrates that you’ve thought of everything and have solutions to these objections.
5. Your ideal customer: know who to target
This is another easy, simple way to upgrade your sales strategy. Know your niche. Are you targeting a certain age demographic, industry, profession, or location? I often get emails with sales pitches from different companies. I do want to help but I don’t respond because I’m not a decision maker or what they’re trying to sell me doesn’t have anything to do with my job. Targeting the wrong customer is a waste of time and effort.
You want to be efficient with your marketing efforts to get the most chance of success. So familiarize yourself with the habits of your ideal customer. Where do they hang out? What products do they buy? What are their pain points that they want to have solved? Knowing your customer then makes it easy to find the right channel through which you can target them.
6. Nurture relationships with your customers
Warm outreach has a higher chance of success than a cold one. Often, asking for business from someone you don’t know or trust falls flat because they have no reason to want your product or service. That’s why it’s smart to nurture relationships with your customers before you start to think about selling to them.
The wider the network, the greater the net you can cast to reel in your customers. So don’t wait until you have something to offer them. Network right away and build those connections. With this easy upgrade to your sales strategy, you’ll find it more efficient the next time you want to make a sale.
7. Differentiate your offer from your competitors
Now more than ever, it’s harder to cut through all that noise and have your product or service stand out among a multitude of competitors. That’s why it’s so important to differentiate and to make your competitive advantage crystal clear to your customers. Why should they buy from you and not anyone else? Do you have better customer service, easier onboarding, or higher quality? Make this known to your customer right away. Once they have a clear idea of what sets you apart from your competitors, they’re more likely to be incentivized to buy from you.
Upgrade your sales strategy in your life, career, and business
These sales strategies aren’t limited to just selling a product or service. Even if you’re not an entrepreneur or aren’t interested in selling something, these tips can be used in your personal life to achieve your goals. For example, you might be thinking of asking for a promotion at work, aiming to have your work published, or persuading someone you know to understand your perspective. Apply these tips and see your success pay off!