Selling is a delicate yet organized art form with a lot of space for errors.
Your ability and tenacity will determine the success of your sales efforts, but there are several tactics and practices you can use to ensure your sales job is as successful as possible.
No need to read countless articles on the art of selling – we’ve summed up all you need to know to master the art of selling, so keep reading!
Oh, and as a bonus, we’ve also prepped a full guide on how you can launch your own online store!
What Are the 7 Steps of Selling?
Generally speaking, there are 7 steps in the selling process, and here’s what they are:
Step #1 – Prospecting
Prospecting, in basic terms, entails locating and recognizing clients who have expressed an interest in your product or service.
Prospecting your lead is done in a variety of ways – through social networking, live streaming at an event, trade exhibitions, referrals, cold phoning, and shout-outs, among other methods.
Step #2 – Preparation
Regardless of whether or not you have the correct lead, your salesman must take the initial move in breaking the ice. Email, phone calls, and social media are all good options.
The goal of the contact is to learn more about your prospective leads and see whether they are a good fit for your product or service.
Step #3 – Approach
This is when you ask a series of predetermined questions to potential clients in your target market. Questioning them serves two purposes: first, it makes you appear more professional; second, it assists you in understanding the critical nuances of their requirements.
It’s preferable to ask open-ended questions since it encourages people to speak. Rather than talking about the product, salespeople should focus on listening to the customer’s needs and expectations.
Step #4 – Presentation
When presenting your product or service to your target market, you should emphasize the product’s efficacy and how it will bring value to their life.
The simplest approach to achieve this is to build a link between the customer’s demands and the product or service’s features.
Make sure your sales pitch covers all of the attributes that your target market’s buyers are looking for.
Step #5 – Addressing Objections
It would be fantastic if you could deliver your product or service to your target audience with no objections or inquiries.
However, there are situations when your concept of best differs from their notion of best.
If you have any objections – which you will – write down all of your responses and solutions.
Respond to their objections attentively, and then share this knowledge with your staff so that they know how to respond to similar inquiries.
Step #6 – Closing
This is the last and most crucial phase in the selling process. It will be successful if you have carefully completed all of the preceding stages.
To clinch the transaction, keep in mind a few crucial elements, such as how to handle objections, how to provide discounts and agree on a price, and how to display the product’s description correctly.
You’ll complete the sale if all goes smoothly.
Step #7 – Follow-Up
It’s important to remember that just because you’ve closed a sale doesn’t imply your work is done.
Customers should be able to contact you to discuss their experiences. If a customer is satisfied, he will tell his friends about his experience, right?
Your sales will improve as a result of such referrals.
You should also keep them up to date on new developments, goods, and services.
The Art of Selling Yourself
Selling yourself is a part of every selling process.
Follow these tips on how to do it:
Be Confident
It will be a lot simpler to be confident in your sales calls and meetings if you know you’re selling something fantastic.
Remember that, at the end of the day, selling is all about connecting with people. Even the finest product on the planet will not sell itself.
The way you deliver it to someone might be the difference between a huge flop and a success.
Tell a Convincing Story
“People aren’t interested in what you do; they’re interested in why you do it.”
If you offer accounting software to small firms, for example, don’t build your marketing and sales presentation on the fact that you sell the greatest accounting software available.
It should be based on the notion that you wish to assist small firms that waste a lot of time and money by keeping their own records every year.
Always begin with the customer and the issue you’re trying to solve for them.
Keep it Simple
“If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself,” is a quote credited to Albert Einstein that summarizes how you should convey your product or service.
Consider your customer as a six-year-old, and go from there.
While using fancy language and technical terminology may impress a few clients, the majority of your audience will be turned off.
It takes time to master the skill of simplifying difficult phrases. It’s not about sounding clever; it’s about getting the client to understand who you are and why they need to buy from you.
The more straightforward the language, the better.
Be a Walking FAQ Page
The questions you get following your pitch are one of the most difficult aspects of sales calls and meetings. Knowing what questions to expect may make a big difference in how you’re seen and whether you make a sale.
Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts available in this situation.
There will always be questions that you cannot anticipate. However, after a while, you should be able to anticipate the most typical questions that keep popping up.
What Are the Five Basic Principles of Selling?
Without further ado, here are the five basic principles of selling that you NEED to know.
Selling Is All About Relationships
It doesn’t matter what you sell; being able to close the deal always means being able to create some sort of relationship with the customer.
People purchase from people, and in a world full of competition, your ability to develop a stronger relationship can frequently be the deciding factor.
This entails a combination of establishing rapport, determining needs, demonstrating genuine interest, establishing trust, and adding value.
Consumers Only Buy Products That Benefit Them
The first thing you ought to understand is that customers don’t buy from you because you are an excellent salesperson.
It’s imperative that you understand and embrace this reality in your business: customers buy items because they “think” that they will benefit them in some manner.
To be successful in business, you must be certain that your product or service will benefit the consumer.
This means you must focus on their problem or reason for purchasing rather than your product. Their requirement should always come first with your product, followed by the solution to their problem.
Price and Value Go Hand in Hand
You may be selling a product whose characteristics don’t vary much over time, but the price does.
The value you produce for the product and what it can provide to the potential consumer is what determines the pricing.
If your prospect believes your product is pricey, it’s because you haven’t given it enough value.
Every industry has competition, and it doesn’t matter how much the price difference is if you can’t offer value.
Many salespeople become fixated on the price, viewing it as a roadblock to their ability to sell. In actuality, if you can build up the value for the consumer so they don’t feel it’s pricey, the price is unimportant.
There Is No Sale Unless You Close It
We all love to talk about the wonderful possibilities we’re working on, the clients we’re pursuing, and the hard work we’re putting in.
Unfortunately, one of the most important selling rules is that there is no sale unless it is closed.
Your capacity to thrive in sales will always come down to your ability to close transactions and really sell, regardless of what you’re selling.
Those Who Listen, Win
We’ve all heard the saying “two ears, one mouth,” but it’s a strong and fundamental premise for sales success.
You can only establish connections by listening, you can only detect problems and customer pains by listening, and you can only locate purchasing signals and seal the deal by listening.
The greatest salespeople are good listeners who can still manage the discussion while asking the proper questions and listening effectively to gather the information they need to close the deal.
How To Sell Products Online In 9 (Relatively) Simple Steps
When it comes to selling stuff online, the sky is the limit.
You can sell your products to just about anyone in the world. You don’t have to rely on the location of your store for potential customers, nor do you have to worry about all the overhead of owning a physical store.
But you can’t just magically snap your fingers and manifest an online store into existence.
Like with everything in life, you have to work on it. First, you have to find an idea for your online business. Then you have to make a website and advertise it.
Luckily, you have this guide to give you a basic idea of what you have to do to launch a successful online store.
Here are the steps you need to follow if you want to have any success in this ordeal.
#1 Find Your Niche Market
You’re not the only one with the idea of opening your own online storefront. Quite the contrary, there are thousands of entrepreneurs working on the same thing.
With that said, there’s no need for separation. What you have to do to get ahead is find your niche. This niche can be something you’re interested in or something you think has a ton of potential for profit.
Now, you can find that ideal niche for your e-commerce business by following the three mini-steps below.
See What’s Your Competition Doing
Find a niche and see who the competitors are for your prospective customer base. List them all out on a simple spreadsheet and break down everything about them. Note down their marketing strategies, audience as well as their product pricing. With all that jotted down you can use it to find inspiration in creating your own ecommerce store.
Figure Out Whether Your Idea Has Any Cash Potential
This is by far the hardest part when looking for a niche. Sleep on any idea you come up with and think about how profitable it can be. Ask yourself questions such as:
“Is this store good as a side hustle?” “Is the store just going to be my creative outlet?” “Am I planning on making this a full-time job?“
Once you have answers to these questions, you can move on to the next step in launching an online store – coming up with a business plan!
Write A Business Plan
Now that you have an idea of what you’re going to sell and who’s your competition you need to put this info in a business plan. This is a crucial document that outlines what your mission statement is, your marketing strategy, as well as competitive analysis.
While you’re figuring out the perfect business plan, have you thought about AimFox?
By identifying and focusing on promising prospects, our tool accelerates the initial stages of your networking efforts. AimFox also automates routine tasks, liberating your time for the crucial task of building relationships.
With its ability to generate a steady stream of top-notch leads, AimFox enables your business to grow without the need for additional hiring and offers numerous other benefits.
Explore their services at AimFox and sign up today!
#2 Find Your Target Audience
If you’ve been around the Internet for a second, you’ve probably heard the term target audience. What is that? Well, that’s just a fancy word for a customer that will buy your products online.
The best way to figure out who your target audience with by running surveys and analyzing your competitors. With all that data gathered, you can then build a buyer’s persona.
Set Up Customer Surveys
A customer survey is an ideal way to get inside the head of your ideal customer. So, run quizzes, group feedback sessions, and usability tests. You need to figure out what are your ideal customer’s needs and wants.
Evaluate Your Competition’s Audience
No matter what niche you choose, there’s going to be competition.
This is why you need to find a way to convince your competitor’s customer base to buy stuff from you. You can run a competitive analysis and figure out what’s your competition’s customer persona and then work on a unique value proposition that’ll set you apart from others.
Create A Buyer Personas
A buyer persona is an ideal version of your customer. You need to build one to have a clear idea of how you’re going to sell your products. When building a buyer persona, make sure to include their interests, hobbies, pain points, age, and job title. Now you can use this data to target customers via marketing campaigns.
#3 Figure Out Which Products You’re Going To Sell
With your niche and audience in the bag, it’s time to figure out what products you’re going to sell online. Do you have to find a manufacturer for the products, or are you going to launch a private label? Are you going to launch your online store with a single product or a line of products? Your choices are going to impact how well you will sell products online.
Decide On A Business Model
A business model is nothing more than a framework you’ll use to sell products online. There are tons of models you can use – it all depends on how much money you have to invest, the type of product, and how you’re going to deal with fulfillment and storage.
Find Products That Sell
You can just go for any product.
You need to find something that sells. The easier something sells, the easier it will be for you to find customers.
Whether you’re planning on dropshipping or selling products online directly to your customers, make sure you’re not wasting your time on promoting something that will collect dust in your storage room.
Price The Products You’re Going To Sell Online
Once you figure out what products you’re going to sell via your store, it’s time for you to decide on the pricing. Try to find a sweet spot between how much you’re paying for the product and how much you’re selling it for.
If you need any help with that, you can always check out what’s your competition doing.
#4 Build An Online Store
With all the theoretical work out of the way, it’s time to get to building your online store.
Building an e-commerce website is anything but cheap, but there are ways you can keep the costs down. If you’re tight on budget, you can check out one of many online services that offer complete e-commerce solutions.
Something like Shopify.
Create Essential Web Pages
You don’t need a massive website to be able to sell online. You just need the essential pages and then work on expanding the website later when it becomes more profitable.
For a start, all you need is a product page, an about page, a contact page, and an FAQ page.
Make Sure The Checkout Process Is Smooth
People opt out of their online cart for many reasons. You need to figure out what those reasons are and fix them with checkout optimization. The best way to do this is by asking your customers what they like about their shopping experience at your online store.
Manage Inventory
Managing inventory is one of the most difficult things a retailer has to do. This is doubly true if you’re selling your stuff via multiple channels. This is why it’s crucial you find a good inventory management system.
This way, you’ll prevent any stockouts and product shortages.
#5 Figure Out Which Sales Channels You’re Going To Use
A sales channel is nothing more than a platform you use to sell your stuff online.
Your Own Online Store
Having your own website and selling your products directly to your customers is by far the most profitable.
Not only are you cutting out any middlemen, but you can also collect all that juicy data on your customers you can later use to optimize your sales process.
However, the initial investment is a bit steep – so watch out!
Online Marketplaces
If you already have a brick-and-mortar store, using an online marketplace is a great way to get more exposure and find new customers. There are tons of these, including:
- Facebook Marketplace
- Etsy
- Craigslist
- eBay
- Poshmark
You already have an audience there waiting for you. However, you need to keep in mind that each of these platforms has a transaction or a listing fee that can cut into your profits.
Social Media
Social media is great for both promoting and selling your products. Millions of users rely on social media to engage with their favorite brands, buy products, and share their thoughts. If you get active on websites your target audience frequents, you’ll surely find moderate success in selling stuff.
#6 Set Up Payment Processing
Unfortunately, you can’t use cash to buy stuff online. That’s why you’ll need a payment processor. This is a platform that moves funds from your customer’s account to yours while keeping all the sensitive info safe.
Credit/Debit Cards
Credit and debit cards are by far the most popular way of online payment.
This is why you should find a payment processor that’s able to facilitate this. Make sure to find one that requests authorization from the customer’s bank for extra safety and fraud prevention.
Digital Wallets
Digital wallets are becoming more popular by the day. Digital wallets store a person’s debit/credit card info, so they don’t have to enter it into each website they buy stuff from. The biggest problem with digital wallets is integrating them into your payment processing.
#7 Set Up Your Logistics
Most customers these days ex[etc fast and free shipping. If your delivery method isn’t ideal, most people will give up on the purchase. This is why it’s crucial you have your logistics as tight as possible.
When it comes to order fulfillment, you have three ways of doing it:
Domestic Shipping
Shipping online orders domestically is more cost-effective than shipping them internationally.
However, by examining different courier services, packaging materials, and shipping zones, you can lower expenses, ultimately increasing profit margins and enhancing customer satisfaction.
International Shipping
To deliver packages to customers located across the globe, implement an international shipping strategy.
This allows you to determine the destinations you’ll ship to, understand the rules and regulations of each country, and assess the associated costs of delivering a product to customers across borders.
E-commerce Fulfillment
E-commerce fulfillment encompasses the processes of selecting, packing, and dispatching orders to your customers.
Decide whether to handle fulfillment internally, collaborate with a dropshipping supplier, or engage the services of a third-party logistics partner.
#8 Promote Your Online Store
Once you’ve identified your product offerings and established the delivery process, generate awareness about your products through an e-commerce marketing strategy.
Run Ads On Social Media
Disseminate information about your products on the social media platforms preferred by your target audience.
Create compelling content, experiment with visual elements like images and videos, and consistently interact with your followers. Leverage native social commerce features to facilitate in-app shopping experiences, allowing users to make purchases without leaving the platform.
Paid Advertising
Advertising significantly enhances your chances of reaching your desired audience.
Whether you have a budget for paid campaigns or are exploring free advertising platforms, develop a strategic advertising plan to effectively promote your online products.
Final Comments on How To Sell
Mastering the art of selling cannot be done overnight – it requires serious dedication and a lot of experience.
That being said, there are a few things you can do to speed it up. Have confidence in yourself, listen to your clients and their needs, and make sure to do what is necessary to close the deal.
Let’s be honest – only a closed deal is a successful one, but the journey doesn’t end there.
Follow-ups are just as important if you want to keep long-term clients and build an excellent reputation.
Hopefully, these tips have helped you learn what to do (and what not to do), so you can start closing deals ASAP!
Oh, and one more thing – to speed up your connections with prospective leads, sign up for AimFox!
