For any business to survive it must sell. No matter how good the product or service the business is offering, if it cannot sell the product, then the business will eventually close down. Thus one of the chief keys to business survival is marketing.

So how do you sell? How do you do direct sales? Is it a matter of the product on sale or does it depend on the personality of the salesperson?

The first step to positioning yourself to make a successful sale is to understand your product thoroughly. The product could be a service package or a physical product. It is important to understand the product fully because it will help you not to be cornered by a customer or not to have the ‘I don’t know that…’ moment which makes the customer think that you are incompetent. Thus before you start selling out a product it is good to study it carefully and understand it.

It is also good to identify the benefits associated with the product. These perks will be the selling points which you will use to convince the customer that whatever you are selling is beneficial to them. It is important at this point to note that some salespeople decide to cheat the customers about the benefits of a product. This practice is both unethical and disadvantageous to the salesperson. It will tarnish your name once the customer discovers that you lied to them about the benefits of the product and at the same time tarnish the image of the company.

How do you connect with the buyer?

You have your superb product, you understand the product fully and you have already identified the merits associated with your product…so what next?

If you fail to connect with the customer it will be very difficult to sell out the product regardless of how well you understand your product. A natural way of selling out to customers is when you genuinely believe in the product under sale. With this, it will be easier to sell than when you do not believe the product. Thus be ready to discuss with your customers how you personally benefit from the product and also show them how they can as well benefit.

You can as well tell the customer how the previous customers who bought your product are benefiting. Let these stories be related to the customer you are offering the product to and allow him/her to raise his/her concerns.

It is also good to identify what motivates and appeals your customers. Ask yourself questions which will help you better understand the customer. What needs do they have? How can your product solve some of these needs? How wealthy are they? Which age do your customers lie in? These typical questions will help you to better understand the customers and help you find better ways of convincing them to buy your product.

Can you break the ice?

Unless a customer is a repeat customer most of the customers are new to salespeople. How you break the ice and establish a relationship will go a long way in determining whether you will close the sale or you will lose the customer. You can strike a relationship by greeting them and also getting to know them better.  Depending on your judgment of the nature of the customer you can take the conversation further or you can start the sales pitch. A calculated and well-timed sales pitch will see you close more deals than when you just introduce the product without adequate preparation.

Above all no one is perfect. We all learn from our own experiences or from the experiences of others. So it is up to you to go out there and start selling your product. Remember that practice makes perfect.

I also want to hear your views, your experiences, and your feedback. Please feel free to shoot a comment to me!!!