As a business owner and entrepreneur, you have many responsibilities. One of the most important is the successful execution of a sales process. One of your main goals as a business owner is to make a profit…and you can’t make a profit if you can’t make sales! However, this is easier said than done. When it comes to successful sales, business owners have 2 key responsibilities.
It’s extremely gratifying for a business owner or sales professional to close a sale. For me it’s not just a “win.” It’s the awareness that I have satisfied a sincere want or need for another human being. I have helped them in some way. I have provided so much value that they willingly compensate me for what they are receiving.
I just completed 2 days of sales coaching and training with a local franchise owner. I shared with them my belief that traditional sales training does not work.
In the past, I’ve given seminars and workshops to salespeople and business owners called, “How to Improve Your Selling Conversation.” Every business owner should be thinking about ways to improve their own sales effectiveness and the effectiveness of their employees. This seminar was also extremely beneficial to the veteran sales professionals present (based on their feedback.)
At the heart of direct sales is the conversation. We can increase our sales by simply improving the selling conversation. The best salespeople are always working to improve their sales effectiveness. I can’t share the entire seminar with you in this blog post but let me offer you 3 tips that will enable you to improve your selling conversation.
I’ve coached many business owners and sales people throughout the years. From individual salespeople to large sales teams, there are 10 skills that every business owner and certainly every sales professional needs to continue to develop and refine. Here they are:
Getting new customers doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, winning new customers can be the opposite…low-cost and high return! I want to share with you 3 low-cost marketing strategies that will help you win new customers that you can implement immediately.
We have been counting down the top seven obstacles to sales success. Today we conclude with obstacle #1:
“Fear of the ‘No’”
Much has been written about the fear of rejection, but it still remains a stumbling block for many sales people.
Today we discuss the second obstacle in our countdown of the top obstacles to sales success:
“Not Being Prepared”
It’s very important that you prepare before making the sales contact. I know that there are times when selling opportunities present themselves serendipitously, but most of the time you will have an opportunity to prepare for the contact. Don’t overlook this important part of the sales process.
Our countdown of the top obstacles to success in sales has already included four obstacles. Today’s post will focus on the third obstacle in sales success:
Focusing on Yourself Rather Than Your Prospective Customer
We’re continuing our countdown of the top obstacles to success in sales. So far, we’ve covered three obstacles.
Obstacle #7 was “Failing to Continuously Improve.” We learned that successful sales professionals are always learning and improving their skills and their mindset. We also discussed that learning and improving both require attention and intentional development.
Obstacle #6 was “Inability to Close the Sale.” We discussed the importance of a good selling conversation, which takes into account your buyers’ emotions and buying signals and your closing question.
Obstacle #5 was “Not Keeping Your Promises.” We learned that your clients’ perception of your reliability affects your ability to make sales.
Today we’re taking a look at the fourth obstacle in sales success:
Failure to Listen During the Sales Conversation
This is one blog post in a series counting down the top seven obstacles to success in sales.
To recap, the seventh obstacle to sales success was “Failing to Continuously Improve.” We learned that successful sales professionals are always learning and improving their skills and their mindset. We also discussed that learning and improving both require attention and intentional development.
The sixth obstacle to success in sales was, “Inability to Close the Sale.” We discussed the importance of a good selling conversation, which takes into account your buyers’ emotions and buying signals and your closing question.