The entrepreneurs who realize that they are salespeople are typically more successful than those who do not. It’s important to realize that you should be selling your products and services consistently in your business; otherwise you won’t be in business for very long. Being a profitable business owner means you are also an effective seller which involves being able to predict your sales success. The predictability of your sales outcomes means you get to a point where you can forecast how many people you need to encounter before you close a sale. The industry term, is closing ratio. In order to get to the close more effectively, efficiently and a lot quicker, you need to master a 3 step process. Below, I’ve outlined the 3 steps to help you close the sale quickly.
1. Complete a Needs Assessment
You can’t sell anyone, anything unless you know their current situation. And, in order to know their current situation, you must assess their needs. Quite frankly, people pay for answers to problems and solutions to troubling situations. Therefore if your prospect has an issue they are dealing with that you’re unaware of, it’s hard for you to use that information to help you close the deal. However, if you have done your due diligence and asked enough questions to ascertain the prospect’s needs, they will undoubtedly give you information that you can use to your advantage in the sales process.
2. Find a pain point
The simple truth is people in pain want a pain killer. People who have problems that fall within your area of specialty will be far more likely to pay for your help if you have properly demonstrated that your product or service can address their pain. The pain is the same as a problem that the prospect is aware that he or she has. If the prospect is unaware of their problem they are less likely to want help. Many times, people misdiagnose their pain (or business problem) because they don’t know the symptoms. However, if you have asked enough questions as I have suggested in step one, you will be able to correctly diagnose their pain (problem) and let them know you understand their issue and you are able to help them with it.
This entire process is much like visiting a doctor with a stomach ache and expressing that you might have stomach flu. Of course it’s the pain that leads you to believe you have the flu. However, once the doctor examines you, he might find that your condition has nothing to do with a stomach virus but instead appendicitis. In this scenario the doctor is the expert and based on the questions he asks you the patient, he is able to properly diagnose your illness and offer treatment. In business, it’s much the same. Whether you‘re selling a product or service, you have a target market that is suited for it. And that target market has a set of problems that you can help them solve. Your job is to get to the pain, and offer help. That leads me to the next step.
3. Provide a Solution
The solutions that you offer to your prospects should address a specific need for a specific problem or pain point. Once you position your solution as the answer, the prospect should be intrigued enough to buy or learn more about the features and benefits of your offering. Your job is to demonstrate the unique selling proposition so that the prospect clearly understands what sets your product apart from the competition. Once you have clearly articulated, the value, features, benefits and return on investment for the prospect, they should be ready to purchase right then or sometime in the near future.
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This article was written by Lori A. Manns. Want to use this article on your blog or website? Here’s the author credit you must include.
Lori A. Manns is an award-winning marketing expert, sales coach and trailblazing business strategist who works with small business owners to help them elevate their brand, get more dream clients and grow revenue. Lori is President of Quality Media Consultant Group and founder of the Trailblazer Business Mastermind and Trailblazer Business Academy and where advancing entrepreneurs go to learn growth strategies and how to run a profitable business the soulful way. Lori is the creator of the Sponsorship Sales Secrets System™, which shows clients how to get more sponsors and sales for their business, guaranteed. To learn more about the work Lori does to help business owners and entrepreneurs all across the U.S. to accelerate their revenue and succeed in business, visit www.qualitymediaconsultants.com