7 Steps To Successful Sales

Welcome to A New Life podcast with Pamela Jean, where it's all about empowering women to empower more women. Get ready, friends, to create a new life. And here is your host, Pamela Jean. Hello, my friends, and welcome to this week's episode of A New Life podcast. This is Pamela Jean. I'm your host and I'm so happy to have you here. Part of my coaching business right now is really focused on helping people create a balanced life and a balanced business. If you do not have a balanced life and you have a business or you work in a career, you're probably not going to have a balanced business. Those two things work together. So some of my coaching is more life based, some of it is business based. Today we're tapping into the business side a little bit more. Now. Don't turn this off thinking, oh, I don't have a business. This doesn't apply to me. Learning how to sell, how to negotiate, how to serve is really, really important. That can be as impactful for you if you are in a sales job or if you're negotiating something at the PTA meeting, selling something to the group at the pta. So this is really beneficial for no matter where you're at in your life. So let's go ahead and get started, friends. I want to go over seven successful tips, seven steps to a successful sales. And these are not in a particular priority order, but this is just an order. So step number one, building rapport. People trust people more than products. The first sale that you make is yourself. Think about that. You are judged within five seconds of meeting a customer or a potential client. Your grooming, how you dress, the attitude can affect the outcome of the sale. So if you're having a bad day, if you just woke up on the wrong side of the bed and you're in sales or you have an important meeting to go to where you're negotiating, friends, I'm telling you, you're going to have to find a way to get over yourself really quick because you have five seconds to make that first impression. When meeting a client or going into a negotiation, it's important that you're on your A game always. If people don't feel comfortable around you, they won't buy from you. I, I mean, if you've ever been out like furniture shopping or looking for a car or whatever, and the person who approaches you just doesn't quite jive with you, like you just don't quite feel right around them or they're kind of cringy or you get a cringy feeling from them. You're not going to want to buy from them. In fact, your whole experience of shopping in their store or looking for their products is going to be tainted from that first impression. But keep in mind, you are your brand. Whatever you're selling, whatever business you have, whatever product you have, you are your brand. And you must represent yourself your brand 24 7. You have to. I know that sounds like a lot of work, but I don't want to go to the store all dressed up. I want to wear my yoga pants. That's fine. But hopefully you don't run into anyone that you're hoping to bring to your business later because their first impression of you is how they saw you at the store. People want to buy from people like themselves. They also want to build relationships with people like themselves. Essentially, you are going to attract customers who are much like yourself. It's easier to establish rapport or find common ground. Find something of mutual interest to talk about and begin to build that relationship. That know like and trust factor is really, really important to establish. Establish a good rapport through empathy, seeing the customer's situation through their eyes, and being a problem solver for them. For instance, when you're talking to your clients about how your product will work in their home, try to find things that you can relate to them on in your own personal life. The more you can connect with them, the better off that you will be. Now, I'm going to mention something to you that's really, really important. Because a lot of times people go into selling with such a negative connotation and a negative feeling. Nobody likes to feel like they're being sold to. And a lot of salespeople don't really like the feeling of being a salesman. But think about your selling as serving. How can you serve your client instead of sell to your client? What do you have? What product are you offering that will solve a problem for them? How can you serve them? If you can flip that switch in your brain about selling versus serving, it feels a little less cringy if you look at it as in how can I serve them best? As opposed to how can I sell them best? So step number two is preparing for objections and fact finding with your potential client. You got to know the problems before you can solve them, which is really important to understand. You have to be prepared for what objections your client might have in purchasing your product. So asking questions is a very, very important aspect of a sale. Questions allow you to determine what benefits the client wants and needs. Only when you know what is important to your client? Can you serve them well? If you don't know what's important to them, how can you recommend the best product for them? So if you know what's important to them, problems that your product can solve for them, that's how you can serve them really, really well. Once you establish a sales system, you will not forget to ask those critical questions and your clients will appreciate your attention to detail and concern. When you have a sales system, you will ask the right questions every single time. That will help build trust and define yourself as an expert. People want to do business with other people that are experts. They know what they're talking about. They trust them. The number one reason sales are lost is because the salesperson wasn't listening to everything the customer said. If you're not listening with purpose and processing everything that is said in a conversation, you may not hear the important information that you will need to close the sale or to serve them well. Fact finding also includes discovering problems and being prepared for potential objections your clients might have. Have you ever been in a disagreement with someone and after the disagreement you think of all of the things you should have said or you could have said that would have driven your point home? Or it's like, why didn't I think of that when we were in the middle of that conversation? That really would have been helpful. Well, the idea of expecting objections and being prepared for them is exactly what I mean. With this next little tip, take some time to write down 10 objections, common objections that you hear from your clients during the sales and serving process. Figure Create the answer for every single one of them. Memorize those answers so the next time you experience that objection, you have a concise, confident, foolproof answer. This will increase client confidence, respect and rapport. Think about it. If someone asks you if a potential client is asking a question and you are having to stammer and search for that answer in your head, you're going to lose their confidence almost immediately. But if you already have all of the definitions to some likely objections that you have heard before in the past, that will help prepare you to better serve your clients. So step number three is building value. People buy when value exceeds the price. One challenge some companies face is creating a strong desire for their product. I want to give this really great example. Think about what Apple has accomplished with the iPhone. The iPhone, I think, undoubtedly is one of the most sought after cell phones on the market today. The product is not inexpensive, but look at how many people find a way to afford to have one. This is exactly what you want to do in creating that same desire with the products that you offer your clients. When the value you add to your product outweighs the price or the competition's price, that client is yours. Value is determined by the benefits people receive. Focus on building the desire for your product and less on what your product cost is very, very essential. I want you just to think about how many people you know have an iPhone for every kid in their family. A family of five, family of seven, everyone has an iPhone. And you also know what they do for a living. And you're thinking, gosh, how can they afford that? I'm here to tell you if your product is enough to their client, to your client, or if they desire your product enough, they're going to find a way to afford your product. Always emphasize the product and de emphasize the price. Keep in mind, if you don't believe in your product, your client won't either. You have to believe what your product is worth. If you have done a good job of fact finding in each of your clients, you will know exactly what problems your product solves and the benefits that will speak to them directly. So if you know your product and you believe in your product, and you know your clients needs and desires and you fact find and know exactly what they're looking for, you'll be able to be the best problem solver of their life. They will appreciate you so, so much. You must know and understand what their desires are. Don't forget the emotional benefits like peace of mind, good feelings, pride and ownership. Provide your clients with a way to see your products in their homes, in their lives or begin to see the benefit of investing in your product. Help them to become emotionally vested in your product. Value like trust is easier to lose than established. The easiest way to cancel out any value is not paying attention to the details. On the other hand, if you sincerely believe that you will succeed, but only after giving your clients what they need to succeed, the value will be easy to build up and keep. Okay, step number four, Client education. The more your clients know what they need to know is key to a successful sale, the better your clients understand the process and expectations, the better the sales results. It's your responsibility as the salesperson or the business owner to make sure your clients have all the proper information to make good buying decisions. And timing is absolutely everything when it comes to educating your clients. Only give your clients the information that they need as it is relevant in their experience. Think about it like this, like little bite sized nuggets that they can understand and digest before going on to the next nugget. Give the client information when it is relevant. If you give it to them when it's not relevant to their experience, it will only cause confusion and frustration. They will become overwhelmed and chances are they're going to walk away from your business because it was just too overwhelming. So think about giving that education in bite sized nuggets as it's relevant to the process of the sale. So think about it this way. Here's a few examples. If you do a client consultation, sell your brand while creating the desire for your product, emphasizing a unique, specialized, one of a kind experience. If a consultation is handled properly, your client will schedule an appointment. At that time they're going to move to the next level within your company if that consultation really, really goes well. Create how to guides if this is applicable for your business and give those how to guides as it's relevant to their experience. Create a repeatable sales system. A process in which you have created the system so everything is repeatable. This will help with consistency, efficiency and effectiveness and it'll guarantee that you are serving each of your clients in the best possible way. If you create a sales system that is repeatable. And here's maybe the best part of a sales system. When your business is growing and you make the decision to scale and you're adding salespeople, you have a sales system in place that you train your new employees and off they go because your system is already in place. Clarity. Your clients understand and retain twice as much information when they can see and feel what you are talking about. To make sure your client understands what you're asking, give questions such as how does that sound? Or does that raise any questions? How does this make you feel? To find out if your client wants to gain more in depth knowledge, you might ask something like would you like to know more about? Fill in the blank for your product and your business. You have to take responsibility truly for educating your clients. Recurring issues are a sign that there is a breakdown in communication and in the educational process. So if you keep having the same conflict with client after client after client, there's a disconnect somewhere and there's something that you need to fix. Examine your system, create the solution and make the necessary changes immediately. Don't let that go. And if you have staff and you've scaled and you have employees, make sure they know of the changes as well. You can't expect your client to know what they don't know. You are the expert around your product and around your business. Present yourself as such and work in that manner and your sales are going to see a incredible level of success. Step number five is about reducing fear and buyer's remorse. No matter what the selling price is, if your client does not believe in you and your company, they won't buy your product or service. Your job in sales is to eliminate any level of fear, uncertainty and doubt the client may have. You want to avoid buyer's remorse. Have you ever had buyer's remorse? Have you ever bought something and a week later thought, oh, oh gosh, I wish I wouldn't have spent that money. That was a waste of time. So you want to eliminate that with your clients. Trust eliminates fear. When your clients trust you and believe your company will stand behind what you are selling, fear completely evaporates. It just simply goes away. This goes hand in hand with building and creating a desire for your product. People are comfortable spending their money with a company that has a good reputation and fits into their belief system and culture. Be sure to describe your company and explain its philosophy of customer satisfaction. Discuss your guarantee. For instance. If you're not 100% happy with what you've selected today, let me know and we'll adjust. Always give them that comfort zone and safety net. Walk the walk and talk the talk. Have testimonials available if you feel it's necessary to share with the client. Tell about your highly skilled employees and the investment you spend on training. Talk about your constant striving for education for yourself and for your staff, knowledge and perfecting your craft. One way to reduce fear and risk is to take full responsibility. Uncertainty can be eliminated once the customer knows that no matter what it takes, you will say what you will do and you will do what you will say. If there's ever a problem, you'll make sure it's taken care of, giving your client complete peace of mind and really, really cementing their element of trust in you and your company. Step number six. A client can be ready and willing and able to buy, but most they might still be resisting. In making a decision, sometimes you have to just take a step back and a process of what I call confirming. You must ask the client for the sale. This typically will happen towards the end of your sales process. Once you have guided your client through the entire process of selecting the best product for them, it's time for you to close the sale. This is the time when you would review all of your client selections, validating that in their order. What they've chosen today is very normal. Normal means the majority of your clients have made a similar investment, Your time and effort can be completely wasted if you don't ask your client for the sale. After you have reviewed all the details with your client and given them the opportunity to accept the order, they may ask for more information occasionally in the form of an objection. If that happens. If they're asking for more information and there's a little bit of an objection there, you have to be prepared to answer. The objection could be about price. Listen for the real objection. Sometimes what the surface level objection really isn't even what the objection is about at all. Determine how you and the customer can mutually resolve whatever stands in the way of the sale. If the objection is about price, perhaps this is the moment you talk about a payment plan, financing, or special arrangements. The key to this is to anticipate every possible situation and be ready with the right information at the right time. Okay, my step number seven is assuring clients crave assurance that they're doing the right thing. Buying can be an extremely emotional experience and overwhelming. If your client leaves your business without the right level of assurance, you can almost be certain you're going to lose the sale that you just made. This might be the first phone call you receive the next day when you open. If that happens, it is an indication that there's a disconnect in your process. Anytime there is a conflict with a client. You know, it's difficult as a business owner sometimes, but here is the reality. The conflict may not be your fault, it may not be your fault, but it is your problem to solve. So think about that. A conflict may not be your fault, you didn't do anything wrong, but it is your problem, and you are required to figure out a solution to that problem. So assuring the assurance process is really important that your client is completely comfortable and knows exactly what they're getting into. Your goal, obviously, is to maximize every sales opportunity, and your clients are thrilled about the money they're investing in the product that you're selling. Immediately after the sale, mention again the perfect selections your client has just made. Let them know how thrilled and excited you are for them, and request a picture from them so you can use their picture in marketing and future sales where you are quashing the buyer's remorse. Look for any signs that the client isn't completely comfortable with the decision, and be ready with an extra measure of reassurance. You know, you get a gut feeling of, you know what? I just don't think they're happy with what they decided. Instead of just pushing through it and going through and moving forward. Take a step back and just ask the client say, may I ask you a question? Are you okay with the decisions that you've made? Is there any more information I can give you to help you feel really fantastic about the choices you've made today? So step back. Learn how to read your clients. Don't just try to push it through so quickly because if you do that, inevitably the product you sold is going to be coming back and you're going to lose a client because they did not have a great experience with you. So in closing, I just want to remind you of this. There are a lot of products competing for your clients expendable income, Creating the desire for your product and understanding the seven steps to successful sales and negotiation and having a solid sales system for your business is really, really imperative for you to be profitable and financially successful. The other component that I really didn't dive into today because honestly, it is the it's its own podcast. It's the mindset around selling and serving. You have to understand and believe that the product that you're offering to your clients is valuable and worth it. So mindset is another component and maybe I'll create another podcast for that because that's really its own, its own day. It's so important. But once these steps are all understood and implemented, selling, or should I say serving will be a lot easier, less stressful and more profitable for you and more satisfying for your customers. Because ultimately you want to create clients and customers for a lifetime, not one and done people that keep coming back to you again and again and again. And you can do that by overserving serving them so well they cannot possibly go anywhere else for anything else. My friends, that concludes my podcast for today. If you enjoyed this podcast, please like and subscribe and leave a review. I would really appreciate that. It just helps us get found more if you're leaving the reviews if you know of someone that can benefit from this lesson today, please pass this podcast on to them and you can find me on Spotify, Amazon Podcast, Apple Podcast as well as on my website, Pamela jeanannewlife.com my friend, my wish for you is that you have a beautifully balanced life and a beautifully balanced business and career. You can have all of those things. It takes some work, it takes a lot of self reflection, but you can have all of those things. Until next time. Make it a great day my friends. Thank you for joining us today on a New Life podcast. We will see you next time.