The problem with most people is that they don't know how to communicate. Fewer know how to sell, but almost no one knows how to close sales. If you are a business owner, it is your duty to know how to close sales.
You may successfully close the sale after making a successful presentation in a conference room; it could happen over the phone; it could also happen after you do an online demo.
For you to effectively make sales, here are 3 strategic approaches that you can adopt:
1. The ability to empathize with your customers.
If you are selling a high-ticket commodity, you need to show deep empathy. People don't want to know how much you know; they want to know how much you care. When you are selling a commodity of higher transactional value, people need to know that you have their back.
One big secret you need to know to have tremendous successful sales in your business is learning how to care about the well-being of your customers. Care about their outcomes. When you actually care, if your products are not really good enough, you'll be honest with them.
If there are other people that can offer them something better, you will not hesitate to recommend them to your customers. When showing concern for your customers, they'll be able to connect with you better.
This increases your chances of them buying from you. Even if they don't buy that particular product from you at that particular time, they are most likely to drop by your store next time because you have established a level of trust.
2 Ability to uncover challenges and discover your prospects pinpoints.
The saying, "No pain, no gain," can also be likened to business. But this time around it is more like, "No pain, no sale." The problem is not the inability to sell; the problem is the inability to diagnose. Most business owners lose sales not because they don't have knowledge of their products or services, but because they don't know how to identify the problems of their customers.
Your products don't drive sales; problems drive sales. In order for you to empower your customers to buy from you, you need to be able to diagnose what their problems are. It is your duty to be able to let the customers know how your products can bridge the gap from what they need to how they can achieve it.
Inability to understand this makes you struggle to make sales. If all you do is just talk about the features, it lessens the chances of them buying from you. This often leaves you with the reply, "Let me get back to you." One interesting truth is that most customers don't even know what their problem is.
They might think "Product A" is the solution to their problem. But when you have the ability to ask them and diagnose what their real problem is, you may find out that the solution to their problem is actually "Product B." Identifying a customer's problem is very vital when trying to make sales.
3. Ability to handle objections
We often come across this area, whereby your customers say something and you keep on countering them. It's quite understandable in some cases, but it's advisable not to do so. When you do so, you are being reactive. It's like you are in a boxing ring and you are retaliating to every attack your opponent throws at you.
It's not supposed to be so. Instead of countering your customers, make them feel that they are right, then find a way to convince them why your point of view is way better instead of completely condemning theirs. Another mistake entrepreneurs make is using a script or a particular pattern. They memorize what to say to customers, line by line which is not really effective. You need to be flexible. You need to be more of a proactive entrepreneur than a reactive entrepreneur. You don't have to do things the conventional way other people are doing them; there are better approaches you can use.