For the most part selling is a major hurdle that you, as a new business owner, may find extremely difficult to overcome. Perhaps, like many of us out there, you have been taught not to blow your own trumpet, not to boast about your achievements or about how good you are at what you do; and then suddenly, you are plunged into a position where you need to do just that.



Some of you may have come from a sales background and been very successful at selling while working for a boss, however, when it comes to selling your own products it is an entirely new environment, particularly if the product is something that you have produced and must take complete responsibility for. The feelings of self doubt and inadequacy can plunge you into a depressive state and even despair, particularly if you are relying on a regular income to maintain your family and lifestyle.

You, as a new business proprietor must understand that what you produce does not sell itself despite what your friends and family tell you. You need to get out there and learn how to sell. Not the high powered and high pressures sales that we see in some cases but you need to learn how to firstly sell yourself on the idea that you can sell and then learn the basic sales skills. Whether you go about this by doing a sales course that costs you the earth or buying a self help book, unless you put into practice the principles set down, sales and selling will forever be a mystery to you.

Practice, Practice and more Practice

This is fact???.. The more you practice the skill of selling the more comfortable you get with the process of selling and your ability to sell. You learnt to crawl before you could walk, so why should this be any different? Practice in front of a mirror, ask yourself the most difficult questions relating to your product or service and have your answers ready. Look at it somewhat like an actor in a movie, who has to rework a particular scene numerous times until the director says it is perfect, sometimes it takes months before they get things right, however, if this is what needs to be done to reap the rewards, then what must you do for your rewards?

Selling is a learned skill like anything else, some people are better at it than others but everyone can do it if they follow a few basic principles.

?Be professional at all times

?Learn to listen

?Know what benefits you are offering

?Don't beat around the bush with price

?Ask for the sale

?Follow up

Be Professional

I cannot emphasize this too much. Look at the way you are dressed, if you are a male, have a shave, it may be fashionable to have a day's growth on your face but when it comes to dealing with clients particularly those who are a little older, this fashion statement does not go down too well. Ladies, it is important that you are also well groomed, keep a comb in the handbag and use it. Dress to impress, whether you are selling to the corporate world or at a craft fair, there is no excuse to look untidy or wear inappropriate clothes, people do notice and first impressions still count. Never smoke in a client's company even if you feel faint and light headed, your potential customer must never know, and for all of you who smoke, keep peppermints handy, there is nothing worse than listening to someone with smokers breath, believe me as an ex smoker I have seen, and for that matter smelt both sides.

Learn to Listen

STOP TALKING! Listen to what your customer wants, not what you want. Listen to the words they are using; there is usually a clue to what they want and if they are ready to buy. Use What, Where, Why and How open-ended questions to find out what it is that they really want.

Benefits of your Product

If you haven't figured out what benefits you are offering then perhaps you shouldn't be out there. Do you offer a new, simple to use, practical, decorative, reasonably price, value for money, exclusively designed product that can fit anywhere and be available whenever needed? Does you product save money, time, or fit in smaller places that any other similar products? If you don't know what the benefits are, how can you expect to sell them to anyone else?

Don't Beat Around the Bush with Price

When it comes to the crunch, state you price and don't deviate from it unless you have a haggling policy in place. Uncertainty when delivering your price tends to indicate inexperience or desperation. The success or loss of a sale will show you whether you need to revise your price and if this is the case, then do it for the next sale rather than ?em and ah? on this one. Know what price you want for your goods and state it with confidence, if what you have is what your customer wants, they will be prepared to pay for it.

Ask for the Sale

This is sometimes the most difficult of all, particularly if you are new to selling. However, inevitably you will come to a point where you may have to ask for the sale whether you like it or not. And that is exactly what you must do ASK FOR THE SALE! It may be the question that helps your customer with that final decision. If you have taken all the right steps previously then it should be a simple matter of closure, if they say no then you didn't have the sale in the first place so save your time and energy and move on. There is nothing worse than a salesperson hovering and prodding for a sale that was never there to begin with

Follow up

You have made the sale, you have earned your keep, your customer has gone off happy with their purchase and you heave a sigh of relief and pat yourself on the back. Well, don't relax now your job isn't finished. Much as you would like to think that you have done everything you should, you must realize that satisfied customers are your best customers. They are the ones that will come back for more of the same or send their friends to you. A friendly reminder that a service is due or an enquiry as to the performance of the product or just a thank you note goes a long way to ensure future sales. If there should be a complaint, (and of course there wouldn't be because you have done everything right) listen and then attend to it immediately and give a refund if necessary. Even the complaining customer can remain a good customer if treated with courtesy and respect.

A little extra

You may now be thinking it's okay for her to say all that?.but, you are finding it exceedingly difficult just to get passed the first step. If simply approaching a potential customer sets your heart pumping madly, your ears burning and the desire to run and hide welling up inside you, well here is a little exercise you and everyone going into sales should complete to get comfortable with talking to strangers, it worked for me and it will work for anyone who puts their mind to it. The very next time you are in a queue, or a lift or any public place, simply start a conversation with a complete stranger. You are not going to sell them anything or persuade them to listen to your sales pitch, you are merely going to talk to them and take an interest in what they have to say. Repeat this enough times and you will find the fear inside slowly diminishes and is replaced with a genuine desire to reach out and find out a little more about them, the first step to becoming a great sales person.

Sales is an essential part of every business, whether you employ staff or do it alone, you need to be aware as to what is necessary and what you must do for your business to grow and flourish. You will need to lead by example and ensure that you understand and satisfy the needs of your customers. You need to learn to?????

BLOW YOUR OWN TRUMPET!