you graduated, ask yourself how many of those people are small business owners and how many are wildly successful sales reps? If there is one absolute truth I’ve learned with my entrepreneurial experience, it is this. The best sales person for any small business is the owner. You’re the face of the company and nobody cares more about your business or your customers than you do. Think like a customer If you lack confidence in your selling skills, take a step back and think about what your customers are looking and asking for: I WANT TO BE HEARD Being the life of the party doesn’t always translate into being an effective salesperson. In fact, introverts tend to make terrific sales people. That’s because we shy away from frivolous conversation. In a social setting, if we’re not sure what to say, we probably won’t say anything. If we do speak we’ll start by asking a question (letting the other person talk). As sales people, that’s exactly what we want to happen. We want to engage potential customers in conver- sations that will help us understand what they’re looking for (or put another way, what problem we could solve for them). Sometimes it’s as easy as what can I help you with today? This works well in a retail setting. If you’re selling a product or service to another business, then you want to use your customer attraction statement to guide the initial conver- sation. If I’m face-to-face, or speaking on the phone with a potential client, I’ll usually start with a good open-end- ed question. Something like, What are the three biggest challenges you’re facing in taking your business to the next level? Then I sit back and listen. It’s an easy strategy and one that anyone can use. I WANT TO MAKE AN INFORMED BUYING DECISION Once you understand the customer’s needs, you can start explaining how you can help. At this stage, potential cus- tomers are looking for two things- honest answers to their
questions and a reason to believe they should trust your answers. As the business owner, you know all there is to know about your products and services. So, answering questions truthfully should not be a problem! But before you launch into a product pitch, always take the time to confirm your understanding of the customer’s needs. In a verbal conversation, start a sentence with “so if I under- stand you correctly, you’re looking for” and finish the sentence. If you can’t finish that sentence, then you need to keep asking questions. When you do this, you build trust with your poten- tial customers. Instead of launching into a sales pitch you’re taking the time to ensure you know what it is they need. I WANT TO KNOW THAT YOU CARE This may seem like a stretch, but the truth is that people buy from people they like. And we like people that care about us. This is the main reason why you will always be the best sales person or your company. Money is one of the motivators for small business owners, but most of us started (or bought) our businesses for a lot of other reasons. In our case, there is nothing we enjoy more than working with our fellow entre- preneurs. Our utopian vision is a world where every entre- preneur gets the rewards they deserve from their business. We don’t hide that love for small business owners. I know that you feel the same desire to help your customers. Just be open and honest about this. The people you want to do business with will be instantly attracted to you. STAY POSITIVE Probably the biggest challenge in sales is staying positive. When we’re trying to grow our business, every “no” hurts (some more than others). We have to work really hard to maintain a positive attitude. Potential customers can smell fear of failure, and this usually causes them to run. When I get discouraged, and yes it still happens, I step back and think about all the things that I love about my business and my life. I also find that getting some fresh air (walking my dog on the beach is my favorite mental health break), can help. If you’re feeling down, take some time for yourself, but don’t allow yourself to slip into a period of self-pity. You chose the life of an entrepreneur. So, get on with getting the rewards you deserve! Happy selling.
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SEPTEMBER 2018 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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