8 Sales Principles I've Learned from Experience - Part 1
Welcome to Business Tips with Michael Tobian. Today’s topic is 8 sales principles I’ve learned from
experience – Part 1
Every seasoned sales person has developed their own sales style. Techniques that work for them. Today I’m going to break down my personal sales style in hopes that it will give you some ideas as you venture out and sell your own products or services. I’m going to give you 8 sales principles that I have found are not only effective in getting the sale but leaving the relationship with mutually positive feelings of trust. I am always looking for a sale to be a win/win situation where both parties are happy that the sale was made. This video will cover the first 4 principles and my next video will cover the last 4
First off, let me give you a quick background on my sales experience. I sort of feel that I was a born with an inclination to sell. As a young boy, I would sit in my room for hours with a ruler, drawing lines on paper with the intention of selling lined paper to my parents. When I was a little older, I gathered a bunch of neighborhood kids together to sell some popsicles I had made. For several summers as a teenager, my friends and I would wake up early to knock on peoples doors and ask them if we could mow their lawn. We wouldn’t take no for an answer. From teaching saxophone lessons, to going door to door to sign up carpet cleaning jobs, to service in an LDS mission to getting involved with business broker to running several of my own businesses, my entire life has been sales. I’ve never really had a job that I didn’t create myself. In short, what I’m communicating is, I’ve had a significant amount of experience with this and these principles I’ll be going over I feel will be really relevant and useful. I hope you are able to avoid some of the mistakes that I made along the way.
Number 1 – Genuinely believe in your product, or find something else to sell
- If you don’t really believe in your product or service, then you aren’t engaging in honest business practices. You are tricking people. I know people who set records at door to door sales that later told me that they didn’t feel that what they were selling was worth it. One person in particular really has felt bad about it for years. He felt he was engaging in a dishonest business practice. I’m telling you, it isn’t worth it. First off, if you don’t believe in your product, it will be very difficult to sell. You will have a hard time coming up with explanations as to why your customers should buy. Most importantly, it isn’t worth the negative emotional energy.
Number 2 – Listen
- Effective sales people do as much listening as they do talking. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard sales people blab away about things that their customers don’t care about, while ignoring opportunities to point out that their service or product is exactly what they want. If you really understand what you client’s wants and needs are and you genuinely believe in your product, you will need to do minimal convincing. It takes a lot of patience but force yourself to keep your mouth shut when your customer is talking and just listen intently. Try to figure out what their needs are, then when it is time to talk, you will know exactly what to say. I will admit, this is still my biggest weakness with my sales efforts. I’ve missed so many opportunities because I spoke when I should have been listening.
Number 3 – Be confident
- This one goes without saying. Your client will only be as confident in the product as you are. This is particularly difficult for people who are newer at selling. If you believe in your product but don’t feel confident in your communication skills, just realize that if you don’t make the sale, its really not a big deal. You will learn and move on to the next one. Fake it till you make it
Number 4 – Avoid manipulation and dishonesty
- This is a principle that many sales people don’t follow. It’s very tempting to say whatever you need to say to make the sale. Don’t go down the road of manipulation and dishonesty. Fist off, it will come back to bite you. Secondly, you didn’t earn that sale if you cheated. Instead, recognize that there may be some things about your product that won’t appeal to your customer. Then talk about other things or resolve their concern. I remember negotiating a commission with someone and they pointed out that there would be an occasional situation where my involvement would be more costly for them. Rather than using manipulation I simply said “yes, in those situations, I’m asking you to take a haircut on the price you will get but in the long run, my involvement will result in more money in your pocket”. They signed up for my services and later told me that my straightforward answer to their question, particularly the part where I acknowledge that there was a downside, was the thing that sealed the deal for them. They appreciated the straight talk and knew I was dealing with them honestly. They saw the net value in the relationship despite that outlier situation that may occasionally occur.
- Okay, today we covered the first 4 sales principles of the 8 sales principles I’ve developed over the years. Make sure you catch my next video that will go over the final 4 principles. Thanks so much for watching