How Is Your Ability to Make the Sale?

There is no magic bullet in sales; rather, you need to excel in a lot of little things to find, present and close the deal.

“Jeffrey, what’s the BEST way to make a sale?”

When I’m asked this question—and I’m asked it all the time—the salesperson is really asking, “What’s the EASIEST way to make a sale?”

Of course, the easiest way to make a sale is lower your price to a point that you make no profit. Not a good option. The real answer: There is no EASIEST way to make a sale.

And, just like there is no easiest way to make a sale, there is no BEST way to make a sale—but there are several elements that contain the word BEST that you must self-evaluate in order to discover why the sales takes place, or why not.

A key point of understanding is that selling is NOT manipulating. Selling is harmonizing.

Oh, you can occasionally make a manipulative sale. But if you’re still in the 1970s trying to “find the pain,” or “sell an up-front contract,” or “make a cold call,” or “close the sale,” you’re toast. Sales toast.

21 Starting Points

Here are the BEST ways to make a sale:

• Have your reputation precede you by word of mouth from your Google ranking, and from your business social media presence.

• Be known as a valued resource before you start.

• Be friendly before you start.

• Meet with the CEO or actual decision maker.

• Not be salesy, or cocky, or condescending.

• Find some common ground before you start the selling process.

• Ask intelligent, emotionally engaging questions that draw out both needs and buying motives.

• Walk into the meeting with two ideas in favor of the customer.

• Have done pre-call preparation in terms of the customer.

• Convey value rather than features and benefits. I know how it works and what it does. Tell me how I win.

• Focus on how they profit and produce.

• Focus on outcomes and ownership.

• Relax throughout the entire sales conversation.

• Respond in a heartbeat.

• Make yourself available when a customer needs you.

• Support and prove all your claims with video testimonials from existing customers who love you and are loyal to you.

• Ask for a date of beginning, or some type of commitment to move forward, AFTER you are certain you have removed all risks and removed all barriers from your prospect’s buying process.

• Have multiple relationships at different levels and departments within the same company.

• Earn the status of trusted adviser.

• Create the atmosphere where the customer wants to buy.

• Make the passion of your belief transferrable.

Now, a Few Questions

There also are questions you must ask yourself that enable the list of the BEST ways to make a sale:

• Am I always achieving my PERSONAL best?

• Am I always PREPARING my best for every sales call?

• Is my ATTITUDE set on positive, and positive outcome?

• Is my BELIEF in product, company, and self always at the highest level?

• Do I believe in my HEART that the customer is better off having purchased from me?

• Am I always doing my BEST for every customer, every time?

The reality is, as a customer, I do NOT need a salesman. I need greater productivity, an idea that helps me grow, improved morale, a profit provider, and a trusted adviser.

Is that you?