Selling is (almost) everything
A lot of entrepreneurs have many great ideas and huge potential of succeeding with their product. However, there is typically one thing that we aren’t to keen on: sales.
This is a huge problem, because sales is essential if you want your product to succeed (I assume no further explanation needed). Many people feel that sales is a dirty job all about cold-calling prospective customers and push a certain product on them without recognizing if they actually want the product. Some sales people do work in that way and yes (I think) that sounds like a horrible job. But after having worked with sales as a large part of my job for the past years I’ve realized that sales does not need to be reminiscent to what has been described above.
From my own personal experience and from knowledge I’ve gathered from others, here are a few pieces of advice when selling a product:
* Product knowledge is key. This is probably not an issue if you’re selling your own product. But if you hire someone to do it, make sure they know every single little thing about the product. It will make the customer feel safer when the seller seems confident.
* Make sure the product is actually relevant to the buyer. It’s expensive and time-consuming getting new customers. There’s no point in wasting time on customers that will leave again in no time. Spend time on customers that will actually use your product again and again – they are the people who are going to make you rich!
* Think customer service just as much as you think sales. This is also called soft selling and has always been my strategy. I realize in some cases it will take longer to get a client to buy your product, but if they do go ahead and buy after feeling acknowledged, helped and understood the chances of them staying with your company are a lot bigger.
Don’t push, brag or give discounts to close a deal. Trust your product and your knowledge of it and be aware of your target market. And don’t be afraid to sell – your product is amazing and people should feel lucky to get the chance to buy it!
