4. How to Make a Sale
Selling to your potential customers
Each of us had our own preferred way of selling. Something to consider is attending a workshop run by your local Business Link or Enterprise Agency.
People are more likely to do business with you if they feel they can trust you and see you as friendly, professional, knowledgeable and presentable.
You may find the following four-step approach useful:
1. Be prepared - Before you meet a potential customer ask yourself the following:
Do I know enough about their needs and business?
Are the benefits of our product and service clearly in mind ?
Can they afford us?
Will I be talking to the decision maker?
Who are they currently buying from and how can we improve on that?
What is my desired outcome from the meeting?
2. Encouraging the customer to talk.
If you ask open questions, rather than those with just eyesf or enof answers, you are more likely to find out what the customer really needs. For example, ask ewhat are you hoping to be able to do withf rather than edo you want to be able tof
3. Emphasise the benefits.
Always describe what your product or service offers in terms of the benefit that it will give to the customer.
4. Close the sale.
Donft be afraid to ask for the business. Youfve spent a lot of energy getting to this meeting. Even if the answer says no, you will learn a lot if you ask the customer why.
Creating a ewin-winf business relationship
The goal of all your dealings with both customers and suppliers is to create a win-win relationship, where both you and the customer are satisfied. This is what leads to long lasting business relationships. Here are some tips to help you achieve this:
Know what your bottom line is, as far as pricing is concerned, before you enter negotiations.
Donft be afraid to say why you feel your price is fair and reasonable.
If you make a concession, get something in return - eI could reduce the price by 10% if you will buy 20 rather than 15 unitsf.
Make sure that any concessions are inexpensive to you, but appear valuable to the customer or supplier - you might be flexible on delivery dates if your supplier reduces the price.