How to Make a Sale
I went to a Meetup talk last week where they were talking about sales. One of the most interesting things they said was that it takes between seven and eight contacts to land a new client. This is one of those things that makes sense when you think about it. I just hadn't stopped to think about it before.
Before someone will buy from you, they first need to know that you exist. You have to create visibility. Then you have to build trust. They have to understand what you're about and believe in your services and trust them. It's also going to take time for you to understand their needs and for them to understand that you understand them.
The most of important thing about this is really expectation management. Too often we think it would take a call or two to land a client and when it takes longer we think there is something wrong with us - or with them.
So, first take the time to create visibility, credibility, and rapport. Then you can worry about the sale.
They also talked about focusing on the customers needs', realizing and explaining how your services will help them alleviate their pain and basically learning how to listen and to speak a language they understand. Nothing too shocking here, though it's always good to be reminded about it.
So I was feeling quite comfortable with my understanding of sales as I knew most of this. Then at the end, they hit us with the big problem: closing the deal. I know that I am often embarrassed, afraid or just too clumsy to actually ask for the business. One of the speakers pointed out that closing the deal doesn't have to be pushy or abrasive. It can be as simple as asking open-ended question - something like "when can we start?" or "would you like to book an appointment?"
There you have it - my three take away points:
1) It just takes time - 7 to 8 contacts on average to land a new client. Be prepared for that and plan on taking the time.
2) Focus first on visibility, then credibility, then rapport, then the sale.
3) Finally, always close the deal. Just try simply asking an open-ended questions to put the period at the end of the sentence - even if it's as simple as "so where do we go from here?"
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