Selling: 7 Do’s & Don’ts to Get More Customers

Are you a natural when it comes to selling? Were you born to sell? We’ve all met people who are awesome at sales, and they make it look so easy. But they were not born with sales skills. They learned and developed them. And you can too.

So whether you sell for someone else or your own business, here’s some ways to get more paying customers from your selling efforts.

Do Have Goals. Most sales people and owners have goals tied to results – how much revenue you need to generate. But results come from activities such as phone calls, events, meetings, presentations, proposals, etc. So make sure you set activity goals to support your sales or revenue objectives – and break them down to monthly, weekly or even daily requirements. Then do them!

Ask ‘Smart’ Questions. If you want to demonstrate knowledge or expertise, don’t tell them, ask them. Smart questions not only help you uncover needs, but make it obvious to prospects that you understand their business or personal challenges. It builds trust and positions you as someone who can help them create the best solution – your products or services.

Listen More Than You Speak. Some of the most successful sales people are perceived by others to be quiet, because they listen, ask questions and listen some more. To understand what motivates your prospects, you must actively listen with an open mind and no assumptions. God gave us two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more than we speak. It really pays off in sales.

Don’t Sell. Nobody likes to be sold, but most of us like to buy. Sales come from building trust and educating prospects on benefits and value. So stop selling and you will sell more.

Have a Sales System. This doesn’t mean a series of silly questions, pre-conceived notions or a cookie cutter script. It does mean a process or series of steps to move prospects from initial point of contact (lead) to paying customer, consistently and efficiently. Most sales require multiple contacts via phone, mail, email, meetings or presentations, before closing the sale. Your system will vary based on your business and the services you offer; but every sales person and business needs a system to generate new business and keep the pipeline full.

Be Persistent. I read somewhere that most sales people give up after one or two follow-up calls, but most sales occur after seven or eight contacts. Notice the obvious gap? Persistence doesn’t mean hound your prospects, but you should follow up until your get a yes or no decision. Also recognize that a ‘no’ today doesn’t mean forever. So have a method to periodically check in or stay connected because your ideal prospects will buy when they are ready, willing and able to do so.

Do Be Confident. It is often said that in sales you need to go in there and assume the sale, meaning be confident, not cocky. Confidence comes from two things. First, you must believe you have the skills to uncover customer needs and develop the best solutions. Second, you have the products or services to help your customers solve their problems or pain. Remember, you have to believe you can before you ever will.