In a startup, every single employee can play a role in scaling their company by selling
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In a startup, every single employee can play a role in scaling their company by selling — even if sales are out of your comfort zone. That’s where these five reasons come in handy to convince you especially if you’re not customer facing. These tips were crafted to make it easy for everyone in your team to sell your products/services, build strong customer relationships, as well as promote the business.
Train us to reflect
Being comfortable with sales needs an understanding of what selling is. See beyond the common negative impression set by the hungry insurance agent financial advisor. Selling is not all about putting unnecessary pressure on and always talking, all while putting on a light blue suit.
Rather, selling is inspiring, persuading, and leading
Basically, your goal is to collaborate with a client to drive change. For you to get into the right mindset, reflecting on the past positive experiences you had as a customer. As you think about the best sales discussions you’ve had, it’s almost like the salesman was not there. The seller was someone who’d taken a real interest in your issue and was assisting you to solve it.
See things in someone else’s perspective
People usually buy for two reasons. They either have a problem with a business that needs solution or with their personal need, like optimising the efficiency or productivity within the firm. It’s your duty to figure out your client’s motivations: What exactly would it take to make your boss sign off on a certain project or to get your customers excited about what you have to give? Conduct ample research and validate with people you are trying to win over, well in advance of your proposal making. Consider the information you need to unveil.
Also read: How to nail your BD sales pitch –without hard selling
Learn to pitch value proposition instead of features
Creating your sales pitch shouldn’t be a solo endeavor. You may enlist a trusted peer or manager to play a role so you can see what really works and what does not. Your goal is to know how the flow of these kinds of conversations sounds and feels. You can be coached by your colleague on how you come across and ways to improve your delivery. I suggest you practice in front of novices. Discuss with someone who is not a professional in the field, like your grandfather. His questions will assist you to frame the problem. Chances are, the first attempt you make at a pitch will miss the mark. Now people spend a lot of time in their personal heads, just thinking about their own idea, that they don’t see how the product will improve somebody else’s life.
Ability to control emotions & body language
Even with careful preparation, pitches can go wrong. Your adrenaline is now surging, so you may finally talk too much or fail to get to the point hastily. There’s no easy solution. Chill out. Just try to relax your expressions and then keep your body language loose and confident. Nobody would like to be lectured. Try to be respectful but not too deferential. Establish a peer-level kind of discussion.
Gain Patience & Perseverance
Becoming good at selling implies you both understand the ‘client’ and even understand the path they have to go through to buy. It’s rare that anybody will bite upon hearing your own pitch immediately — regardless of how brilliant it is. You might be needed by your counterpart to examine the financial impact of such kind of purchase, check with a higher-up before you sign off. Most deals are closed by people with perseverance who follow up at least 5 times for each potential clients before giving up the lead.
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