Sales Techniques: What Should You Use?

Right since our childhood, we have always wanted to be like someone else, just to fit well in the crowd. But as a sales representative in the professional field, differentiation is what you need to achieve. This differentiation in sales techniques can be regarding three things: You as an individual, your product, your company. Most of the salesmen are apt at differentiating the product and the company, but fail to recognize the importance of differentiating themselves. You meet the customer’s eye first, not the product or the company.

Given below are 7 ways of sales techniques by which you can differentiate yourself:

1. Appearance: The first impression, it is said, is the last impression. If the potential customer sees you in an un-groomed state, chances are bleak that he/she may even stop to talk to you. For personal grooming, ironed clothes, polished shoes, a neat tie and combed hair is a must.

2. E-mail signature: The signature of your e-mail, besides having your name, must have a catchy phrase, which lists your expertise, your contact number, and your website. Besides, intimating people periodically about new developments on your company’s or product’s front by means of a P.S. is a must. So emails give you an option to brand yourself.

3. Get people to return your call: It is a big challenge for salespersons to get someone to return their call. Being different does the trick in such cases. A client, Mike, shared a particular instance with me. Purchase a coffee mug and write on it – “Let’s discuss business plans over a cup of coffee.” Include a business card in the mug mentioning the time when you will be free to receive his or her call.

4. Use business cards: All business cards are printed just on the front. Print a quote or print your testimonials on the blank back side to differentiate yourself.

5. Customize literature: Almost all promotional matter is printed on an 8½*11” paper. This looks quite dull. So buy a bigger, say 10*12” paper and paste the original sales literature on that. Utilize the blank spaces on the side for writing a note, a reminder or other things. This will prevent monotony.

6. Keep in touch: As a salesperson, you should opt for a follow-up manner of work for all contacts. After a day, send them an email. A handwritten note can be dispatched after 3 days, and a handwritten note accompanied by an article after 10 days. This would mean 4 exposures within a fortnight!

7. Creativity: For big proposals, use your creativity in preparing charts. Just think of the various people who would have a direct interaction with the customers, like you, the sales manager, the technical service department guys, the customer relationship manager, etc. You will get a proper picture in that case. Then you might go ahead and make an organizational chart and include in it the details like the full name, post, contact number, email ID, and a photograph. This makes sure that the prospective customer is not a stranger to anyone in your sales team. Also, the prospective customers can avoid an individual salesman if he/she wants, but not a full team!

So if you follow these sales techniques, you are sure to be benefited!

10 Steps To Improve Your Telesales Results

Here are ten steps to improve your sales results

1. Develop a script you feel comfortable with and stick to it.

2. Be sure you are using a pleasant, relaxed tone of voice. This, more than any other factor, will help you make a success out of the first crucial seconds when most calls are won or lost.

3. Identify yourself clearly and briefly, and then continue with your pitch.

4. Get your prospect involved in a discussion; preferably with “yes-answer questions”.

5. Having gained even apparently insignificant response, realise that you’ve opened the door to a positive result. Expand on this initial success. Respond positively, genuinely and with mild enthusiasm. “Oh, good.” “Great.” “That’s good to hear.” Then continue.

6. Use problem and solution statements. “Naturally, you don’t want the value of your home to drop. Can I spend three or four minutes explaining how ABC Decorating Company can be a low cost, effective solution?”

7. Don’t wait or pause, except when you are expecting an answer. Even so, pleasantly and respectfully guide the conversation forward if you have to. Fill the gaps.

8. Although I suggest having a script, rehearse it so thoroughly that you don’t sound as if you’re reading or referring to it.

9. Bring your product or service alive for your prospect. Paint a mental picture wherever you can. Make your prospects imagination work for you.

10. Ask for the order (or to schedule a meeting).

Follow these 10 steps and you can quickly improve and optimise your telemarketing results.

Marketing And Sales: What You Need To Know

Though Marketing and Sales must go hand-in-hand to achieve any positive growth, in reality it is mostly the reverse. While bad marketing for a good product can be as disastrous as taking a joy ride in a sabotaged aircraft, poor turn over need not necessarily be blamed on unrealistic marketing policy alone.

Before delving deeper into the subject it needs to be mentioned here that though there is a lot of relationship between the two, but it can be safely stated that ‘Marketing’ is a much wider term than ‘Sales’. Sales are basically a part of Marketing. In other words, a company has a marketing policy, and sales is one mean in which the company tries to meet its marketing plans.

But ironically there is often a conflict between these two departments. The Marketing people can feel the pulse of the industry and provide leads, but are often rebuffed by the Sales people who argue that their ‘feelers’ were off beam. Sales people often claim that the figures fell shorter than the projected volume because of this. Whatever be the cases, it is evident that each undervalues the other to such extent that their integration, a factor much is needed to keep the business going, ultimately becomes a myth.

To achieve synch among Marketing and Sales it may become necessary for the Marketing people to get involved in all levels of product development, taking along the Sales personnel with them so that they too can appreciate the leads to be ultimately supplied by the Marketers. In other words, starting at the ground root level and then progressively going up together, instead of taking up the marketing at any mid-stage alone might be fruitful. Also, Marketing's increasing influence in each phase of an organization's growth deeply affects its relationship with Sales.

But in spite of the tension between these two departments, both Marketing and Sales need to work together for the success of any business. Performance of other departments too vastly depends on this relationship. And that is why modern day management attempts to create a friendly atmosphere where marketing and sales works in synch.

Sales, Marketing and the Internet

When it comes to the online world, can marketing and sales be differentiated? Is the act of selling over the Internet through an online store an act of marketing? Or is it sales?

Well the fact is, selling a product or products or a service over the Internet is primarily sales. And the act of supporting this function is marketing.

Take for example the online major Amazon. When the company does promotional exercise through channels such as popular Television, radio, magazines and billboards, then all these activities can be termed as marketing efforts that are geared towards creating a brand consciousness and brining in web traffic to promote and support sales.

But in many smaller stores, marketing and sales often become one and the same as most of these businesses cannot often afford a bigger marketing exercise and limit themselves just to the exercise of sales.