It doesn't matter whether you are a professional salesperson or not. Learning how to sell is a crucial element of your existence. This is because at some point in your life you may have to convince someone to adopt an idea that you have because it's good for them. It could be your spouse, work colleagues, family or friends. The big question that you should ask yourself is how you can convince such people to buy into your idea ? You should also know what you can do in case they are not convinced?
Why People are Skeptical About Sales
If you ask most employees, they can tell you that they are not interested in sales. Many believe that sales is about convincing people to purchase what they don't need. Modern firms like doTERRA have a different take on the subject. What you should know is that sales all about convincing someone to take an action. Here are a few ways on how you can improve your sales skills:
1. Change your Attitude
If you want to convince people to change their minds, you have to get rid of the negative picture that you may have about salespeople. They are not there to force you to buy anything. If you think of yourself as the cliche salesperson, you adopt such behaviors and look fake in front of the customer. Take to time to think back at a time when you had a memorable sales experience. In most cases, the sales person was there to assist you by helping you find a solution to your problem. After reflection, adopt this character and notice the difference in the outcome.
2. Role Playing
Even though you are the sales person in this scenario, you have to put yourself in the audience's shoes . The thing about selling is that you can never really convince a person unless you know what they are going through. The best way to do this is to think about what you'd do if you were the audience. For example, you want to convince your neighbors to start a collaborative neighborhood watch program. Ask yourself what would make you join such a program if you were the neighbor and use it in your pitch. That way, you touch your audience's emotion and appeal to their innermost needs, increasing your chances of success.
Related: 5 Important Facts to Know While Running a Business3. Practice
The thing about successful pitches is that they are properly planned and rehearsed. Interestingly, you need a second person's opinion to polish areas of your pitch that are not convincing. You can find yourself a coach or a close friend and ask them to listen to your pitch. From there on, you can ask them to tell you what they thought about the presentation. Having another person in the room can help you get rid of biases and look at your pitch critically. Keep practicing until your listener tells you that you have made significant improvements. That way, you can have the confidence to sell to others.
4. Be Humble and Don't Panic
Even the best speakers sometimes mess up. Therefore, don't be surprised if you find yourself stammering as you present your pitch. If that happens, don't panic. Just monitor your breathing and relax. Slow down your speech and calm your nerves before continuing with the pitch. Other times you can get too excited and forget that the reason why you are pitching is because you want to sell to the customer. Avoid being overconfident and getting carried away because your audience might lose interest in what you have to tell them.
The first thing that you have to do if you want to properly convince someone is to develop a positive attitude . Tell yourself that you are there to help them solve a problem, not to coerce them to purchase something they don't need. Other ways you can use to improve your sales skills are also mentioned in this article. Practice them, and you can become better at convincing people.