Strong Arm Sales Stop Success Cold
One of the most common ways that salespeople attempt to get people to buy their stuff is by what's called "persuasion," where they engage their targets through soft tactics like flattery, humor or an exciting story. People who are good at persuasion can usually convince the masses by using these soft tactics.
But there are times when these certain tricks backfire and it actually causes a sale to be lost instead of made. The most famous example of this was in an incident with __________ (a famous British car manufacturer) where a salesman used hard-selling techniques on prospective buyers. He went on about how great the vehicle was and how it was the best on the market, but when he gave buyers an offer, they couldn't buy it because they were too busy comparing cars from competing manufacturers.
A better way to sell that product is to use a different sales strategy. Not only will you get more sales, you'll probably make a lot more money doing it. Here's why...
1. __________ The Competition Out of the Way
With soft selling, most people are trying to be nice and get their target to like them and buy their products. Instead of making the product more attractive and trying to get people to like you, a more effective strategy would be to do the opposite.
Blogger Jon Morrow recommends a sales strategy he calls "nuking the competition." In other words, instead of talking about how good your stuff is, focus on how bad someone else's stuff is.
This strategy was developed by an __________ (a famous American sales and marketing guru) in the early 1900s named John Patterson who used this technique very effectively in his book "__________(the name of his book)." In this book, Patterson explained how he used it as President of what became known around the 1950s as __________ (a major American consumer electronics brand).
2. Stick to the Facts
Successful salespeople use stories to persuade people because stories are usually interesting, but they often contain exaggerations and falsehoods that can confuse the audience. They also have a much smaller chance of actually becoming credible than facts.
The number one mistake that most salespeople make is not using facts in their sales pitches. Sales copywriter James Chartrand says: "Facts don't lie, but liars do fudge." If you want to learn more about effective storytelling for your business, then check out my article on "Brand Storytelling Techniques," which I posted a few months ago. It contains links to some great articles on the topic.
3. Give Specifics of How Good the Product Is
Since we're talking about facts, let's be a bit more specific. The best way to convince someone that your product is good is by providing them with specific details about just how good it is. There are multiple ways that you can do this, but my favorite method is to give them examples of other people who have used your product and experienced success.
A study by Adobe showed that marketing messages accompanied by an image of a happy customer are 22% more effective at encouraging people to buy than images that don't include customers at all.
4. __________ How Much Money You Can Make
No salesperson wants to say they made more money using a hard-sell approach, but the truth is that it's much easier to make more sales in a short period of time using those tactics than it is if you're using a softer approach. I've seen some of the most successful salespeople in the world use a combination of soft and hard methods, but what they do best is use both to create an irresistible combination that creates a "hard-sell" that gets the job done.
Here are some articles to help you get started in your business: 20 Tips to Get Your Business Started in 30 Days or Less and How to Start a Business Blog.
5. Don't Give People A Reason Not To Buy
One of the biggest mistakes that most salespeople make is not giving potential buyers a reason to buy their product. One of the writers of "__________"(a quote from his book) wrote, "In selling, it is often necessary, and sometimes very useful, to make somebody believe what you know is not true." He elaborated by saying: "Whenever you are about to say something that is known by all rational people except yourself as absolutely false do not hesitate. If you do not do it, you are likely to lose the sale."
If they don't buy your product because of an untruth that you tell them, then it's never going to happen.
6. Use Emotion Without Overdoing It
Emotions can be a great way of getting someone to buy, but there are certain techniques that salespeople use that cause buyers to get "too emotional," which usually makes them uncomfortable. How do you know when people are overdoing it and when they're not? It's simple. If the emotion you're trying to use feels comfortable, then you're doing it right. If they don't feel good about what you're telling them, then you're probably doing it wrong.
7. Don't Be Petty
One of the biggest mistakes people make is being petty and picking on someone else's product or business model. In an earlier blog post I wrote, "Imagine if a guy who was a great salesperson didn't like another guy's style of shoes but decided to criticize him for wearing them? How would you feel if he started talking about how good his gear was and laughed when the other person wore it? You'd probably get angry.
A better way to be is to compliment the other person on using your product and make sure you're focused on what they have to say.
8. Make Them Want To Get Into It Right Now
Another thing that most salespeople do wrong is not getting their customers into their products right away. If you get someone to see your product in action, they're more likely to buy it than if they had never seen it before. This strategy has worked well for the best product marketers of all time. Here are two examples:
Giorgio Armani taught people how great his clothes were by making them wear them and showing them in real life how great they looked, so people wanted his products even more.
Zappos founder Tony Hsieh didn't show people videos of his gourmet food before he sold them, he simply told them that it was delicious.
9. Stay Positive While Always Reminding Them What You Stand For
Salespeople who are great at what they do know that "the customer is always right." That doesn't mean they let customers get away with bad behavior and insult others, but it does mean that they don't take things personally or start their sentences with, "Yeah...but..." They also don't allow their emotions to get the best of them or get angry when they hear something negative about themselves or the situation they're in.
Conclusion
Understanding what makes salespeople successful is vital if you want your business to succeed. Hiring a good salesperson who has a lot of experience and knows how to influence people without being obnoxious can make your business more profitable than it would be without. The best part about these tips is that they apply to every situation. Becoming familiar with them will help you when you're trying to persuade people and help you get your side of the story across in any situation imaginable.
What other tips do you have for understanding what makes a good salesperson? Leave a comment and let us know.