7 steps you can follow to ensure that you have a rock-solid sales process for your business

Happy Holidays! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your friends and/or family. This month I want to talk to you about something that can be very important to you around this time of year. Since it’s the holiday season and most people are out and about buying gifts for their loved ones, do you know what you should be doing?? You should be making sure that your selling process is on point. With all of the buying going on, you should capitalize and make sure your selling strategies meet the potential customer demand.

           What does this mean? Where do I start? Well, let me help you. There are 7 steps that you can follow to ensure that you have a rock-solid sales process for your business.

1.    Prepare yourself!

·     YOU are your first line of defense. YOU have complete control over the amount of knowledge that you have. It is integral that you have as much knowledge about your product, your customers, and your industry as you can so that you can recite it as easy as your ABCs.

2.    Build long term relationships.

·     You should treat each person that you come into contact with as your biggest and most valuable client. Don’t rush into a sales pitch, take some time to build a relationship with the person first. You want to build rapport with each person so that they know you are in it for the long haul and they aren’t just another sale to you.

3.    Have discussions.

·     To go along with the above, have discussions with your clients. Find out what their problems, needs, and wants are. This is the point where you want to ask open ended questions to get as much detail about them and their needs as you can.

4.    Offer solutions.

·     So now you know what they need, offer solutions to solve their problems or meet their needs and desires. Since you have prepared yourself and know your product like you know your ABCs, this is the point where you can offer your products that best suits your client. Focus on the specifics and the benefits that are unique to that person. Tell them that your product meets their needs 1, 2, and 3 because of X, Y, and Z.

5.    Be one step ahead.

·     When you are having these discussions with your customer be aware of their body language, their tone, and the things that they are saying. Try to anticipate any objections that may arise and provide responses that meets their concerns. Again, this goes back to being prepared. If you stay one step ahead, you are more likely to stay confidently in control so that you can help your customer and make the sale.

6.    Close that sale!

·     This can be the most difficult aspect of the sales process. It needs to be organic and timed properly. Trying to close too soon can make a person feel rushed, whereas waiting too long can cause the person to lose interest. Don’t make this another scripted line in your sales pitch, it needs to be done at the right moment. You need to be confident in yourself and your product and show the customer that they are making the right choice.

    7.    Follow up.

·     After you have gotten the sale, make sure you get the costumers contact information so that you can follow up with them. Remember, you are in this for the long haul; you are building and nurturing relationships.