The fifth skill to sell requires you to politely explain to your customers how the features of your product or service match what he needs. If there’s a particular feature that he wants that is not present in your product or service, let him know and leave him to make his final decision to buy or not to buy,it is better to take that risk than end up with a hostile buyer. One critical factor you need to achieve success in this phase of selling is your superior knowledge of your product or service and how you communicate it to the customer with sincerity and politeness.For my Ireke business,I knew that my classmates wanted a ‘stealth snack’ that’s affordable, appealing to sight,sweet and cut in sizes that can fit into their clenched fist to keep it away from the eagle eyes of our teachers and any beggy-beggy classmate who wants ‘to short someone’s ration’ and when I presented the Ireke to them, they were like “this is it! “.Your customers can react in a similar way if the features of your product or service match the features and requirements requested by them .This is the part of sales that raises the positive emotion of the customer high enough to part with his money and overcome his desire to withhold his money from you.Get ready to close the sale with the next skill.
Once you are able to successfully carry out the first five steps, the sixth step crowns your effort and sets the foundation for even greater repeat sales.This is the time to offer the customer an irresistible price offer. Every customer loves any seller that can save him money and give him the joy of a good bargain.Since for most goods and services, price is usually fixed for unit item or transaction and if the customer is buying just a unit of your product or service, let him know that you provide discount on bulk purchases or rewards on referral that is converted to sales. Tell the customer of the warranty or guaranty on the product and assure him that you will personally get in touch with him during promo sales and discount price bonanza.You have just nailed down the sales and won the customer for life. He leaves with the impression that you genuinely care about him and happy even after parting with his money in exchange for your product or service.
The seventh step is simple.Sell.This is the most vivid of all my experience as a teenager in business and it clearly gave me tremendous joy to see the joy on the faces of my classmates as they part with their money for my ireke.It validated me as a young lad and I could see and feel that I am doing something good. While it lasted, they were genuinely happy to part with their money in exchange for my ireke and the memory is still fresh in my mind. Until the time that I quit the business to avoid getting into serious problems with my teachers,my colleagues were paying upfront to get my Ireke especially when my supply of Ireke, I daily concealed in my school bag, could no longer meet the demands from my mates.It was then that I knew it was possible to sell, sell and sell!You sure can do better than that 13 year old boy.
The eighth and final step is the least fancied and employed by most salesmen and entrepreneurs.This step requires you to call your buyer to know his experience with your product or service. You may be scared of receiving a bad response from the customers but instead of feeling bad, just consider the negative response as a feedback and assure the customer that you will improve on the weakness. However, there’s equally a great chance that the customer will be delighted to hear from you because of the way you treated him in the past and will be willing to give you testimonial and referrals. This is an effective and free method of achieving sales.I remember that by the time word of mouth spreads the news about my ireke, some students from other classes come to my class to buy my ireke. And sales further grew.So in real and practical terms, you have nothing to lose if you pick up your phone and call people who have bought from you.This is similar to having your customers on your mailing list like I do.
As for my rested line of business I did at 13, a gap for that business still exists even till today. I have not seen a single urban supermarket or mart that sells farm fresh, hygienically pelled, cut to size and packaged in well branded containers. Perhaps, you are the best one for that business.It’s as sweet as sugarcane business.
Apply these eight steps and watch yourself sell, sell and sell!!
Sunkanmi Vaughan is the host of ‘Bizlifelines With Sunkanmi Vaughan’ on radio and author of the most comprehensive business opportunity handbook; ‘1000+ Practical Business Ideas and Directory of Money Sources’
