It does not have to be hard on non-sales people if they are asked to handle sales all of a sudden. You will be amazed to know that non-sales people are often the best salespersons, as they know the complete background. Moreover, such people are much more disciplined than salespeople. Most companies keep sales personnel on a high pedestal as they generate revenue. However, they rarely follow the rules or behave in a way that HR might have wanted them to. The only thing that salespeople are good at is selling.
Sometimes, you will find salespeople in complete disarray regarding record management. They will only show you revenue, and that is it. Look at lawyers, doctors, architects, and engineers. None of these people want to sell, but they have to. You also sell your skills from time to time. When you gave your interview in your present position, you sold your skills. If you could do it then, you can now. You just have to keep a few pointers in mind before you start selling and enjoying the process as well.
Brush Up Your Leadership Skills
Getting comfortable is the first step forward. Selling is not just about pressurizing your prospect. However, you need to lead them. Selling is about persuading and inspiring others. You can reflect on your experiences as a customer, as that will let you peek into the customer’s psyche. You have to show genuineness, and that’s when you can show the customer that you are the one who can solve his problem.
Lead the way towards decision-making. All this while, you have to show your persuasive side as well. Remember what a great leader is all about. A great leader does three things – lead, persuade, and inspire. So, get into the role of a leader.
Develop Empathy
This is where many people fall short. If you are a non-sales person and are supposed to sell something to others, you should put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Most customers buy when they need something or out of want. So, you have to judge what drives them to buy. It is your job to find out your customer’s motivation. You have to do a bit of background research before attempting to sell.
Go back to your time as a back-office person. You must have gathered and arranged a large amount of customer demographic data. So, that is what you need to put into proper use. While selling to a prospect, you need to check his background and find out the key drivers. Ask yourself if he has the money or the urge to buy your product. If he does, you can close the sales soon. While doing this, always imagine that you are the customer and visualize the needs or wants.
Plan and Practice the Pitch
Before you get into selling, you should plan. You can also try to gain some financial knowledge. It is interconnected to the career of salespeople. When you speak of some numbers, you gain credibility. Moreover, if you have been tasked with selling to the lower stratum of society, you have to show some conviction when selling to them. Such people are always interested to know what returns they will get on their investment.
You can also look good in front of the management, with back-office, finance, and sales skills. You may get that promotion you were eyeing soon enough. It does help if you can enroll yourself in an accountancy online course. You will be able to zoom past your peer in no time by gaining valuable skills along with handling your job.
Relax Yourself
This is something that can help you get through any situation. You have to admit that you cannot be a success all the time. There is another counterpart, called failure. They will teach you where you lag. When you are pitching, stay calm and relax your body. Most customers can easily see that you may be hyperventilating.
Moreover, if you tend to speak with dominance, it can drive the prospective customer away. Thus, you need to give some leeway to the customers to decide calmly. If you get excited, they may also get excited and lose the ability to make the right decision at the right time.
Think About Long-term
This is another crucial thing that every salesperson should remember. You have to build a rapport with the customers. It is believed throughout management circles that old customers bring in more business than a new one can. So, it makes sense to keep in touch with your old customers. Word-of-the-mouth publicity will help you gain more business than you could yourself get.
These are a few ways that non-sales people can sell. Just have some confidence in yourself. It will help you to take everything in your stride.
No comments yet.