5 Secrets to Better Sales: Stop Hiding Behind Your Product

5 Secrets to Better Sales (Clue: Stop Hiding Behind Your Product)

It all started with a skill or a great idea, and now you are on your way to making your dreams of working for yourself a reality. There are tons of tips and lists out there on how to start your own business, but what do you do when you are already there?

Sales is a huge part of trying to get yourself to the next level, but it can be very difficult, especially when you are a one-man wrecking crew. It is pretty funny, but your sales can even be slow because of how amazing you know your product or service is. Here are tips on how to increase sales and stop hiding behind your product.

Remember you’re in the people business: Lots of salespeople get caught up in what they are selling and forget that they’re in the people business. Your customer wants to be treated personally.
Focus on the results, not the effort: The sales game is not one of organizing, planning, or meetings — it’s about getting results. Salespeople often spend time kidding themselves about doing busy work and don’t get in front of customers who can buy their products.
Do the uncomfortable thing: The best salespeople I have ever known are willing to throw themselves into harm’s way. So convinced of their offer, they are willing to get in front of the tough customers, ask the hard questions, and go for the close. You can’t bring the big deals home without getting into the deep waters where the big fish swim.
Wow, the customer: Great salespeople look for ways to inspire a customer’s emotional involvement and create the urgency to take ownership. When you wow a customer, you make a difference and cause them to want to hold onto that experience. You can take any product — even a boring one — and make it a wow presentation.
Ask for the sale: This may seem very simple, but most salespeople never ask for the sale. This is hard to believe, but it’s true. We recently did a mystery shop on over 500 businesses, and at more than 70 percent of them, the salespeople never asked us to do business. Regardless of your product, price, or how professional you are, if you don’t ask, you will only sell to those who are going to buy regardless.