Sell Without Being “Salesy”

October 28, 2013

One in nine Americans work in sales. That means each day more than fifteen million people earn their living by persuading others to buy.

But when you really think about it, so do the other eight. We all sell.

Whether it is a product, idea or simply convincing someone to take action, we are all trying to move others.

This does not mean that you have to be the stereotypical, pushy used car salesman we all dread. And you don’ have to be an extrovert.

Research by Adam Grant, a professor at Wharton, shows that “ambiverts”, people who have a balance between introverted and extroverted are the most successful salespeople. Ambiverts are more observant; they know when to listen and when to speak up. When to push and when to hold back.

You can be a better salesperson than you ever thought possible by following author Daniel H. Pink, new model for the ABC’s of selling. Instead of “Always Be Closing”, always be listening.

“The best sellers serve first and sell next,” says Pink. “Ask yourself what you can do to make this customer’s life better, how you can provide insights and provoke them to make changes in how they run their business.”

Daniel Pink has broken it down into ABC’s…

Attunement– Get out of your head and learn to see things from your customer’s perspective.

Buoyancy– Learn what to do before, during, and after your sales encounters to remain afloat in the “ocean of rejection.”

Clarity – Instead of being a problem-solver, become a problem-finder that can sort through massive amounts of information to ask the right questions and uncover challenges your customers don’t know they have.

In the digital age where information is at our fingertips, old world selling techniques are dead. Consumers are just as educated as sellers, which means as an entrepreneur understanding what problems plague your ideal customer and how your product or service can solve that problem is your biggest weapon.

Finding the underlying why comes down to using an effective sales process and ensuring that as the seller you are coming from the right place.

1. Develop the Desire to Sell- Why do you want to be great at sales? What is your “why”? How many lives could you impact with your product or service? If you are unsure right now, ask yourself these questions. Knowing the answers will help to drive your success.

2. Internal Confidence- Before every sale remind yourself of the value of your product and yourself! You are the expert. Your product is the solution and the value is priceless.

Are you living your brand? We are more confident if we are a representation of the life that our product or service represents. Be sure to take care of yourself to keep your confidence high.

3. External Confidence- Let your passion shine through. We are more likely to buy from someone when you can tell that they love what they do! Refine your verbage to ensure that you are accurately representing this to your potential and current clients or customers.

4. Listen- This is one of the hardest to do but is the most important. Find the emotion, the “why” and the barriers for your client. Educating them on your product or service is important, but if you stop to listen to what they need you will be able to show them how you can benefit them.

5. Paint a Picture- “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Create an exciting and compelling vision. How will you or your product help them overcome their barriers? There is power in visualization and power in clarity. Make this vision realistic and tangible so they will be inclined to buy.

6. Close- Finally, make the ask. And if they say no, ask again. If they still say no, always make sure that they will feel comfortable coming back to you if they change their mind in the future.

Selling is simple, you are all ready doing it every day without realizing it. Overcoming the fear or being “salesy” and really listening will give you the advantage in the market. Consumers will come to you and know they will get the product or service that will solve their problems. Start implementing Daniel Pink’s ABC’s of selling and the new sales process to become the salesman you never thought you could be.

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][hcshort id=”5″]

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete statement with it:

Keri Murphy and the Inspired Living team is on a mission to empower people to use their unique talents in a way that allows them to Dream, Live and BE all that is possible through speaking, coaching, celebrity interviews and original on-line content. Get Inspired at inspiredliving.tv

[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]