Direct Sales - Four Selling Skills to Get You Started
Direct Sales - Four Selling Skills to Get You Started
by Kimberly Bates
"Sell" is only a four letter word if you're doing it wrong. Here are four simple selling skills you can learn today and use tonight to do a better job finding the right people for your products. Who are the right people? The ones who need it and want it now. Your job is to find them and solve their problem.
Step One - Ask a Good Prospecting Question
You can either use your personal experience or general product knowledge, but the point here is to be specific. So, instead of asking a shotgun style question like, "Do you know anyone who needs some extra income?" Or, "Do you know anyone who likes to cook?" You ask a more pointed question like, "Do you know anyone who wants to lose weight without going on some crazy fake food?" "Do you know anyone who is homeschooling their child because of discipline problems?" In other words, think with as much detail as possible who NEEDS your products features the most, then ask for those people. It's ideal if you had that need first, because your story can be very valuable to relate to them. If you've never had a weight problem, and you're selling weight loss, prepare for skepticism.
Step Two - Be Able to Qualify
Once you've identified that someone has an interest in your product - then you need to get additional information about them. In particular you need to know not just that they need the product, but that they want to make the change to purchase it. For example, someone might express an interest in losing weight. You need to find out how serious they are. Use the following question. "Please...tell me more about that." Then listen to what they say, because it will give you a great feel for their interest in acting on their need.
Step Three - Be Able to Refocus/Overcome Objections
After you've done steps one and two, you'll make some sort of product presentation to them and ask if they would like to know more about it or place an order. This can be anything from a few sentences to a formal presentation in front of a group. When it's done, you'll ask if they have questions. If not, ask for an order. Then, you'll get either an order, or an objection. This is where the Feel, Felt, Found technique comes in. Not sure who invented this, but it's a staple in our business. In three steps you want to acknowledge the concern, acknowledge you or others shared it, then share what turned out to be the case. For example, "I know how you feel. I felt that way too. I found out that it didn't matter how many people came to my show. I only had five friends there and I still got over $500 in product as a hostess."
Step Four - Ask for the Order
Once you've taken someone through steps one, two, and three you've established that they have a need, and have a desire to solve that problem. Now you need to ask them to go ahead and make that decision. "Are you ready to place an order?" If they're not, then go back to step two or three and work through it again. The point is, you're not "pushing" anything on them because if somewhere along the way you identified they didn't need or want your product, you wouldn't still be talking to them, right?
But if they aren't grabbing the form you to buy, then they may be stuck in Step Two. That is, have the problem, not that interesting in solving it. This is not a potential customer for you NOW. Let them go and follow up in three months.
Selling isn't persuasion or aggressiveness. It's finding a need and filling it for people ready to solve their problems. Your job is to find those people.
by Kimberly Bates
"Sell" is only a four letter word if you're doing it wrong. Here are four simple selling skills you can learn today and use tonight to do a better job finding the right people for your products. Who are the right people? The ones who need it and want it now. Your job is to find them and solve their problem.
Step One - Ask a Good Prospecting Question
You can either use your personal experience or general product knowledge, but the point here is to be specific. So, instead of asking a shotgun style question like, "Do you know anyone who needs some extra income?" Or, "Do you know anyone who likes to cook?" You ask a more pointed question like, "Do you know anyone who wants to lose weight without going on some crazy fake food?" "Do you know anyone who is homeschooling their child because of discipline problems?" In other words, think with as much detail as possible who NEEDS your products features the most, then ask for those people. It's ideal if you had that need first, because your story can be very valuable to relate to them. If you've never had a weight problem, and you're selling weight loss, prepare for skepticism.
Step Two - Be Able to Qualify
Once you've identified that someone has an interest in your product - then you need to get additional information about them. In particular you need to know not just that they need the product, but that they want to make the change to purchase it. For example, someone might express an interest in losing weight. You need to find out how serious they are. Use the following question. "Please...tell me more about that." Then listen to what they say, because it will give you a great feel for their interest in acting on their need.
Step Three - Be Able to Refocus/Overcome Objections
After you've done steps one and two, you'll make some sort of product presentation to them and ask if they would like to know more about it or place an order. This can be anything from a few sentences to a formal presentation in front of a group. When it's done, you'll ask if they have questions. If not, ask for an order. Then, you'll get either an order, or an objection. This is where the Feel, Felt, Found technique comes in. Not sure who invented this, but it's a staple in our business. In three steps you want to acknowledge the concern, acknowledge you or others shared it, then share what turned out to be the case. For example, "I know how you feel. I felt that way too. I found out that it didn't matter how many people came to my show. I only had five friends there and I still got over $500 in product as a hostess."
Step Four - Ask for the Order
Once you've taken someone through steps one, two, and three you've established that they have a need, and have a desire to solve that problem. Now you need to ask them to go ahead and make that decision. "Are you ready to place an order?" If they're not, then go back to step two or three and work through it again. The point is, you're not "pushing" anything on them because if somewhere along the way you identified they didn't need or want your product, you wouldn't still be talking to them, right?
But if they aren't grabbing the form you to buy, then they may be stuck in Step Two. That is, have the problem, not that interesting in solving it. This is not a potential customer for you NOW. Let them go and follow up in three months.
Selling isn't persuasion or aggressiveness. It's finding a need and filling it for people ready to solve their problems. Your job is to find those people.