“Give yourself and your staff a refresher on sales 101.” - Dave Smith

The Sales Process is a system that can be taught, developed, and continuously improved upon. When you follow clear, step-by-step actions and have a working knowledge of your product or service and the person who will be buying from you, the system will nearly always result in a sale.

Going back to the basics is always a worthwhile exercise. No matter how experienced you may be, there is always something new to discover or remind yourself of.

Involve your team in this lesson (if you have one), as you work through the step-by-step process and consider this an opportunity for additional team training and development. You may also want to begin giving each staff member individual sales targets, and incentives for reaching them.

As a Business Coach,
and when I teach “sales”,
I usually cover:

Sales 101: the step-by-step process
Overcoming objections
Strengthening your close
Up-Selling, Cross-Selling, and Down-Selling
What makes a good Salesperson?
Eight tips for streamlining your Sales Process.

Here is a basic seven-step process that you can follow, or fine tune to suit your unique products and services.

This system will work for every business in every industry, from sales presentations to casual conversations in retail stores. I encourage my clients to focus on cultivating their ability to master each step, as everyone builds on the first and is important in the overall process.

Of course, I won’t do deep dives here, but I will reveal my “headings” or “subject matters” … And I speak of them very thoroughly with clients and their organizations …

1. Prepare yourself with enough knowledge about your product, customer, and industry.

2. Begin to build a long-term relationship based on trust.

3. Discuss the problem, need, want, or desire in detail.

4. Offer the solution and focus on benefits.

5. Anticipate, then overcome objections with empathy.

6. Close with confidence and awareness.

7. Make that customer a part of your customer retention program, and do not forget to follow up.

PLUS

Integrate Up-Selling, Down-Selling and Cross-Selling into your business.

Eight ways to streamline your Sales Process.

Sales is a system that can be created, improved, taught, and perfected.

The important thing to remember here is that everyone needs to enhance and refine their sales skills on a regular basis. A routine review of Sales 101 is helpful for even the most natural of salespeople.

PS: Consider creating a poster of the Sales Process with tips under each step and posting it in the staff room or on your staff communications board. Visual reminders and passive access to resources can have a lasting impact on your staff's performance ... (and yours) 😊