Sales is a game with its own rules and power plays. People think that the Game of Sales is a blood sport; that you have to sell your soul to win. I am here to show you how you can win at selling by thinking differently and knowing the secret rules to the Game of Sales. Read on for a heads up on those secret rules and how you can use them to win, with your nobility and honour intact.
Game of Sales Rule #1: You aren’t selling – you are helping people buy
True selling isn’t about forcing someone to buy something; it’s about helping people to solve a problem or get something that they want. If you can adopt this mindset, it’s easier for you as you are approaching people to help them and it focuses your questions and intent on the client – which is where it should be.
Game of Sales Rule #2: Stop thinking about what you want
You can’t sell people what you want. People will buy from when you can show them that you are capable of fixing their problem or fulfilling their needs. To obtain this mindset, you have to be looking out for what the client wants and why the client might want to buy it from you. Once you know this – use it in how you talk about your business and what you do. Stop, look and listen to your client and what they are telling you about what is important to them – and then show them how you can help them achieve that by buying from you. Here are some more sales tips on what clients want.
Game of Sales Rule #3: Think how your client thinks
Get intimate with your clients. Immerse yourself in how they work, their problems and what solutions they would pay for. It’s not only what they want, but what they most fear. If you can show your client that you have made an effort to understand and address their motivations and fears then your reward will be that they will trust you, confide in you and buy from you. Not sure where to start? The best way to do this is to ask … go out and talk to your clients and ask them why they bought from you. What motivated them, and what they most feared. You might be surprised by the answers.
Game of Sales Rule #4: Don’t assume
So many people lose at the Game of Sales because they assume. They assume what the client wants and how they want to be sold to. They assume that calling on someone or checking to see if they want to buy is an imposition. They assume that the reason they haven’t heard from the client is because they don’t want to buy. Don’t assume – ask! Ask your client for information on what they want. Ask your client for permission to call again in 2 weeks. Ask your client for the business! If you consistently follow these simple rules in the Game of Sales – I promise you that you will be rewarded with more and happier clients and more importantly an approach to selling in your business that makes you want to crow not cringe. I would love to know how to go with these – or if you have some other gems to help people sell better.
