MY NEW BLOG FOR YEAR!!!!
WE MADE IT, RIGHT??
We are all up and we are ready to tackle yet another year of
making that difference! So let me lay my cards on the table
because this year that is my approach. I am no longer holding punches because
if I don’t punch I get knocked down. And If I don’t swing then people won’t
even know I am a fighter.
And to the point for the today......
What is the biggest motivator for us business
owners today! It is when we make a sale! How elated do we get when we have landed an
offer and sealed the deal! Don’t you feel energized! You are confident and ready to tackle the
next one. You can give yourself a pat on
the back and tell yourself, OK, maybe I can do this! RIGHT! ABSOLUTELY!!!
But let’s be serious…after you have tapped your family and
friends you have to reach out to uncharted territory and THAT is where you will
be living. So in regards to SALES, How will you make that connection? How do
you find that customer that wants what you are selling?
SO for myself I ask the very same questions. I will tell you what happened to me however just
recently. After looking for courses on
Sales, and reading blogs and webinars about how to close a deal, I found the
answer my friend is blowing in the wind. IT IS ALWAYS the simplest solution at
times.
When you are in the grocery store, management
knows you are there to buy something but they don’t know what? That is why they have sales folks on the
floor asking you….”Is there something I can help you find?” Is there anything
that you need? As a customer we
sometimes just want someone to ASK us so we can just be led. Sometimes when someone asks us it actually
helps us identify why we came in the store in the first place (I know I can be
easily distracted).
SO HERE IS THE DEAL… think about your business and what you
offer. You have to just have a conversation with the next person you talk to and ask them what they are looking for? Ask them if there is
something that you can help them find? If the answer isn’t directly tied to
your business that is fine. You may have to redirect them or maybe cross sell
and help them. The next time they see
you they just might ask you the same question. Its reciprocal and it
works!!
There are however a few things to think about as you go
through this process.
- Think outside the box. What someone is telling you is what they need. It might not be necessarily within your business scope but they will love you for taking and interest and being able to help them solve for it. Do discard that, be a resource whenever you can.
- Be accessible. Give them your access to contact you if they need anything or to follow up to find out how things went. You have a potential client, ALWAYS. Don’t just hand them a business card. If you are able take their information, name and phone or email. Or just ask them to find your business on Facebook. Make a connection regardless.
- Be efficient. For yourself and for them. Be cognizant of their time so don’t belabor the conversation needlessly. Speak decisively and leave them the opportunity to close. No want a sales person that won’t leave them be.
The funny thing is I don’t consider myself a SALESPERSON but
I am in business to make sales. AT THE
END OF DAY (favorite tag line), it all comes down to customer retention. Finding that potential customer and making
him your customer for life. It may
happen that day. It may happen months from that date. The key is to be there
when they are ready.
TRY IT OUT…if nothing else but for practice just talking to
folks. You are now in uncharted
territory but to navigate is not as hard as you think!
Leslie Crudup writes
for The Business Liaisons, LLC – Business Consulting
