You can look at sales as pushing and forcing prospects to buy. For that particular reason, many entrepreneurs fear of selling. On the other side, you can look at sales from a modern perspective of helping the customers.
In this article, I’d explain briefly on sales in the past. Afterward, I’d elaborate on how sales are today and what can affect customers’ trust to buy.
The outcome would be gaining a winning sales approach to sell faster and have satisfied customers.
Sales in the past
This is the best deal you can get. Take it while it is still last! Familiar with this sales sentence?
Probably you are!
This is an old technique to push prospects against the wall and make the customers buy faster. It had some success rate. This, due to incapability of customers to check the validation of the information. Hence, they were more naive and tend to convince faster.
If we take a look at sales, customers have decided differently. The market was more sellers oriented.
There are some reasons for that:
Customers were less sophisticated
Excellent sellers could easily maneuver prospects to purchase.
They find their target audience, research who they are, made the first interaction, they have become endeared by the customer, presenting the product, overcoming objection, closing and follow-up the customers.
Notice that they weren’t interested in the customers’ feelings, problems, dreams and motivations.
Competition was low
There were fewer small businesses, the market was ruled by fewer large companies and the penetration barriers were higher. Hence, most of the competition was local and not worldwide.
Additionally, the rise of freelancers has accelerated thanks to the internet and technology evolving. This has open-up the market for new entrepreneurs.
Poor means of communication
Let’s face it, internet, social network, Google and YouTube have fluctuated the way we consume.
Before, we couldn’t search for the best deal. Most of the knowledge was in the hands of sellers. Thus, they could manipulate consumers easily.
Limited access to technology
Technology was in its infancy. Few and rich companies have the access. Hence, they could reach more customers faster, had stronger influence on the market, they could easily lead the industry and block other competitors from penetrating the market. The outcome is weakening the consumer purchasing power.
Sales today
The entrance of new competitors, various of new players in the market from freelancers, small business owners to large corporations have created many options to buy and many business models.
Additionally, the rise of the internet, social platforms and search engines have created a much more transparent market.
Lastly, technology has been evolving fast. Hence, prices are dropping. On the other side, the market is being flooded with products and its updated versions.
The consequences are that customers are more confused, they don’t know what information is right and what is false, they don’t know how to get a decision and above all they are more suspicious than ever before!
Now ask yourself what can I do to raise customers’ trust?
Here are some solutions you should implement tomorrow in your business:
Build your name
Start with who you are, what your expertise and why prospects should follow you. Harness marketing to this particular purpose with self introduction, tips and videos.
Ask customers to review your product and recommend their friends. If necessary, use incentives. Word of mouth is still one the most powerful marketing and promotion tools!
Sell yourself before selling your product
Remember that people do business with people.
Whenever you sell, dedicate time and emphasize what you can give that others can’t.
Indicate your product’s benefits
Customers don’t buy the drill but the hole it does in the wall.
Prospects don’t buy the car, they buy the convenience it gives them when driving from one place to another.
Consumers don’t buy the picture but the feeling of homeliness, when they look at that.
As you can figure out, customers would purchase a product only, if they comprehend, what it is for them.
Whenever you sell, speak about what the customers would gain when utilizing your products.
Show numbers
Although prospects are emotionally creatures, they need to justify their purchase. This is when numbers come to the aid.
Use research, infographic, tables and even the number of customers you have. These would push the customers to buy faster.
Give guarantees
Prospects need to feel there was a success before. It is called the “crowded affect”.
When you promote your product, form the outcome customers would gain. Elaborate on how long it would take to succeed and what would be the main result your customers have experienced. If you can, give a trial or the option to receive the money back within a trial period.
Build a community
Prospects like to decide together. This is the reason why you should engage as much as possible.
You can open-up your own group on LinkedIn, Facebook, Quora, etc.
Also, it is highly recommended that you would be writing to potential customers and answer their questions.
Furthermore, join groups on social groups. Be aware of their restrictions.
Follow-up
As I’ve said before, customers tend to be suspicious. In many cases, you have to interact with a customer more than 8 times, just to close the deal.
Read this article to learn more about customers decision-making.
You should maintain your own follow-up system. Hence, you would have a building up a relationship process with your customers.
When, you do that, customers would lower their barriers and you could close more deals.
Conclusion
Customers are more suspicious due to information explosion and high volume competition.
This is the reason you should concentrate on customers’ needs and wants. They should apprehend who are you, why can you give them the best solution, how should you do it, what would be the main results and how long can it takes.
Whenever you answer these questions, customers would rely more on you. They are more easily ongoing with your product features and benefits. You would close more deals!
