How to Sell Anything - To Anyone, Anytime, and Anywhere!

Ill Take It: How to Sell Anything – Anytime, Anywhere, and to Anyone

 

 

After performing and teaching in sales at a top level for years, I realized that to get great sales results, you only need to know how to do 4 things really well:

 

 

1 – How to ask questions

2 – How to describe something in terms of expressed needs

3 – How to ask closing questions

4 – How to handle objections

 

 

How to Sell Anything, to Anyone, at Anytime, will give you the basics of how to do each of the four core sales activities.  You’ll also get a couple of golden nuggets you haven’t heard of before.  After reading and applying the knowledge in this article, you will have the power to sell anything to anyone, at anytime and anywhere!

 

 

Ask Great Questions

 

At its essence, sales is about communication.  What puts food on the table, is the give and take of listening and expressing focused ideas.

 

To find out what your clients needs are, use open ended questions starting with what, when, where, who, and how?  Phrasing your questions this way helps people respond to you in a positive and comfortable manner.  You can also hear EXACTLY what their needs are, and then tailor your product presentation according to those needs.

 

I tend to avoid starting a question with the word ‘why’, because it can seemingly attack a persons decision making process or abilities, instead of helping them engage in warm conversation.

 

 

Key:  Start a conversation with your client

 

 

As your client opens up to you, keep digging with open-ended questions until you either get the answer that you want, or they have exhausted the topic. 

 

 

 

Clarify any words that are ambiguous.  One of my old piano teachers always used to tell me that he wanted me to make a “fatter” sound with the piano.  I would try and try to do what he

wanted, but never got it!  I finally asked him what he meant when he said ‘fat’.  Once he clarified what he meant, I was able to do what he asked, and both parties were happy!

 

Clarify your client’s answers by asking the question:

 

What do you mean when you say _________________?

 

Your end goal in asking good open ended questions is to eventually find their pain.  What problem is the client really trying to solve by using your product?

 

 

 

 

Show Them What They Want

 

If you know what your clients needs are, presenting a product is simple.  Find out what they want, and then show them the solution for their wants.

 

Keep your presentations as short as possible.  Most people can’t pay attention to anything for more than two minutes, so don’t be afraid to get to the point!  Tell them only about the features and benefits that correlate to their needs, do a quick demonstration, and then allow them to make a decision.

 

 

Product presentations should always include:

o        what the product is,

o        the products main points or features,

o        And a benefit “tie back” to the needs they expressed when you were asking them questions.

 

 

Some sales people are okay at asking questions.  Every salesperson feels like they are a master at presenting their product.  A few of the good ones will tell a client about product benefits.  Only the BEST salespeople tie their products benefits to the needs that the client expressed at the beginning of the presentation.  Do this well, and your sales results will immediately improve.

 

 

 

Key:  Tie your products benefits to what the client said they need

 

 

 

 

Ask for the Order

After you finish tying the product’s benefits back to the clients needs, ask them a closing question.  Any question will do, as long as it requires a yes or no to answer.

 

 

Some examples include:

o        Would you like for me to send you an agreement to book Jamar? 

o        Would you like this program for your next event? 

o        Are you ready to move forward with booking?  Etc.

 

 

This sounds pretty simple, but I have done field visits with hundreds of sales people, and have noticed that part of the reason they are not closing sales, is because they aren’t asking the client to make an investment decision!

 

Golden Nugget:  After you ask the closing question, lean back and DON’T SPEAK until they say something.  

 

Our natural desire is to start talking or try to continue “selling”, but the first person to speak in a negotiation always loses.  The silence will be uncomfortable, and your brain will be riddled with anxiety, but you should give your client time to make a decision about the information you just presented them. 

 

After you get your answer, you will either write up the order, or go to the next step.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Secret to Turning a ‘No’ into a ‘Yes’

 

If the client has concerns, use the following communication process to answer all of their questions.

 

1. Listen.  When I say listen, I mean REALLY listen.  Sit there with your mouth closed, not saying a word, and have nothing going on in your head except for what the client is saying.  Don’t even think about what your response is.  You’ll have plenty of time for that later.  If you need to jot down a couple of notes to remember everything the client said, do so.

 

2. Empathize.  Your client wants to feel like you’re on the same side with them, listening, and aren’t just another salesperson trying to jam a square peg into a round hole.  After listening to my client’s response, I usually say something very simple to let them know that I am genuinely concerned about the question that they have expressed.  Some of those statements include
3. 1. “I totally understand…”
   2. “I see where you’re coming from…”
   3. “I know how you feel, and many of my other clients have felt the same way…”

 

3. Restate.  If you want your client to really trust you and appreciate the fact that you are actively listening to them, restate their concern in “other words”
4. 1. “So in other words, what you’re saying is…”
   2. “Just to be sure I have this right, what’s keeping you from moving forward is…”

 

4. Reverse Tie Down.  Whose ideas do people think are the best?  Their own, and the reverse tie down is a jewel of a communication tool.  It helps you move your clients toward making a purchasing decision that they have created themselves.  In a reverse tie down, you state what their concern is, and then ask them if they would make a purchase if the concern was removed.
5. 1. “If I were able to find a way to help you budget for a new kitchen floor, would you move forward today?”

 

5. Present the New Solution.  I always present the start of my new solution with a bandwagon statement – a short sentence that let’s the client know that they’re not alone in their concern, and that others have overcome the same problem and made a purchase.  This gives the customer confidence to move forward.
6. 1. “Many of my clients that have been in the same situation have found that (insert solution here)…”

 

6. Ask For The Order.  Don’t forget to ask for the order again, just like you did last time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

By asking great questions, showing your clients what they want, asking for the order, and then handling their concerns, you can sell anything, anytime, and anywhere, to anyone.

 

The best part of this process is that you can use it when negotiating a better price on a car, with your wife for a weekend out with the “boys”, or talking with your husband about a new set of decorations for your home.  Follow the above steps, and you are guaranteed better results!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jamar Cobb-Dennard is a motivational speaker that challenges audiences to Live Life, On Purpose™, and improve their results by using their life’s passions.  Looking for a speaker to make your next event sizzle?  Contact Jamar at info@jamarspeaks.com or 317-946-5984.