For CEOs, Sales Managers, Sales Agents, Sales Reps who want to sell better.

WHAT IS SALES?

Sales is Problem-Focused, Not Solution Focused

Sales is about demonstrating to the customer through words and deeds that you understand their problems, and your solution is the best match.

Sales is not solution-focused, it is problem-focused. Don’t be obsessed with your solution, be obsessed with the customer’s needs.

TAKEAWAY: Research the needs of your customers, identify and articulate them more than anyone else.

Sales is Communicating with emotions 

Sales is about telling a story with words, sounds, images that inspire your customers into action. Powerful stories put your customers in a state of emotional coma, making it almost impossible for them to think rationally.

Open your message with a hook: You could hook them by identifying their greatest frustrations or evoking their fantasies.

Examples Of Questions You Can Ask Customers.

 

“Have you ever wondered….?”

“Do you ever wish …?”

“Do you remember the last time you …?”

Or activate their imaginations with a phrase like, “Picture this…”,

“Imagine this day with me…”

Such questions and phrases are called story activators, and they immediately put your audience in a trance, making it impossible for them to ignore your message.

TAKEAWAY: Tell inspiring stories of yourself, or your past customers.

Sales is demonstrating that you care

Sales is about showing the customer that you are there for them. You are there to support them and elevate them to the next level. You are not there for the money. Money will be the outcome of a sale done well.

TAKEAWAY: Educate the customer and assist them to achieve their goals.

Sales is using a mix of both, facts and stories to persuade.

Use concrete facts and figures to justify your story and make your offer even more compelling.

 

Sales is speaking the pain of the customer using their own language. 

Dig deeper on social media accounts, reviews, and comments sections of websites to see the words they use to express their frustrations and pains.

Sales is about building relationships and trust with customers. 

Interact with the customer before you transact. Ask yourself, what can I give this person to earn their trust? And that may be giving your time, your words, useful information etc.

Takeaway 

Marketing and sales must be aligned. Marketing makes sales easier. If Sales is the storyteller of your organization, then Marketing is the story builder.

By Francis Waithaka. – CEO and Lead Trainer, Digital 4 Africa. Has 21 years of experience in IT and Digital Marketing.