If someone asks you to sell you a pen they are holding, what do you do? This was an in-class exercise we were presented with last week by Coach DiDonato. What followed was a lesson on how to be a good salesperson. While the entire lesson was very insightful, there were a few points that really stuck out to me.
The first point was the number of factors in every sales encounter. A sales breakdown in its simplest form has three factors: the salesperson, the person they are selling to, and the product they are selling. Coach DiDonato then asked us, “Where should the salesperson’s focus be?” This is a vital question to ask in every sales situation because more often than not, the salesperson will have the wrong answer. Too many salespeople put their focus on the product, but Coach adamantly stated that a salesperson’s “undivided attention should be on the person you are selling to.” To put this into action, start the conversation by learning about your customer. Ask questions and gain as much knowledge about them as possible. You should never start with listing off all that you know about the product. Talking just about the product makes you a pushy salesperson.
The second point that Coach Didonato emphasized was that “features tell, benefits sell.” You can have the best product in the world and still struggle to sell it if you only ever talk about its features. Make sure you analyze whether the customer would benefit from the product or not. If you conclude that they will, tell them specifically why the product would be helpful to them. This tactic builds trust and shows the customer that you are not trying to push your product on them just to make a profit.
So if anyone ever asks you to “sell me this pen,” take this points to mind and you may find yourself closing the sale.
BoweryJE22