Top 3 Strategies to Sell Without 'Selling' Learn how to convert sales without being pushy.
By Kelly Fidel Edited by Matt Schneiderman
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
We are entering into one of the most significant hyper-growth times for entrepreneurs today. And it's about to be disrupted. You must know how to sell to stay profitable.
Selling is critical to any business. Sell, or your business won't thrive and you'll go broke. We all know sales and deal-making are the lifeblood of any business. Without them, there's no exchange of money and without money, you're not going to survive very long.
Master your selling strategies and you will build a successful and profitable business that creates total freedom for you and gets impressive results for your clients.
What does it take to build a sales system that you can feel terrific about and absolutely love? The bottom line is there's no magic bullet. But, there are strategies and insights that you can install into your business. Some strategies may be little-known secrets, while others may be more common. For you, it could be taking another look at how a sale is approached and making some slight tweaks to dial up your conversions and profitability.
While there's no secret to selling, here are some insights that should result in more money and allow you to sell with elegance and integrity and enjoy the process.
Strategy 1: Sell with integrity
Selling in integrity starts with the truth. That means doing the right thing the first time, even when no one is looking. When you are authentic and real, others will appreciate it. There's no perfection needed. Understand the law of reciprocity. It's essential to give and not give to take. It's powerful when you serve people at the highest level. They've invested time or money and want to have a conversation with you.
Related: 4 Mistakes You're Probably Making If You're Struggling to Close a Sale
Don't be stingy with your information. There is so much that happens each day in business. You have deep expertise, and it would take a lot for anybody to go out and know everything about sales and selling. Give to give, not to get.
Strategy 2: Employ the art and science of selling
Keep in mind that sales are an art and a science. Sometimes people use other words besides sales or selling. When selling in integrity, there is no longer a need to use words like "enroll" or feel sales-y. Remove these phrases from your vocabulary because that language subconsciously feeds the brain that sales are wrong, creating an unnecessary internal battle. There's no need to instill other doubts for absolutely no reason. Again, sell in integrity, and you won't have to worry about attaching a negative or fake name to it.
Selling with ease is all about timing and listening. It's like being a great comedian from a timing perspective. Closing business is about timing, listening and asking the right questions.
When you have human nature involved, there's always a two-way conversation — like an interview. It's a lot of fun and there are some psychological components to help get inside the mind of the decision-maker. High-paying clients are busy, and their time is money, but they still have the money when they want to see the value.
Strategy 3: Demonstrate value
There is a value in conversation, so be sure to add incredible value. Don't mistake value for training when in a conversation with someone. It is not about coaching, teaching, mentoring or training them to demonstrate how awesome you are. That's not the value being referenced here.
Related: Selling Through Service
There is value in asking thought-provoking questions and adding something to their world, causing them to think. That causes them to want to reanalyze their position and think about where they want to go. They see you can help them by really helping them, making you the logical choice to do business with.
Always understand your power and the expertise that you bring to the table when someone wants to talk with you. Prospects know that you have value and can help them flatten the learning curve to move faster.
You want to put the client in an excellent position to choose which way to move forward. Remember, this is a decision point for them. You also want to come from a place of power because what you bring to the table is extraordinary.
Just acknowledge and know that there is skepticism out there. People will be wondering if what you're offering works. They'll ask you questions for clarification and reassurance like these:
- Will this work for me?
- How does it work for me?
- Will I be able to achieve the same results that someone else has obtained?
It's noisy out there, with too much information. Some of this chatter is not particularly valuable to you or anyone else, so you have to be super-concise and able to cut through the noise to be known for the influential person with a solution that you are.
Just remember that this is a natural process where people are going to ask questions. They want more information, but they're starting to think about all the great stuff that can happen in their business.
The more simple the decision that they can make, the faster the sale. You want one core program. You have one leading signature system, one signature talk, one signature product.
Help your prospect by creating a simple decision for them that allows them to proceed or pivot. Being able to uncover the pain points and problems so they can see your solution is the best part of selling with trust and value.
When people trust you and see the value you bring, they are more than happy to invest in getting the product, programs or service you have. It's time to close the sale and serve the client in a clean, clear and powerhouse way.
Related: How the Sales Process Has Drastically Evolved to Fit the Future
