I am sure there are some of you home business owners out there who are fabulous sales people and who could teach me a thing or two (or twenty) about “making the sale.” Recently, I was chatting with a friend who IS a salesperson and she said that making a sale is really more about overcoming obstacles than anything else. Some of these obstacles, she explained, come from the prospective customer—but some are either circumstantial (time of year, time of month, etc.) and some actually come from the salesperson herself!
So, what are the typical obstacles when it comes to making a “sale”? Well, money and finances is usually the first one that pops up. The price is too high or it is the wrong time of month. Additionally, customers will evaluate whether they actually need something and how it will affect their daily lives. This is why sales pitches that get right down to “how this product will change your life” work so well.
You might be surprised to learn how much timing can affect a sale. The time of day, time of year, whether people are hungry or exhausted or just waking up—all of these seemingly mundane details can be a factor when it comes to purchases and sales.
Some of the most successful salespeople are those who can anticipate the obstacles and clear the path before they even come up. Addressing things like price, how to pay, the value of the item or service, etc. all in your initial pitch can toss out some of those obstacles before a prospect ever gets the chance to bring them up. Keep in mind that often the larger and/or longer the purchase or contract, the longer the sale can take. For large ticket items or long-term contracts, there can be a lot of negotiating and a lot of obstacles to overcome. The successful salesperson is often the one who stays in there the longest to face all those inevitable obstacles.
See Also: Overcoming obstacles and Removing Barriers
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