Sales Workshop: Part 2

The first workshop we had on sales discussed the initial sales process, and this was continued in the workshop earlier this week. Steve Baker took us through potential objections, assessing features and benefits of a business and the importance of confidence when selling. Confidence is key!

www.marvo.gr/sales.html

Analysis and Qualification
One of the things I needed to know more about was ‘qualification.’ Assessing what my business can offer the client and how I will make a difference to them is something I wanted to develop. Targeting the right people and not wasting time selling to people who are not in the target market is pointless. So collecting as much information as possible is essential in order to, as harsh as it sounds, filter out ‘potentials’ from ‘time wasters.’

If I ask myself what questions I need to know about my customers I will work out how to engage with them better and what selling techniques will work the best for them e.g. finding out my customers buying habits, how internet friendly they are and how often they would go online.

Steve also suggested comparing 20 e-commerce sites and assess what works and what doesn’t so I can invest this in my website, e.g. when clothes shopping online I can guarantee that the store has tried to sell you something to complement what you were buying. This is something I could do on my site e.g. suggest a bag or shoes to go with what the customer has chosen, or suggest a whole outfit, styling tips etc. This has proven to lead to more sales.

Features and Benefits
Steve was really challenging when explaining that when selling my product I have to keep asking myself “so what?” until I highlight the benefits for the customer, not just the features of the clothes and business. Before this I just wasn’t looking at sales from the consumer’s side, but from the retailer's view. For example if the feature is extra sizing for curves what does that actually mean to the customer? The benefit to the customer is that it fits them better and flatters their figure. Another example is that I could advertise the quality of the clothing, but the reason the customer will buy it is because it will last and wash well etc. That’s why they want to buy it, so I have to push myself to keep asking “so what?” until I have the message the customer wants to hear.

Overcoming Objections
Every business is faced with objections and learning how to handle these is key to developing and maintaining a good reputation. As I will be an e-commerce retailer, some questions I think I will be asked regard the fit, colour and condition of the clothing when it reaches the customer. Steve got us to do an exercise to see how we would handle objections. An example for my business may be that the colour doesn’t look the same as online but I could overcome the objection by highlighting the free returns policy.

Conclusion
From the sales workshops I’ve seen the need for me to improve my confidence when selling my business idea and improve my ability to explain my different USP’s. Steve highlighted again and again that “confidence is key” to successful selling and being prepared to answer objections and questions will increase this confidence. If you don’t sell yourself then who will?

Thanks for reading and feel free to leave feedback,

Faith