If you’d like to become a great salesperson in a way that feels both natural and effortless, look no further and keep on reading!
I encourage you to first read Part 1.
In this blog post, you will learn what I believe to be the 7 Key Principles of Great Selling. You will also receive helpful resources, and learn the do’s and don’ts of selling.
The 7 Key Principles of Great Selling are universal and can be applied by anyone regardless of their business. While the principles of selling are not a technique, they can easily be applied in a way that feels genuine.
Let’s get started!
WARNING: This is an active blog post! Grab a pen and paper and set aside 20 minutes.
7 Key Principles of Great Selling
1. Get Over Yourself!
Love is not self-seeking.
If you are focused on yourself, you will not be an excellent salesperson. I talked a lot about this in Part 1.
We have to choose love instead of fear and focus on serving those we come in contact with.
When you shift your mindset from a taking mindset to a giving mindset, you will realize that you are giving your customers something of value through the products you share.
Focus on what your product or service can do for them, and how it can help them. Self-centred thoughts like “Am I awkward? Do I sound salesy?” are not going to cut it! Hint: salesy isn’t even a word.
2. Know Thyself
Know what you’re good at and what you’re not good at. Know what your strengths are! You can find this out by taking an online strengths-finder test.
I personally love Gallup’s Strengthsfinder ($24.99 USD for a basic test) which takes about 20 minutes to complete.
I found it so enlightening to see my strengths and the strengths of my leaders. When some of my leaders were struggling, I knew I needed something else to help them so I had to get training outside of my network marketing business.
I was giving my leaders tons of strategies thinking that was all they would need (my #1 strength is strategy), but what they really needed was someone to listen to them.
My 24th strength was empathy because I don’t enjoy listening to people talk about their troubles. However, my leaders just need someone to listen to them – that’s all.
I would really recommend you do a strengths test. It will help you understand what strengths you should lead with and which ones you need to develop.
Get your piece of paper. I want you to write down answers to the following prompters:
I’m really good at…
My friends say I’m good at…
Everyone always asks me to…
I’m really happy when I…
Someone I admire as a salesperson is…
I think what makes them a great salesperson is…
The first time I did this in person, I had a woman sitting beside me who was determined to believe that she wasn’t a good salesperson. She identified that she was really good at helping people, was a good listener, and that everyone always asks her to help them.
I asked her “Aren’t listening and identifying the needs of the customer the qualities of a good salesperson?”. Indeed they are!
She was identifying that she wasn’t a good salesperson yet what sales really is about listening to someone and meeting their needs.
When we look at people we admire as salespeople, they are usually good at talking and good at overcoming people’s concerns.
We often disqualify ourselves because we imagine our skills don’t match the awesome salespeople we know.
Remember that everyone’s version of a great salesperson is going to look different but it doesn’t mean they are not equally good!
3. Know Your Product
You don’t have to know everything about your product before you start selling, but you do need to become an expert.
In my business, cleansing is a foundation of people’s health so cleanse kits are quite popular.
Without knowing the products in a cleanse kit or how they worked, I wouldn’t be able to serve my customers adequately.
Where is your product sourced? Where is it made? What is the benefit of your product/service? Have a clear idea of what it is you are selling and how best to describe that to someone.
I want you to take your piece of paper out. Please write down answers to the following prompters:
A product I want to sell more of is…
The key features of this product are..
The needs that this product helps meet are..
People will be better off with this product because…
I’m excited to sell this product because…
4. Know Their Problem
What is the problem that you are seeking to meet? Maybe you need to do a bit of digging in this case.
Understand and know your customer’s problems better than they do. Sometimes I know how to help people with their problem and they don’t even know they have a problem!
5. Describe Their Problem (Better Than They Can)
Describe the problem to your customers better and clearer than they can.
Sometimes you’ll have to tell them what their problem is because they don’t even know they have one!
I had made a friend selling Pampered Chef and she presented to some women about her product and was unsure of what to do.
I am familiar with the product line and one of the products was a salad dressing mixer that was easy to use and would make dressing quickly.
I suggested that she showcase the dressing mixer and show them how to use this product. In order to sell it, she would need to explain why commercial salad dressing is bad (describing the problem).
Commercial dressings are full of toxic chemicals such as antifreeze, GMO oils, etc.
By revealing this fact, the ladies would know what the problem is and how the dressing mixer could help solve the problem.
Look at a sale as a revealing of the solution. That’s really what the sale is – a solution to the problem you’ve helped them identify.
6. Reveal The Solution
Revealing the solution to their problem is when you state your options for purchase. It’s unhelpful to show them a problem without telling them a solution.
Look at a sale as a request to purchase – as a revealing of the solution.
You’re really putting before them the solution to the problem that you helped them identify which leads us to our next step.
7. Decision Time
Ask them to make a decision!
Out of all the options you’ve shown them, which one would best meet their needs?
Ask them to make a decision about purchasing a product.
Otherwise, they’re never going to get into their home what they need to solve their problem.
This last step is crucial and is done by being direct and straightforward.
What Not To Do
1. Manipulate
Avoid manipulation.
Once you are manipulating, you are not operating from a place of love.
Someone called me from a charity to ask for donations. After I said no the first two times, the third time they tried to say something about my kids and that they would only be safe if I donated money.
Cringe-worthy, right? Never do that!
You don’t need to manipulate. Show up to serve and leave the decision in their hands.
2. Desperation
You need to have an abundance mindset. You are not desperate. You don’t need to give the world to get someone to buy your product/service.
“Buy this and I’ll give you X”, may sometimes be helpful. But if it is your default way of selling, that indicates a lack of belief in your product and it will never lead to good results.
True selling is service. You do not need to beg someone to help them. And you do not need to beg for a sale!
3. Apply The Right Pressure
Imagine that, in my bag, I had a remedy for somebody who was sitting next to me and having trouble breathing.
I knew if they applied this remedy they would be better.
They don’t know me and they don’t know what I’ve got, so I may need to apply some pressure to get them to use my remedy. And I will do that, because I care and I want them to be well.
However, I won’t apply unnecessary pressure for them to make a decision. That goes back to manipulation.
If someone is hesitating to make a purchase, I would say something like “It would be better to make a decision tonight because life gets busy”. I may offer them a bonus if they purchase right away because it will help remove the friction points and hesitation and immediately make them feel good about their purchase.
I don’t become overly pushy: “You really should buy this tonight? Why are you waiting? You don’t need to wait. Get it now!” Those statements are entirely unhelpful.
4. Avoid Too Much Or Too Little Information
You want to say just enough about your product so they can make a decision but not so much that they are weighed down by decision fatigue.
If you give them just the right amount of information so that they feel like your solution is a good one, they are more than likely to make a decision right away.
4 Key Takeaways
1. Listen
Take time to hear what your customers have to say and ask them questions. Understand and acknowledge their concerns: don’t just brush them away. Work together with them to help them address their concerns.
Not only will this process ensure you engage with them more, but you will learn about their needs and about how to serve them best.
2. Use Resources
Here are two resources that have greatly helped me and my team:
- The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino
- doTERRA’s Sales Course
3. Provide Solutions
You’re connecting people with what they need as a salesperson. If their concern is about not having enough money, you can put together a package that will meet their needs and stay within their budget.
Find out what their hesitation is so you can address misunderstandings. For example, perhaps they. think that they have to order monthly.
I had a person who really wanted to purchase a kit but couldn’t afford it, so I recommended she host a workshop. If she enrolled X amount of people at her workshop, she’d have the money to buy a kit.
Find a solution that will help them!
4. Relax
People can sense fear, so get the focus off of yourself entirely.
Focus on loving and serving them. The book I recommended, The Greatest Salesman in the World, has a series of scrolls (love-affirming affirmations) that can help guide you in this process.
And remember: “There is no fear in love but perfect love drives out fear.”
Conclusion
All of the information in both Parts 1 & 2 are from my personal journey and experience. The 7 Key Principles and the resources can absolutely change your life if you apply them correctly.
Remember that change takes time, so focus on making small changes continually.
May your journey lead to ever-increasing sales, happiness, and most of all – love!
Want to learn more?
As great as learning about abundance is, it only works if you apply it – and that can be hard! If you’d like support and structure as you cultivate abundance in your life, check out my abundance resources.
Abundance can start with small, simple habits. All you have to do is learn and apply them!
If you’re serious about cultivating a life of abundance, work through this course.
If you’ve got an abundance goal you’d like some advice on, let me share my experience!
Responses