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The Art Of Sales Prospecting: How To Effectively Connect With Your Customers

 

Everyone should be involved in the sales process when it comes to a startup or a small business, and it can be very easy to rely on one or two tried-and-true sales techniques. However, that isn't always effective. If you take the time to learn about your prospects, prospect types and the different ways to close a sale, you'll find much more success. Sure, it's going to take more time, but that time you have invested in each of your prospective clients or customers will pay off big time. Not only will you close the sale, but the chances of a referral are much higher since your client trusts you, and what you've got to share. If you're looking to learn a little more about sales and the different ways to work with prospects, here are a few things to keep in mind.

 

 

Everyone is different

Many sales trainers will tell you that one or two sales techniques will work for everyone. This couldn't be further from the truth, as everyone is different and no two sales techniques will work the same way on each person. If you sell something, anything, then you'll find a much higher close-rate if you take the time to get to know the person you're selling to. There's an old quote often attributed to Theodore Roosevelt which states, "Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care." Prospecting is the way to show them you care before you close the sale.

 

Quick closes

Though not everyone falls into one of these two categories, you'll find a lot of people are either more suspicious or more decisive when it comes to sales calls. A suspicious person won't trust what you say and the more enthusiastic you get, the more he or she distrusts you. This person will need a lot of details and proof, and you'll find the best tactic here is to try for a quick close, thereby limiting the time he or she has to think it over. The decisive person however, is usually more pushy, but a quick close works well here. The quicker and more specific you are, the more likely you are to have success with a more decisive person.

 

Slower closes

Alternatively, some people will respond better to a slower, more deliberate close. These are the more rational or friendly people. People that are interested in collecting a lot of data before making a decision, or someone who is engaged and wants to discuss all aspects of the sale before signing on the dotted line are two examples of this. When you encounter someone who wants to talk and learn more about your product with enthusiasm, then this is the time to use a slower, more deliberate close. Make graphs, present all the numbers, get out calculators and do everything it takes to show why your product or service is the best.

 

 

This article was written by Deborah Flomberg of Examiner.com for CBS Small Business Pulse.
 

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