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ESCAENPA

What selling really is

Many people think selling is convincing someone of something they don’t want. That’s what bad salespeople do. Selling well is helping someone make a good decision, and that decision being to buy from you.

1ListenUnderstand what they need and what worries them.
2UnderstandKnow whether what you offer really helps.
3ProposeExplain how it helps, with proof.
4CloseAsk for the decision clearly.
5DeliverDo what you promised.

The 70/30 rule

In a good sales conversation, the other person talks more than you. If you talk the whole time, you don’t know what they need, and you sell them things they don’t care about.

What a good salesperson does

  • Asks before offering.
  • Tells the truth, faults included. Trust is worth more than one sale.
  • Can say “this isn’t for you” when it isn’t. That customer will come back or recommend you.
  • Asks for the sale. Many people do everything right and then don’t dare ask “shall we go ahead?”.
Selling isn’t a gift. It’s a skill you practise, like driving. The first times are embarrassing; by the twentieth they’re not.