How to sell your product. How to learn to sell any product or service expensive! Sales basics

Question from Zhukov Maxim:

Hello, Nikolay and other readers of this cool site. I have such a business in which direct sales play a very important role and you need to be able to close a deal while communicating with a client. Could someone tell me some techniques or techniques for effective direct sales. Or give advice on how to sell something that is not for sale?) Thank you in advance!

The answer to the question of Maxim:

Hello, Maxim. My name is Nikolai (author of this blog). The fact is that I am not particularly strong in direct sales, so I turned to one of the specialists. Therefore, Stepasyuk Mikola - a sales manager with experience;) will answer your question. So the answer!

Everyone who falls into the sales industry must work hard and sharpen their skills - I understood this already on the first day of my internship as a seller of non-food products. The problem is that none of my newly made colleagues were burning with a special desire to teach me something. Ask why? The answer is very simple and requires no special explanation - competition. Competition is a kind of confrontation between people, designed to reveal the strongest and best person. There is no doubt that a person with a large amount of knowledge and skills in a certain field has a better chance of winning a competitive confrontation. And what does it mean to be a winner, that is, a better seller than your colleagues, what do you think? Respect, authority, a sense of dominance and, most importantly, a large salary are what distinguishes a good seller from a super-seller.

Realizing this in the early days, I gave up hope that someone would teach me something really worthwhile and effective and began to take steps towards my goal without outside help. The main learning tool for me was observation. I constantly followed the advice of my colleagues and listened to every word, selecting bit by bit the most successful and convincing sales techniques. Thus, after just two months, I began to excel all my colleagues in the art of selling all kinds of goods. Personally, I worked as a consultant in the IT department, but it doesn’t matter, because the sales scheme for any product is the same.

In the three electronics stores in which I managed to work, I had the opportunity to get acquainted with the so-called "customer service standards." I must note that the time spent reading these rules was not wasted. Such documents are compiled on the basis of extensive research involving various categories of buyers. Further information is processed by psychologists and financiers, who, based on the data collected, make up service standards. Not all retail chains are the same. This is due to the fact that such rules of conduct for sellers are prescribed for certain categories of customers and products that are distributed by the outlet.

In order for you to have a general impression, I will give an example of the basic standard scheme according to which customers are served in any stores where consultations are provided. So:

1. Greeting (eye contact, smile, greeting itself);
2. Expression-affiliation (the seller-consultant must ask the client a question that he cannot answer “No”);
3. Clarification of needs (posing various types of questions, the consultant should understand the client's need as clearly as possible);
4. Presentation (for the presentation you need to choose two, maximum three products. When a person shows interest in one of them, you need to talk about it in detail. When naming a function, the seller must immediately indicate how it is useful and what advantages it gives the client);
5. Encouraging to buy (you need to “force” the buyer to decide to buy the product. There are many methods for this, among which there is a very effective method of three “Yes”, more on that below);
6. Completion of the purchase (fill out all the documents and give the goods to the buyer).

Method Three “Yes”

Human psychology is designed in such a way that after several affirmative answers, he will not be able to immediately answer “no” to any other question, but will automatically say “yes”. Based on this human feature, this technique was developed. In practice, it is still simpler than in words. For example, the seller asks the question: “Do you like this phone model?”, “Are you satisfied with the camera?”, “Do you buy?”. 90% of people will give an affirmative answer to the last question, that is, they will say yes. Of course, this does not guarantee that the buyer will definitely buy the goods, but significantly increases the chances of this. The main thing in this technique is to choose the first two questions correctly, to which a person will surely say “yes” without hesitation.

From start to finish, talking with the buyer is a battle for trust and respect for yourself, that is, the seller. When communicating with people, you should not blindly follow pre-learned phrases, but adapt yourself to each individual who has visited your distribution network. It was this principle that inspired me to develop my own individual methods of talking with clients. And, the essence of these techniques is as follows:

• Start correctly.  I am sure that few of you understood what I mean. The bottom line is that the standard scheme requires you to start the conversation with the phrase-attachment, but does not oblige the sales assistant first to give your name before moving on to business. And this, I note from my own experience, is a very important thing. If you introduce yourself, then the person feels a strong connection with you, because you have shown that you are ready to communicate not only as an employee, but also as a person. Humanity is what everyone wants in relation to himself. Smart and experienced salespeople are always called first and only then begin to speak in essence;
• Give a compliment.  Carefully look at the person even at that moment when he just entered. Find something in him for which you can compliment him, but be delicate. A compliment can be made not only for appearance. For example, during the consultation, you saw that a person is well versed in the product that you sell him - praise him for it. Thus, you can cause a feeling of gratitude to you, which will positively affect the further course of the conversation;
• Lead the conversation skillfully.  Do not look your client in the eye constantly, as well as on your hands, on the wall, or somewhere else - you do not need to. Best of all, when the seller glances at the product, says one or two of its features and then returns to the eyes of the interlocutor again, where it stops for 5-8 seconds. And as for the volume of the conversation, what do you think? Keep the volume of your voice just below the middle mark. It is scientifically proven that at this point the voice of any person is the most pleasant, and therefore the information is perceived best under these circumstances;
• Control the attention of the interlocutor. This item should be given special attention to employees of large retail outlets with powerful traffic from customers who walk, make noise and distract both the seller and the buyer. In order for the client not to be distracted, grab any object (a pen will become the best option) in bright color and from time to time focus the interlocutor's attention on him. To do this, you can point this product at the item or raise it to the level of your eyes, make two three circular movements, during the justification or description of the product functions;
• Work with objections.  Personally, I believe that the way to work with the client’s objections offered by the company is fundamentally wrong and you will now understand why. If the buyer makes a complaint about the product, then according to the generally accepted scheme, the seller should say the following: “You are partly right, but ...”, “You can agree with you, but ...” and so on. I am convinced that if you say so, then the person will not be completely sure of the truthfulness of what you say next, that is, the seller. Thus, he subconsciously understands that he can be deceived. That is why, I recommend that you clearly say the following: "No, this is not so" or "Sorry, but I can’t agree with you." With these words, you will not call into question your authority and do not offend the buyer, because you did not directly say that he is wrong;
• Lose with dignity.  By the word "loss" I mean failure, that is, when the client does not "mature" in order to make a purchase. In this case, many sellers cannot even say “goodbye” normally, let alone another. In the case when a person leaves without making a purchase, you need to sincerely smile and agree with his decision. It will be very pleasant for the client if you lead him to the exit and there you wish all the best and ask him to come to you again. But this moment is important. It is generally believed that a person should be invited to the store, but, personally, I think that the buyer should be invited to my place, for example: “I will be very happy if you come again and we will have the opportunity to chat again.”

I wrote this article to answer Mksim’s question and so that young people who have just begun their journey can learn and improve their skills. Through competition and greed, I had to learn everything myself and spend precious time on it. I don’t want to keep anything secret, I’m ready to share my knowledge, because I believe that in this way I can contribute to the formation of young specialists. I have never understood people who hide knowledge, because they should not belong to someone alone - this is the property of many people.

Why are you interested in the psychology of sales? Do you want to learn how to sell? Do more sales? Is your earnings directly dependent on this skill?

When I asked this question, I shoveled a “ton” of information.

Among the many resources offering information on this topic and paid trainings, I learned for myself, in my opinion, the most practical scheme of sales psychology.  Every time I and my managers stick to it, selling is easy. We do not leave the buyer a choice, he is ours. It will be about the selling structure of PSODA.

The first rule of sales psychology:Who knows the motivation of the buyer and focuses on it, he sells.

Motivation of the buyer (client) is the main component of the sale. The buyer does not pay for the thing, but for the result! For solving your problem, task.

Something pushes him to buy. In order to sell it, you need to understand what exactly.

There can be two psychological reasons:

1. He wants to avoid discomfort.

2. He wants to get a pleasant feeling.

In psychology, this is called "Motivation for" or "Motivation from." Consider an example.

Motivation “K”:  I want to rest! There I will be sunbathing. Swim in the sea. Meet new people. May I meet my fate.

Motivation “from”:  I want to rest! I got tired of work. I got the house. Relatives. Sick of all.

Remember your last 3 purchases.

Think what motivated you with your last 3 purchases? Was it “motivation from” or “motivation to”? A little later you will understand why this is necessary.

Consider the issue of motivation in the psychology of sales on example of clothes.

Why does a person buy clothes? Of course, we can assume that he needs it only for protection from the sun, rain or snow ... but it was a long time ago. Today there may be many motivations for buying clothes.

There can be hundreds of reasons, if you like. Some of them:

- wants to look attractive

- a festive event

- there is nothing to wear (here, if you ask a person, he does not recognize)

- wants to please the opposite sex

- needed for work

- the wife insisted

- wants to find a thing that will be combined with his new shoes

- update wardrobe

... suggest your options, 3 will be enough.

As you can see, motives may be enough. There may be several reasons for buying, but one will be dominant.

If the seller makes a mistake in the assumption, the likelihood of a purchase will be minimized. A potential client will have to convince himself of the right choice, and the seller will lose credibility.

Why do you need to understand the motive for the purchase?

You can better understand the client. Accordingly, you will enter his position and your proposals will be more relevant for solving his problem.

Next, we will consider a scheme that will put everything on the shelves, help you learn how to sell, increase your sales by 2-5 times. This is a scheme for writing sales texts. The scheme used by the "gurus" of Internet marketing. It is directly related to the psychology of sales. PSODA Scheme.

We will reduce it a little, as it is intended a little for other purposes, but the essence of its strength in sales will remain the same.

Pain + more pain (we adapt - we are of the same blood)

Suppose we found out that the motivation of our customer is the desire to please his boss, who is 35 years old, and he invited her to dinner. The correct words will be as follows:

Do you want him to like it? Do you want him to not be able to look away from you? (Yes, she wants it and for her itpain, here you can tell your story how you won attention, it is important that it be a true story, otherwise you risk losing credibility.)

Now imagine the motivation of your client you know. What questions will hit the target? Which will cling to it for a living problem?

Feel free to ask such questions! You will see the result for 10 seconds on his face. You can repeat these questions at least every 2 minutes. They will be very relevant for him and cause a smile. Because he will feel that they understand him! And is it important.

Solving the problem in general (how do others?)

Back to our customer

We say such words only if the buyer’s choice is really successful, and not because you need money and you want to make a sale:

Many people look, measure this dress, then go to other stores ...

... and then come back and buy. Some, in a few days.

  (Caution! If such a practice is really present.)

Yes, it costs a lot, but many save and as a result buy a thing that falls apart after the second wash.

Here we create the conditions for thoughts: "here are stupid, but I'm not like that."

Our solution (in the form of bullets and benefits)

And you can buy this dress, it will serve you for a long time and wearing such a thing is more pleasant than cheap. (If the price plays an important role for the buyer, this argument will be significant). The men in our store are already looking at you. You will look good in this dress both in shoes and in boots.

It goes well with black, gray and white colors. (It will work if the customer wears things of these colors).

Guarantees

The sales psychology is such that when buying a person always doubts. Having taken care of guarantees, you will increase the number of sales. Be sure to pronounce to the buyer!

You can return the dress within 14 days, provided that you will not wear and will not tear off the labels from it. We will refund the full amount.

% of returns will increase, but it will not increase significantly in relation to sales.

Gifts and freebies

In addition to doubts, the human brain works in such a way that it begins to dissuade its owner, which makes it doubtful. Type: "It’s necessary to go to return, so far ... and this time ..."

The brain urgently needs to give a gift! Thus, we will conclude the benefits, guarantees and leave no chance for this “harmful organ”

Consider how in practice you will apply the above in your field.

“Sell the price” (explain why it is profitable)

Triple head shot! What could be better?

The main benefit for the buyer in this case is to please the boss. We can both catch this moment and miss it. We hook on:

This dress is made of material X, which in itself costs a lot of money and is very high quality, can withstand up to 100 washings. And given the quality of tailoring, you buy this dress for ridiculous money. I am sure that your chosen one will appreciate the way you look in him. (This phrase will fall into the goal itself, since you recognize its motive.)

How to get it (clear instructions)

Psychologically, the client is already 3 times ready for purchase. And here it is important to give him clear instructions on what needs to be done to complete the purchase.

In order to buy this dress, go to the checkout, pay for the purchase and come to me with a check.

Important points:

The sales psychology is such that if you conduct a dialogue insincerely, flatter or something else, not a single sales psychology will help here. First of all, set a goal to help the buyer solve his problem! And if the product does not fit, it’s better not to sell than to "steam".

Books on sales psychology:

I would like to share extremely useful information, but I have not yet found a worthwhile book.

For example, the book "Sales Psychology" by Brian Tracy is more aimed at selling the book itself than at increasing sales of readers. The same can be said about the book “How to introduce a buyer into a trance. New Psychology of Sales and Marketing ”

If you have a book of technology in your arsenal that has helped to increase your sales by 2 times or more, write in the comments.

Entrepreneurs often complain that getting their goods onto the shelves of large retail chains is extremely difficult. It’s actually easy to get on the net, it’s much harder to get into the shopping cart

We need not bribes, but a product

At all negotiations, I immediately say that my company is transparent and works only in accordance with Russian laws. I studied in the USA and am a citizen of this country, so I do not accept any bribes. If during negotiations we are talking about an “entrance ticket”, then I switch to English and pretend that I don’t understand what it is about. This is my principled position, from which I do not intend to depart. Having paid once, I will not be able to refuse such payments to other networks in the future: market rumors spread quickly. In addition, it is possible that unscrupulous managers of the distribution network, which I will pay for entry, will blackmail me in the future with the threat of removing our goods from the shelves.

I went the other way - I created an interesting and attractive product. At my first meeting with managers in the Tsvetnoy shopping center, I just brought cookies in a bag and explained what was special about it. Being interested, they invited me to the second meeting, to which I had already brought cookies and a prototype of the package. The interest was confirmed. For the third meeting there was a full-fledged commercial offer with a presentation and a 3D packaging model. As a result, we signed a supply contract.

Get personal meetings

To get on the shelves of the "Alphabet of Taste", I wrote a letter to the profile category manager. On the website "Alphabet of Taste" in the section "For Suppliers" there are contacts of the entire commercial management of the company. I sent a simple and bright presentation on three pages, in which there were more pictures than words. But she conveyed the emotion of my product. The pastry department and the tasting committee became interested in cookies, and the chain gave it a green light in the first 50 stores of the chain. Only after that I began to buy raw materials, rented a room and started the Marc 100% Natural furnace in my own workshop.

Alas, in most retail chains the category managers are very busy, so emails may not be enough. My experience suggests that a few calls to friends - and you will find a way out for the person you need. Seek personal meetings if you are sociable. If not, find someone who can bribe with the charm and ability to listen / hear / sell for a meeting.

Have you been refused? My principle: if you believe in the product, use the “do not open the door - climb through the window” approach. Find mail / phone numbers / names of people one level higher. I usually go directly to the CEO or shareholder. However, before that you always need to have proof that you sought, but you were ignored or refused. Therefore, keep correspondence, chats on social networks, etc.

If you managed to get into the window or a friend opened it for you, decisions will be made much faster. For example, I was introduced to Andrei Gusev [general director of the A5 pharmacy chain] by accident. It turned out that we have a mutual friend who helped me. I sent Andrey a presentation. Within a few days, we met at their office and found synergies, although previously pharmacy chains were not included in our plans at all. A week later there was a cooperation agreement.

Use a distribution company

But personal acquaintances and an interesting product do not always attract category managers and management of retail chains. I tried several times to get on the shelves of Dixie stores, the product went through tastings, but so far without success. But since I don’t accept the answer “no”, then in Dixy and other retail chains that I couldn’t access directly (Lenta, O’Kay), our products will be represented by distribution companies. This is not as profitable as direct trading, since I have to share my margin with distributors, giving them up to 40%, but so far I have no other way to get on the shelves of these stores. We wait, collect statistics on sales in other stores and through the distributor, and return with our product again.

Finally, there is another way to get on the shelf - enter the network for a short period in the in-out system. You can be taken for a three-month period and see how the sales go. I'm not sure that in three months you can reach a high level of sales, so I do not use this method. In addition, the retail chains themselves do not much like to agree to such a format, realizing that suffering will begin at the end of the term: the manufacturer will start to persuade the experiment to be extended, sales are likely to be low at first, and internal administrative efforts for the network are equal to the introduction of a new supplier.

At a reduced cost.

Make your ad as visible as possible. Highlight these products, put them at eye level, in the front rows, at the entrance to. Instruct everyone to recommend exactly those products that are currently on the promotion, motivate them with bonuses and additional bonuses for the sale of a certain amount of goods.

Sources:

• Rituals for the sale of a particular product

The main rule of the seller is to realize why you are offering this or that product. For example, a customer’s nails are flaking, and you sell a product for the care and restoration of the nail plate, thereby you sell him a solution to the problem. A huge number of companies specialize in this type of activity, improving and improving their skills every day.

Instruction manual

Optimists always achieve high interest rates, unlike pessimists. The way you relate to yourself is entirely reflected in how people treat you. If you are dissatisfied with something and you have a bad mood, then the customers who come to you for a solution to the problems also get spoiled, and of course, your sale depends on this.

Consider the features of the horizontal display of goods by brand. Such from one occupy immediately one or even two of the most profitable horizontal shelves. They are located at eye level and over the entire length of the section. Then the goods of other brands have to occupy less popular places on the shelves. Always keep in mind that this type of display does not have significant advantages, especially for distributors of general distribution products.

Consider also the features of the vertical display by type of product. Thinking about how to sell your product more profitably, this strategy will give results. After all, such is extremely dangerous for the undisputed leading supplier. And such a calculation informs the buyer that goodsthat follow the market leader are the real substitutes for the goods.

In the trading sector, the competition is so high that for successful entrepreneurial activity, a businessman needs to develop and correctly implement a sales technique strategy that would be effective in the market for his offer. There are no universal ways to promote goods and services, since they have non-identical characteristics and different target audiences. However, it is possible to identify general patterns and trends that attract buyers of any product.

Correct sales

Effective sales contribute to the orientation of the seller to the needs of the buyer. The main task of any businessman engaged in trade is to resolve the issue of how to learn how to sell any product.

Establishing contact with the buyer

The result of communication with a potential buyer depends on the first impression made by the seller. Lost consumer confidence is almost impossible to restore. Without the contact of both parties, a sale transaction will not work.

When planning activities in the field of sales, one should take into account the psychological aspect, which implies the initial negative attitude of the client to the seller and unwillingness to communicate with him. People do not like when they impose a product on them; they prefer to make independent choices. Active promotion of your proposal can lead to the opposite effect.

Sales organization

To attract the attention of the buyer, you need to initiate a casual conversation. An important factor for ensuring a trusting relationship is maintaining a safe distance between the interlocutors, taking an open position, ensuring eye contact and using distinct facial expressions and gestures. The conversation should consist of two stages, which are characterized by acquaintance and direct conversation, the purpose of which is to attract the interest of the consumer.

Acquaintance

When you meet you must name your name, unobtrusively indicate the scope of activity and inquire about the name of the interlocutor. Acquaintance should transform from a buyer-seller model into a person-to-person model, since trusting a person is easier than a seller. It is worth noting that if the client introduced himself, then you need to contact him by name, since each person is most pleased to hear his name. It should not be transformed into affectionate or overly strict and businesslike variations; it is better to use the variant of the name that was presented by the client when meeting them.

Attraction of interest

Key Points of a Sales Strategy

To interest the buyer, it is necessary to emphasize to him the advantages that he will receive by purchasing the proposed product. To do this, talk about new collections, current trends and current promotions. Before conducting such a conversation, it is necessary to thoroughly understand the subtleties of your field of activity and its nuances from competitors in order to discreetly emphasize their own advantages.

How to identify customer needs

The client's needs are shaped by his needs.  They may be conjugate or non-conjugate. Solving related issues leads to the formation of unrelated problems. The same product can be sold to consumers for various purposes.

For example, the conjugate need to buy shoes can cause the formation of an unrelated need to select a suitable handbag for it. A skirt may involve the purchase of a blouse, a telephone with accessories, and a car with mats and seat covers.

To sell goods on the Internet, you should follow the same pattern as when selling in a real environment. In any case, it is necessary to identify the needs of customers. For this, when they show interest in the proposal, several types of questions should be asked, the answers to which will help bring the seller closer to understanding what the potential buyer needs.

Sales funnel

Closed questions should be asked in a limited amount, because otherwise, the client may close himself from the interlocutor. They must be formed in such a way that they can be answered unambiguously. For example: “Do you prefer products of this particular configuration?”

Read also: Franchise Terms and Conditions Zara

Open-ended questions suggest detailed answers.  At this stage of negotiations, the client can stop the conversation if he does not intend to make a purchase, but is interested in the object of sale only out of curiosity. He can also contact another seller if he has to conduct long conversations, and he is not tuned to this type of conversation. For this reason, before proceeding to the stage of negotiating, formed by open-ended questions, one should assess the mood of the interlocutor, which is impossible without knowledge of the fundamentals of psychology. An example of an open-ended question is the phrase: “What shoes do you prefer to wear?”

Five rules for going through sales stages

Alternative questions allow the buyer to feel the freedom of choice.  For example, the question: “Do you like long coats or short ones?” will allow the client to understand that the interlocutor does not incline him to purchase a specific model, but gives him the right to choose to make a purchase, or turn around and leave.

Guiding questions are necessary in situations where the buyer does not understand what he would like to purchase.  In this aspect of the conversation, the seller penetrates into the personal needs of the client and assists in his choice.

A successful conversation should contain rhetorical notes that create an atmosphere of ease and ease necessary to maintain a conversation. During a conversation with a client, the seller must mentally form a client preference questionnaire, which will help him not only correctly select the right product, but also build his own positive reputation.

Presentation of the proposal

Presentation of the proposal is carried out according to a pre-developed strategy by management and market managers.

Sellers only realize their idea. Their task is to provide proposals in such a way that the potential client understands that this is exactly what he needs. When presenting a product, one should not act clearly according to the pattern. During the event, you should focus on a specific buyer, his needs and psychological attitude. During the presentation you must:

• create an image with the buyer using the object of purchase or during its operation;
• indicate the benefits that can be obtained by the purchaser of the product;
• correctly determine the needs of the person and for each of them to make an appropriate presentation;
• foresee logical objections and prepare for their unobtrusive refutation;
• use professional terms in a conversation in such a way that the interlocutor does not have thoughts that he is stupid and does not understand obvious things;
• to offer a choice and not to limit it;
• do not over praise the proposal, as this can be repelled by unnecessary positive, forming elements of doubt in quality;
• talk about products, citing digital data, graphics, photos and videos, certificates and reviews;
• provide product testing capabilities prior to purchase;
• stimulate the customer to purchase through discounts, bonuses, gifts and promotions.

How to formulate a proposal

After the presentation, the seller must check the willingness of the client to cooperate.

Do not directly ask questions about the purchase, since the psychology of a person is such that he is more likely to answer them negatively. It is better to ask in this perspective: “Did you like the offer?” or "Are you comfortable with the conditions?" When asking such questions, it is necessary to apply the technique of increasing the value of the offer by creating a shortage of goods limited in time of the offer or by applying the effect of imitation. The proposal must be clearly stated. You should not mislead potential customers, because, in this way, trust is quickly lost.

Identification of needs

A time-limited offer allows the customer to quickly make a positive purchasing decision.The soon expiration of the stock offers a threat of loss of benefits.

People often seek to copy each other’s actions, so the popularity of a product indicates its relevance and quality, which increases the likelihood of a purchase.

The deficit effect is a psychological factor acting on a person, even if he owns the psychological foundations of the principles of influence on his consciousness. It makes one want to be present in a limited amount. Adding an element of exclusivity to the offer, the seller will allow the buyer to feel their uniqueness.