A knock echoes at your the front door. You’re not expecting anyone. In fact, you know it isn’t a friend or family member.
Perhaps something’s happened to little Jimmy or Suzie at school?
You quickly check your Blackberry or iPhone to make sure you haven’t missed any important messages. Nothing, nobody’s called or texted you.
You’re not really in the mood to talk to anyone right now, but you figure you’d better answer the door and see who wants to speak to you – and about what. After all, it’s raining cats and dogs outside and you don’t want to make whoever’s waiting suffer needlessly.
“Good afternoon!” A handsomely-dressed man greets you. “Great day for ducks isn’t it?” He flashes you a bright white smile and looks deep into your eyes with all the confidence of a box office movie star.
Yes, this is a salesman. Who among us hasn’t dealt with a similar situation? Someone wants you to buy something; usually something that you probably don’t want. Heck, you’d go out and look for the bloody vacuum or whatever else that guy at the door has for you if you wanted one, right?
We (humankind in general) don’t like to be sold to.
Selling without selling is something that’s learned; just like the pushy tactics employed by the car and vacuum salesmen of the world. Selling without selling is the way of the future. If you can master this one skill, you’ll not only be richer – you’ll also be able to sleep better at night!
You’re there to help, teach, and empathize – Not to make a sale!
There’s a lot of magic that needs to go into this step. All good salesmen know that the success or failure of nearly every product or service they’ll ever sell will hinge on whether it fulfills a need or want the customer has.
Help the customer acquire what they need or want by talking to them like you would a member of your family. Yes, they (might) want to buy your product, but they want to feel good about it before signing on the dotted line.
Figure out what they want by asking lots of questions, then answer each question to the best of your ability. Talk to them like you would if you were helping one of your parents choose a computer and you genuinely care that they get exactly what they want.
- Genuinely try to help in any way you can; even if it means you don’t get the sale today.
- Teach your prospect about every aspect of the product that relates to their needs and wants; including the negatives if they ask.
- Empathize by asking questions, carefully listening to their response, and then relating to what their saying without continuously hammering them with empty statements like “Well, XYZ product is just what you need to fix that problem – will that be cash or credit?”
Let them catch their breath
If you own a brick and mortar retail business, have your salespeople greet customers with a smile and assure them you’re there to help if needed. Walk into any large-chain electronics retailer and you’ll see this implemented over and over.
The sales person is there to help. When the customer asks for help, whether it’s right away or a few minutes after entering your store, most of those prospects will have psychologically prepared themselves to be sold to – that is of course if your products meet their standards.
When you’re selling at an impromptu or pre-scheduled meeting, a good rule of thumb is to allow at least 20 minutes for chit chat – joke telling, local/world news, casual conversation about the industry, etc. If a prospect is more of a “straight to the point” personality, they’ll let you know right away. Otherwise, it’s important to establish rapport – most of the selling will generally happen at this stage more than your eventual pitch (i.e., personalities generally sell faster than product specs and value-added-services do).
Online sellers need to learn how to use storytelling to help a prospect catch their breath and be drawn into your product before asking for a sale. Check out this great article for more help in this area: www.inc.com/how-to-tell-stories-to-sell-online
Leave the flashy headlines and bright colored words to the National Enquirer and Clickbank
Don’t treat your online or offline customers like they’re an invalid that needs pretty colors and big bold letters to get their attention. Remember, we’re going to teach them something, and we don’t want their heart rate to be elevated, cause that would mean they feel pressure – we’re going to sell without selling, so the customer feels completely at ease when they finally pull out their credit card, or sign a purchase agreement.
This tip obviously applies to publication and content marketing. Use black print and helpful infographics to sell. Highlighting words in red and blue screams “we’re trying to sell you something” to the customer – same with ALL CAPS, bolded to make sure the “stupid” customer can see them. Instead use teaching and storytelling.
Overvalue and undersell
This is a pretty simple strategy to sell without selling, and it’s probably been in use since man first uttered his first word. The first caveman that started to manufacture and sell clubs to his fellow prehistoric troglodytes probably told interested prospects epic stories of grandeur meant to build the value of the product to grandiose proportions – perhaps how his special clubs could bring down a massive Sabretooth with a single blow, and all it would cost them was their first born child!
This is also another reason why you don’t jump right out and push for the sale forthwith. You need to build up the value of your product. If you’re selling something for $1000, build the value up to 2, 5, or even $10,000.
Use elements such as quality, after-sale service, how much money the customer will make, similar more expensive products in the marketplace – etc., to make the value of your product higher than the sticker price. Once you’ve created a higher perceived value, the product will practically sell itself.
Assure the customer that your relationship is just beginning – Not ending today after their purchase.
How many of us have bought something after a slimy salesman, or really compelling ad convinced us to do so, only to find out it was a huge piece of crap?
Now, have you ever had that same situation occur, only to find out that returns were impossible – that the company’s after sale service was non-existant?
We all have. How many of us have bought into a cheap mobile plan, only to realize you don’t get coverage anywhere but the top of a hill that’s located 20 minutes from your home?
So, to sell without actually selling, you have to provide great customer service after the sale. 24 hour support is preferable here, but may not apply to your business. Aside from being able to call or come into your business and talk to live people (who speak their language), customers want an iron-clad guarantee that they can return, exchange, or have their product repaired without a hassle, or shelling out more money (how often does your mobile provider make you pay to ship your phone to the manufacturer when it’s broken?)
This step often builds momentum as your reputation expands. The more accessible you are after the sale, and the less hassles your customers experience, the more your guarantees will help you to sell your product without you having to do any actual selling.
Additional Reading:
www.copyblogger.com/6 Ways to Sell Without Selling Your Soul
www.huffingtonpost.com/How to Sell Without Selling
www.forbes.com/How to Sell Without Being a Salesperson
