Sales is an integral part of every small business, but unfortunately, it can also be seen as a struggle. Small business owners far and wide are struggling right now due to the pandemic and economy as people stay home and sales plummet. The need for proper sales advice has never been more important. Whether it’s gaining a better understanding of the sales process, practicing fine-tuning your sales techniques, revising your unique selling proposition (USP), or focusing on communicating a sincere message—leveraging and executing on these sales advice can truly help you sell your products and services more effectively. We’ve zeroed in on three key sales advice below that can help your small business serve as a starting point. Here’s how: Sales advice #1: Really understand the sales cycle It can be overwhelming to jump into the unknown each time you approach the sales process. Instead, get familiar with the seven stages of the sales cycle that start from prospecting to asking for referrals from the new customer. By creating a systematic approach to your sales cycle, it can help it become much more manageable and less overwhelming each time. Once you have a solid understanding of the sales cycle, the next sales advice is to make it more targeted. The last thing you want is a sales cycle that goes on and on—wasting everybody’s time. The more knowledgeable and experienced you are, the better control you have of the sales cycle by becoming increasingly efficient at each step and adjusting the time accordingly. This comes with the practice of course, but with time, you can reduce the length of the sales cycle and close deals faster! Sales advice #2: Revisit your value proposition If you run a small business, you probably already know what a unique selling proposition (USP) is. A USP is a statement that clearly outlines how your business, its products or services is different from your competitors. Think of it as a key differentiator: what makes your business the better choice? Every year or so, small business owners should take time to revisit their USP—also considered as a value proposition. Here are some examples, if your business currently does not have one documented. As the world adapts to the new normal, your USP must be succinctly communicated to your customers. Sales advice #3: Be sincere in your messaging Trust forms the foundation of any relationship, including between a brand and its customers. If there’s any sales advice to takeaway, it’s to focus on sincerity in your messaging. Unfortunately, too many salespeople or even business owners still don’t get it. Only 13% of customers believe a salesperson can understand their needs. Much like a doctor diagnosing a patient’s illness, your job when selling is to uncover your customer’s pain points. If you don’t know what their needs are—you don’t stand a chance at selling them a solution. Good sales advice would tell you to focus on being sincere in your messaging. Sincerity goes a long way to building trust. Through this process, it can also help unravel a better understanding of your prospect’s needs, wants, and problems that perhaps you and your business can solve. Let’s get selling Selling is a fundamental part of any small business—but particularly so during a pandemic. Although prospecting has generally remained remote, more and more aspects of the sales cycle have switched to remote, too. This means selling is more difficult than ever, and small business owners and salespeople alike need to look inwards to identify how they can approach selling better. By adopting the three sales advice above as a starting point, small business owners can hopefully increase their prospects, streamline their lead generation, and close more deals.
