FIND YOUR AUTHENTIC SALES APPROACH TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS NOW

Let’s be real: many small business owners aren’t great at sales. In fact, many of them don’t have a solid sales strategy or even a tried-and-tested sales approach.

And it makes sense; as a female entrepreneur, you’re probably intelligent, creative, and driven, but that doesn’t mean that you’re a natural salesperson (or a salesperson at all!).

Did you know that over half of the people who are making a living in sales haven’t had professional sales training? (Source: The Brevet Group)

While sales can be easier for those who have a natural gift for selling, sometimes it just doesn’t come as naturally for all of us.

Some female entrepreneurs have somehow managed to create a magical sales strategy to ensure their business’ long-term success.

How? They’re not using a cookie-cutter approach, or changing their strategy every month, and they’re not doing what everyone else is doing; they’re doing what works for them.

The good news? Selling doesn’t have to be daunting, even for introverts, if you can understand just how to make it work for you.

You can boost your business and start finding and keeping clients NOW by creating your own unique and authentic sales strategy.

The sales mistakes you could be making.

First, let’s talk about why you may not be experiencing the kind of sales you anticipated, and what you could be doing better.

Many small business owners simply don’t put much time into sales. This is the #HonestTruth.

They focus too much on their product or service. This might involve developing or refining products, spending time training, recruiting or managing the team, or being involved in the day-to-day operations.

All this time spent elsewhere in the business means they don’t put time into thinking about a sales strategy. Instead, they “wing it” and end up learning the hard way; through mistakes and lost sales. (booooo!)

Another common mistake is constantly changing your sales or marketing strategies, because you’ve seen things that work in other businesses or you feel as if the current approach isn’t working.

But doing this can be highly disruptive to your business’ productivity. Plus, it can be confusing to everyone who works with you!

Honesty is the best policy.

Honesty and transparency are the key to a successful sales approach.

I’m not saying you have to tell your customer everything. But dishonesty (or outright lies) are not a strong foundation for success, and being honest will eventually build up trust between you and your customer.To take this a step further, some customers like to know if you have personally experienced the product or service you’re trying to sell.

If you’re a entrepreneur, you probably believe in what you’re selling, so you’re in a unique position to sell.

You probably know your products/services better than anyone else, and can even add a personal spin to your sales approach, or include personal stories.

Use that passion that fuelled you to start your business in the first place to sell.

Here’s an easy gut check for you… if you don’t believe in your business, maybe you need to consider selling something else.

Telling your stories also offers you the chance to share your unique point of view to your customers, which might make them feel that whatever they are buying has more meaning and value.

By sharing your stories with your customers, and by being truthful, you’re creating a bond between you and your customer, which is the first step to forming a long-lasting relationship.

It’s much easier to create repeat buyers that market to new customers, so it’s in your best interests to be truthful.

And…if a customer finds out that you have lied about a product or service that you have sold them, they’re not going to be happy, and will likely never buy from you again.

They might even tell their friends and family. According to Forbes, word of mouth is still the most influential of marketing.

Take note of what works… and what doesn’t.

Once you begin testing your sales strategy, you’ll quickly start to see which approach works and which doesn’t.The “hard sell” approach may work for you, and this will also depend on your customer, but can often involve scare tactics.

This means that the customer may buy what you’re selling, but do they really want it?

Even if they don’t come back and return it (or ask for a refund), they’ll probably be one of the people who end up giving you a bad review on Google or writing negative comments on your business Facebook page. They’ll often feel like they have been swindled. This is not the experience you want people to have with your business and it can give your business a bad reputation.

Other entrepreneurs that sell well always tend to connect on a more emotional level, by building a relationship with the customer. Once they know more about them, they’ll aim to communicate how a product or sale will make that person feel. This kind of approach needs to be genuine.

Many successful entrepreneurs that do very well at selling find that a combination of different approaches works best according to their personalities.

Work to your strengths.

No two salespeople are alike, so one approach isn’t going to work for everybody.

But how do you find out what works for you?

You may have tried a few different things already, or, if you’re just starting out, you might be considering what kind of approach you should try.

The main thing to remember is that there is no singular sales strategy that will be your golden ticket to success.

What works for one person may not work for others at all. And what works for one kind of customer might not work on another. As an entrepreneur that sells, the more flexible you are, the better.

If you’re naturally introverted, don’t feel that you need to use an aggressive sales approach. This will seem unnatural and people will spot that you’re not being genuine. #NoFun

You’d be surprised at how perceptive customers can be towards you when you are “selling.”

Sometimes they will be sceptical the moment they get in contact with you, especially if they have had a bad experience with salespeople in the past.

Don’t shy away from being your authentic self.

Just because you’re selling, doesn’t mean you should feel the need to create an elaborate and outgoing alter ego. Be yourself; your customers will reward you for it!

When you know your dominant selling-style personality, you’ll be much more attuned to what kind of approach will work best for you.

You’ll find out exactly how to best sell your product or services, meaning you’ll get results quicker, and with less work!

Not only that, you’ll be content in knowing that you’re not trying to be anyone you’re not; you’ll be confident in your fully expressed self, doing things your way.

So, what are you waiting for?

Take the quiz today and answer 6 simple questions to determine your selling personality and increase your sales conversions today!