Tip 24) Sales tips for people who hate selling - tip 1 of many!

Following on from yesterday’s post about why most people hate selling and what to do about it, here is my first tip for people who hate selling:

Improve your confidence by having a structured sales process.

Even micro-businesses need a sales process. Map out each step of your sales process using either a flowchart or bullet points, identifying what you do at each stage...

For example:

Web leads for service-led businesses
Step 1: First contact with prospect via email (create a professional template email and follow up within 24 hours).

Step 2: First contact with prospect via phone (create a phone script and practise. Build a rapport. Preempt common objections. Book an appointment).

Step 3: Second contact via email (send an email confirmation template and relevant details).

Step 4: Call on the day to confirm the appointment (practise your script).

Step 5: Sales appointment (clear positioning/setting the scene, map out a structured process, practise your closes, practise objections, practise talking about fees).

Step 6: Follow up within the agreed time (practise your script).

Having a clear and simple sales process will enable you focus on each stage so you can tweak it and improve where necessary. The more you practise your pitch, the more confident you will be. When I first went out selling many years ago, I would practise my pitch over and over again until I could quote it verbatim!

This is particularly important when it comes to talking about your fees. Most new (and established) business owners can turn into stuttering wrecks when they start talking about price! Write out what you want to say and practise, practise, practise until you can pitch your price without sounding like a blithering wreck!

Lots more to come on sales as it is a speciality of mine, but as these blogs are designed to be read in a couple of minutes, I'll leave it there for today!

Keeping you hanging...

Jo Richings x