Most new Startup Businesses are built by someone who has expert knowledge on a particular subject. You may be an accountant or a lawyer or maybe you just really enjoy Ice Cream and want to make your own brand of Ice Cream.
For most people who start a business they know how to do what they do and they jump in the deep end. Most of the people I know did not start out in life saying "When I grow up I want to be a Sales Man".
So how do you make sales when you are not a sales man?
1- Ask open ended questions and let your client give you the answer. Always keep in mind that the reason your client is sitting in front of you is because he has a challenge that he does not know how to solve. By asking him about that challenge you will be able to determine what the challenge is.
2- Listen to your client. Remember that it is HIS challenge you are trying to solve and if you engage with him then you will be able to find out exactly what that challenge is. If you are already talking before he has explained his situation then he will stop talking and that's when you have a problem.
3- Ask your client how they see themselves solving this challenge? Important to note that you are still asking questions and listening to the answers. This is a great question because you already know they dont know how to solve their situation or they would not be talking to you. By asking this question you will find out what they have already done and what you can change when you do give your proposal.
4- Now you need to quantify the challenge. Ask your client what the cost is of not solving this challenge. By quantifying this challenge you will be able to put a price on your solution. If your client says it will only cost him $100 then maybe you give him free advice and he feels he got more value than he expected and if he says its going to cost him $1000 then you charge him $100 to reduce his cost to $500 which effectively cost him $600 and he saves $400. You will have to know your own pricing strategy.
5- Ask for the sale by using the word "IF". Say something like IF I could reduce your cost to $600 and save you $400, what would your thoughts be? By asking for the sale like this, there is no pressure to say yes or no, you are just asking what he thinks. You dont have to feel like a high pressure sale man and you get to hear what if any his objections are. If he says "that sounds great", you stand up and say in his own words "Great, Ill get the papers drawn up" and if he says, "I dont know", you go back to step 1 and repeat the process until you have an agreement that you are both happy with.
You dont need to be a Sales Man to make sales, you just need to listen to your client and offer a solution that works for both of you.
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