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Sales skills may seem to be reserved for everyday sales people. However, the truth is that they are invariably valuable in various aspects of life - from building interpersonal relationships to negotiating to acquiring new customers in business. Each of us is involved in the sales process in our own way, whether promoting ideas, services or products.
Today we will look at various techniques and strategies that can help you better understand the needs of others, effectively present your own ideas, build lasting relationships, and be successful in negotiations.
Table of Contents:
Sales techniques are a set of tools and methods that salespeople use during the negotiation process with a customer. Their goal is to reach a mutually satisfactory agreement, while taking into account the interests of both parties. It is important to understand that these techniques are not a fixed rigid list of rules, but rather adapt to the changing dynamics of the relationship between salesperson and customer.
In addition, sales techniques include a variety of strategies and practices that are used by salespeople and entire sales departments. They help understand the customer's needs, effectively communicate the value of the product or service, deal with customer objections and objections, and maintain the relationship even after the transaction is completed. These techniques use elements of sales psychology, often working at the subconscious level.
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Sales techniques are key tools for successfully building relationships with customers and persuading them to purchase certain products or services. Among the basic sales techniques are persuasion, commercial argumentation, negotiation skills, proper use of time and elements of manipulation. These various strategies allow salespeople to effectively communicate the value of the solutions they offer and achieve success in the sales process.
Persuasion is an important sales skill based on successfully persuading a customer to take a desired action, most often to make a purchase. This process can be divided into three key stages:
In the first stage of persuasion, called teaching, the customer is given key information about the product or service. The salesperson presents the benefits of the purchase and explains how to use the product in practice to achieve the desired goals. This process can include showing the product's features, demonstrating how it works, and presenting evidence that proves its value, such as expert opinions or customer reviews.
In the acceptance phase, the customer begins to assimilate and accept the information he has received from the salesperson. This is a key moment in the persuasion process, because without acceptance the customer will not be ready to make a purchase. The salesperson can facilitate this process by providing the customer with clear, convincing and easy-to-understand information and answering any questions or concerns the customer may have.
In the third phase of persuasion, the customer's position is changed. At this point, the customer takes a specific action based on the information he previously received from the salesperson. This could be a decision to buy a product, sign up for a mailing list or make an appointment. During this phase, the salesperson can use a variety of techniques to encourage the customer to take the desired action. These can include limited-time offers, special discounts for quick decision makers, or showing how other customers have benefited from the product or service.
Persuasion is an extremely effective tool in the field of sales. Used properly, it can bring salespeople significant results. However, it is worth remembering to use it with caution, while adhering to ethical sales standards and striving to fully understand and satisfy the customer's needs.
Sales argumentation is the process by which a salesperson presents the benefits of a product or service to a customer. It starts with understanding the customer's needs and challenges, and then focuses on showing how the proposed solution can satisfy or solve them. To convince the customer, salespeople often use facts, data, statistics, expert opinions and other evidence. Commercial argumentation can be divided into two main types:
Emotional reasoning is a sales technique that taps into a customer's deeply hidden feelings and values. By focusing on how the product or service affects the customer's life on an emotional level, this method seeks to build strong relationships and elicit positive responses. It is based on the customer's core values, such as security, belonging, pride or joy.
This method will work best for products or services that have a strong emotional connection. Perfect examples would be products in the luxury segment, children's items or services that provide a sense of security.
Utility-oriented argumentation focuses on the concrete benefits the customer can get from the product or service in practice. Here, the vendor presents the actual, measurable benefits of using the offered solution. Examples of such benefits include saving time, money, improving efficiency or increasing productivity.
This way of arguing is particularly effective for products or services that have clearly defined, practical benefits, such as project management software, fitness equipment or consulting services.
It is worth noting that the best sales strategies often combine both types of argumentation. You can show how a product saves time (utility-oriented argumentation), which ultimately allows the customer to spend more time with his family (emotion-oriented argumentation).
The bidding technique is a popular strategy particularly useful when price plays a key role in the decision-making process. Its essence is to negotiate the price, starting from a higher ceiling and gradually lowering until it reaches an acceptable level for both parties - seller and customer.
Effective sales techniques also include using the aspect of time. This strategy is based on creating a sense of urgency. This can include using time-limited offers, responding quickly to customer inquiries, and emphasizing how quickly customers can experience the benefits of purchasing a product or service. Sales methods that take advantage of time are designed to persuade customers to make purchasing decisions quickly, which in turn enables the transaction to be completed efficiently.
The technique of manipulation in sales, although often viewed negatively, involves influencing the decisions and behavior of others in a way that serves the salesperson's intentions. Unlike persuasion, manipulation often does not aim to satisfy the needs of the customer, but to achieve the salesperson's own goals. Below are some types of manipulation:
Time manipulation is a technique that relies on creating a sense of urgency in the customer. This strategy can include a variety of tactics, such as limited-time offers, seasonal promotions or notifications of limited product availability. These actions can encourage the customer to make a purchase decision more quickly. However, it is important to exercise restraint and not put too much pressure on the customer to avoid negative emotions such as frustration or stress.
Decision-making competence manipulation involves trying to influence the customer to make a decision that mainly benefits the seller, but not necessarily the customer. Various techniques are used in this approach, such as persuasive language or evoking the customer's fears and anxieties. However, such actions can be detrimental to the customer relationship, leading to a loss of trust and potential negative effects on the company's reputation.
Fact manipulation is the tactic of presenting information in a way that mainly benefits the vendor, but may not be completely true or incomplete. These practices may include modifying statistics, omitting important data or intentionally misleading the viewer. However, it is important to understand that this type of manipulation is unethical and can lead to serious legal consequences.
For the sales process to be effective, it is crucial to apply the principles of influence. The following are the most relevant ones:
The simplified opportunity evaluation strategy is often used in marketing and sales. It is based on the assumption that customers make purchasing decisions based on a quick and simplified evaluation of certain features of a product or service, rather than a thorough analysis of all available information.
Using this principle, you can provide customers with information that highlights the clear benefits of their purchase. For example, a product with a higher price may be perceived as more exclusive and high quality. A product with positive reviews, on the other hand, may be considered more popular and trustworthy, increasing its appeal to customers.
Humans tend to be grateful for gifts or favors received. When a customer is offered something or receives free samples, advice or valuable information, he often feels obligated to return the favor. Therefore, offering such extras can effectively increase the chances of closing a sale.
The principle of commitment and consistency is a psychological rule that says that when we make a decision or take an action, we are often more likely to continue in that direction, even if it requires more effort. In the context of sales, this principle is used to increase the chances of a customer making a purchase. Here are some popular sales techniques based on this principle:
The foot-in-the-door technique involves initially offering the customer a small purchase and then presenting him with a more expensive offer. The first, smaller purchase acts as a kind of "foot in the door," paving the way for more customer engagement.
The low-ball technique involves initially offering a product or service to a customer at a low price and then raising the price. Once the customer begins to engage in the buying process, he or she is more likely to accept the higher price, even if the offer was initially more attractive.
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The principle of social proof, which has its roots in psychology, is based on the belief that people often imitate the behavior of others, especially in situations where they do not feel confident or when they observe people similar to themselves.
In sales, the principle is often used as a tool to build brand trust and convince potential customers of the value of a product or service. Here are some popular ways to use the principle of social proof:
The principle of authority is based on the belief that people often submit to people who are considered experts or authorities in a particular field. It is a natural tendency to trust and seek guidance from people who appear to have more knowledge or experience.
The principle of authority can be used effectively in sales by using the following strategies:
The rule of unavailability is based on the strategy of creating an impression of urgency or exclusivity around a product or service. It uses the psychological mechanism that people value more things that are rare or hard to find, compared to those that are widely available. Here are some ways to apply the rule of unavailability:
Proven and effective sales strategies are the key to success in sales. Not only do they enable you to build lasting relationships with your customers, but they also help increase sales, which ultimately leads to better results. The following is a compilation of beaten-down practices developed by the most prominent sales executives around the world to help you make your sales process more effective:
In today's world, every piece of information is at one's fingertips, and customers' expectations for a quick response are getting higher and higher. Vendors who can respond quickly to customer inquiries usually have a competitive advantage.
Research by MIT's Dr. James Oldroyd shows that if a salesperson is able to respond to a customer's inquiry within five minutes, the chances that the customer will decide to use his or her offer increase by as much as nine times. A quick response shows the customer that he or she is a priority for the company and that the company is willing to act quickly to meet the customer's needs.
Of course, it is not always possible to respond within 5 minutes. However, it is important to understand that the longer a customer waits for an answer, the more likely they are to turn to a competitor. Even if it is not possible to provide a full response immediately, it is important to quickly acknowledge receipt of the inquiry and inform the customer when they can expect a full response. Therefore, the sooner we respond to a potential customer, the greater the chance of a positive conclusion to the sales process.
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Preparing for a meeting with a client is more than just learning the details of the product or service being offered. It's also a deep understanding of the industry and the customer's needs. This allows you to better tailor your offer to specific requirements and expectations, which greatly increases the chances of a successful sale.
It is also important to understand the client's history and business context. This allows you to better understand their priorities, goals and strategies. As a result, this builds a solid foundation for long-term business relationships.
Before meeting with a client, it is important that you clearly define your goals and objectives for the meeting. Think about what you want to achieve, what questions you want to ask and what benefits your offer can bring to the customer.
The better prepared you are, the more you will stand out from the competition. Solid preparation also shows the client that you are committed to their business, which builds trust and lays the foundation for a long-term business relationship.
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Approaching sales as a problem-solving process can bring significant business success. In this approach, the salesperson is not just a person seeking to complete a transaction, but rather an expert who seeks to actively help customers solve their problems and fulfill their needs.
This different mindset is crucial to building a relationship between a salesperson and a customer. When you focus on the sale itself, you focus mainly on your product or service. In contrast, when you want to understand and solve the customer's problem, you become more focused on the customer's needs. Active listening to the customer, understanding their situation, challenges and goals becomes crucial here. You are no longer just a supplier of a product or service, but a partner who collaborates in the search for an optimal solution. This approach allows you to build trust and a stronger relationship with your customers, which leads to greater purchase satisfaction. In the long run, this can also contribute to increased profits for your company.
In this case, "objective" refers to a specific person's function and role in the company structure, as well as his or her individual needs, problems and priorities. For example, a sales director and a business owner may have completely different goals, so the content of the offer should be tailored to each of them.
A sales director may be interested in how a product or service can help increase sales or improve the efficiency of his team. The business owner, on the other hand, will be interested in how the product or service will affect the company's overall growth and profit and loss balance.
Accurately defining the target of the recipient of an offer allows you to formulate a sales message that best meets their needs and expectations. This increases the chances of a successful sale. Keep in mind that every customer is different, so tailor your approach to the specific role and needs of the customer. Avoid treating all customers the same, as this can lead to a decrease in sales results.
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Creating unique offerings is a practice that adds value to your products or services while differentiating your company from the competition.
The uniqueness of an offer can come from a variety of factors, such as a unique product feature, an innovative approach to the services provided, attractive warranty terms, or high quality after-sales service. When creating offers, use benefit language to show customers why your offer is unique. You can also differentiate yourself through special product packages whose configurations are only available at your company. However, it's important that the uniqueness of your offer actually brings value to the customer by solving their problems or providing benefits that are important to them. Defining a unique value proposition (UVP) will help highlight the value of your offering.
If a customer can't find direct alternatives to your offer, they are more likely to choose your proposal. In addition, a unique offer can increase customer loyalty because they see that you offer them something unique that they won't find with your competitors.
In order to create a unique offering, you need to thoroughly understand your customers' needs and keep a close eye on the market and the competition. This will ensure that your company's offerings are ahead of the competition and meet customer expectations.
The principle of avoiding criticism of competitors is crucial to maintaining a professional and trusted image of the company in the eyes of customers. By speaking negatively about your competitors, you can easily lose credibility and make your company appear less professional. Instead, focus on promoting your own strengths and unique features of your products or services. Show that you understand the value your offerings bring.
It is also useful to anticipate competitors' actions and adapt to changes in the market. Tracking trends, analyzing competitors' actions and anticipating their movements allows you to respond more flexibly. For example, when you suspect that a competitor is planning to launch a product similar to yours, but with a lower price, you can offer additional services or benefits to compensate customers for the higher cost and maintain your position in the market. With this approach, you can maintain your competitive edge and better respond to customers' needs.
Turning weaknesses into assets is an effective sales strategy for using potential negatives as arguments in favor of a product or service. Instead of trying to cover up or minimize the disadvantages, it is worth presenting them openly to the customer, demonstrating that they actually add value.
For example, the long wait time may be seen as a disadvantage, but it can be turned into an advantage. We can emphasize that the long wait is due to the import of high-quality materials from Italy, which guarantees better quality of the final product. In addition, this waiting period can be used to personalize the product according to individual customer preferences. This time allows us to gather detailed information about his requirements and expectations, which enables us to tailor the product to his needs and create a unique shopping experience.
This way, instead of treating the long wait as a disadvantage, we turn it into an asset, emphasizing the value of the product and its personalization, which in turn increases the attractiveness of the offer in the eyes of the customer.
Allowing the customer to choose and segmenting the price offer is an effective sales strategy that can increase the chances of success. Providing several pricing options gives the customer more flexibility and control, which reduces the risk of rejection and allows you to match different preferences and budgets.
Segmentation of price offerings involves dividing products or services into different price categories, corresponding to different levels of value, functionality or quality. For example, three segments can be created: basic, standard and premium, with different price levels and benefits. This allows the customer to choose the segment that best fits his or her needs and financial capabilities.
By giving the customer options to choose from, you also reduce the risk of rejection. If the customer isn't satisfied with one option, they can find another that more closely matches their expectations. In addition, offering several pricing options gives you the opportunity to negotiate and customize your offer.
It is important to segment the offering in a way that is logical and understandable to the customer, taking care to balance the number of options - too many can create confusion, and too few can limit choice.
Studies have shown that making contact with a customer at least 6 times can significantly increase the likelihood of closing a deal. However, it is crucial to focus on contacting customers who actually show interest in your products or services.
Regularly converting to customers helps build brand awareness, maintain their interest and create valuable relationships. Often, customers need more time to make a purchase decision or want to consult with others in your company. A consistent and professional approach to communicating with customers shows that you are committed and ready to help them at every stage of the buying process.
To make contact with potential customers, it is worth using various means of communication, such as phone calls, emails, in-person meetings or messages sent via social media platforms. It is important to tailor communication methods to individual customer preferences and needs.
Promises that can be kept are the foundation for building trust and credibility in the eyes of customers. They are not only an important tool for communicating the value of an offering, but also influence customers' purchasing decisions. However, it is crucial that these promises are realistic and based on the company's actual capabilities and resources.
There are a number of benefits to making such promises:
The sales process is a structured plan of activities, from identifying a potential customer to finalizing a transaction. Consciously adopting and following this process brings numerous benefits, such as better organization, greater efficiency, easier monitoring of progress and repeatable results. It is also important to regularly analyze and improve the process, using customer feedback and sales results as a valuable source of feedback.
What strategies can you implement on your website to increase conversions? Here are 13 effective sales techniques that will help you optimize your online site and attract more leads. With this guide, you'll discover ways to improve the efficiency of your efforts, both in generating leads and in the sales process.
Responding effectively to customer inquiries, also known as lead response time, is a key challenge in today's sales world. Just like in a short-distance run, victory depends on your prompt response. Customer inquiries should be answered as quickly as possible, as there is a direct correlation between response time and sales effectiveness.
Research by the Harvard Business Review shows a clear correlation between response times and sales success. A chart showing companies' response times illustrates this relationship. In addition, an infographic developed by HBR and InsideSales.com shows that contacting a customer within the first 5 minutes increases the chance of making a sale by as much as 10 times compared to a response after 10 minutes. So Lead Response Time (LTR) is an extremely effective sales technique.
Similar conclusions are drawn from CallPage's report on car dealers in Poland. It is worth noting that in addition to quick response, it is also important to provide the customer with substantive answers to their questions. It's a combination of effective practices that can effectively convert potential customers.
Enable customers to contact you easily by choosing the method that best fits the nature of your business. Depending on the specifics of your business, you can use a variety of lead generation support tools to streamline the process of contacting customers.
Consider options such as a callback widget (e.g., CallPage), a dedicated pop-up, online chat or company Messenger. Regardless of your choice, the key is to provide the customer with a quick and satisfactory response.
Adapt the form of contact to the nature of your target audience, taking into account whether you are targeting business or individual customers. The right choice of tool will allow you to build an effective communication channel that will improve the process of establishing relations with your customers.
Forget the practice known as "keyword stuffing," i.e. inserting keywords excessively into the title. Instead, it's worth betting on skillful placement of relevant keywords in the title, supporting this with a precise CTA (call to action) that will be visible in organic search results. Here's an example:
An interesting case illustrating this point is the case study described on the Ahrefs blog. The introduction of a clear call to action in the headline contributed to an impressive 37% increase in organic hits compared to the original version.
If your business area includes an English language site, I recommend using the CTR Tool. This free tool allows you to optimize title and description tags based on specific guidelines.
By using such a tool, you are assured that your site can more effectively generate a higher CTR by placing an inviting CTA, which in turn can result in more visits and build a lasting relationship with potential customers.
Take advantage of the power of social proof by enabling others to effectively sell on your behalf. Statistics show that as many as 7 out of 10 people search the Internet for reviews before making a purchase. Influential reviews and recommendations from others are crucial, influencing consumers' purchasing decision.
Social proof plays the role of confirming the accuracy of our decisions. The principle of "social proof," presented by Robert Cialdini in his book "Influencing People," helps to understand the psychological aspects of this phenomenon.
There is no more effective form of promotion than a recommendation from another customer. That's why when you shop online, retailers often encourage you to share your opinion. Collected reviews from customers are an excellent asset in the sales process.
The multitude of observers on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram plays a key role, especially for many target groups. A common strategy used by companies is to present the number of observers along with information on which of our friends are also showing interest in a particular brand.
If you want to build confidence with your audience, use specific figures that highlight the credibility of your information. This strategy is especially effective in the B2B field. Use concrete numbers to show how many companies you have partnered with, how many people you have trained, and how many customers or newsletter subscribers you have.
If you lack feedback from customers, use their logos. It is possible that you are already working with companies whose presence can testify to your reliability as a business partner. If you are a new player in the market, you can use the logos of newspapers and portals that have published about you.
Follow a few important rules when choosing a social proof (social proof):
Consider using authority figures or influencers who are highly regarded among your target audience. Examples of this approach include the presence of well-known figures in TV commercials or the promotion of food products on store shelves by recognizable personalities. Such a model of activities can be successfully transferred to the website as well.
When creating social proof for your brand, consider using an influencer if the opportunity exists. In the example above on Maciek Lewinsky's site, Pawel Sala acts as the social proof, and the company he represents, FreshMail, additionally appears as the logo, which adds credibility.
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Also consider optimizing the user path on the site - identify the pages that generate the most traffic and use their potential to attract new customers. If you have several popular blog posts, integrate conversion elements such as CTA boxes into them. If you haven't used this strategy before, now is the perfect time! In addition to linking to your contact or offer pages, add attractive graphic banners or other "CTA box" type elements that not only enrich the content of the post, but also direct the user to a specific action, such as "Sign up for your newsletter" or "Learn more about SEO audit."
Placing such elements can increase visits to landing pages, which will directly affect the achievement of your company's business goals.
Many e-shops announce the availability of a limited number of units of a particular product. Are you wondering why? It's related to the application of the so-called rule of unavailability, which was described by Roberto Cialdini.
The same applies to last minute offers in the field of vacations. When you are at a travel agency and notice an extremely attractive price, you need to make a decision immediately. This offer will become obsolete or will be taken advantage of by another person the very next day. The possibility of missing this opportunity is a strong motivation, bringing you closer to making a purchase decision.
How you can use the inaccessibility rule when designing a landing page:
Instead of focusing on real customer benefits, many salespeople and marketers continue to focus on dry numbers and parameters that do not directly translate into value for the recipient.
Consider the following when creating marketing messages:
When creating a price list, it is a good idea to highlight the preferred plan. Apply designations such as "Recommended," "Most Popular," or "Most Popular" next to the selected plan. Additionally, improve the visibility of this plan by modifying the background or highlighting the CTA button with color.
When creating a contact form, pay attention to the fact that it is a means of communication with a real person who wants to get in touch with your company. Think about the number of fields in the form to allow for effective communication.
For example, if you are an SEO/SEM agency and want to collect inquiries from potential clients, consider what information is necessary. You might want to include contact information, such as (1) email and (2) phone number. Additionally, to better understand the client, add (3) a field for first (and last) name. The form can also include (4) an option to select a service or question of interest, and a text box that will allow the customer to describe their problem, as well as provide a website address. Such a form guarantees the collection of sufficient information to immediately contact the customer and determine the details of further cooperation.
The more complex the product, the more elaborate the customer decision-making process can be. Depending on the stage of the customer journey, the information expected of you about your product or service may vary. If you have specialized knowledge or are open to questions, engage in substantive discussions and provide assistance to others. You can blog, publish articles and share valuable content in the form of infographics or PDFs.
By providing value to the customer and disinterestedly answering their questions, there is a high probability that they will come back to you for future purchasing decisions. Even if he doesn't make a purchase, chances are he will recommend your services to others. Successful relationship building is based on providing value and creating trust.
Opt for a data-driven approach, or data-driven marketing, and create content that your audience wants and needs! Plan the creation of new content based on a detailed analysis of available data. If you know the expectations of potential customers, develop articles that effectively address any concerns they may have.
I encourage you to read this article to learn how to construct effective content plans: Content plan - how to do it?
Create intriguing and valuable content that supports conversion processes. Gain the ability to educate and inspire your site visitors. By doing so, you'll earn the trust of your customers, attract new audiences and be sure to engage with relevant topics. Using an approach that tailors content to the user, the blog articles created will help build authority in the area and increase so-called topical authority.
What do you need to consider when preparing a content plan?
By implementing the above steps, you will gain valuable data and insights that will allow you to effectively organize your content creation process. With a solid content plan in place, your content will become structured and directed toward achieving your company's real business goals.
Highlight specific numbers that can drive a customer to make a purchase decision. An effective practice is to use information widgets that show, for example, the current number of people browsing a particular offer (such as on booking.com) or the number of users who signed up for a trial account in the app today.
The screenshot shown highlights the importance of numbers twice. First, by assessing the quality of the tool based on the rating given by a reputable third-party service, Capterra, which is an important factor for the target audience. Second, by using a widget that informs visitors of the number of people who have registered for a test account.
With segmentation, create precise groups that will direct you toward achieving your sales goals. When creating remarketing lists, don't forget to meticulously segment your audience. If your list includes all site visitors, its effectiveness may be limited because it includes everyone without exception.
When launching a campaign, it is important to create segments to accurately target ads to different audiences, such as "added to cart but did not purchase," "visited but did not purchase," or "users who visited page X." The use of remarketing with attractive graphics and effective CTAs will help attract those who have previously abandoned making a purchase to the site.
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