The Official Guide to Effective Selling.

The Official Guide to Effective Salesmanship

A great salesman apparently can sell refrigerators in Greenland and shoes to bigfoot.

I recently completed a short refresher training on selling. It was interactive. Participants are accomplished salespersons and contributed their ideas and opinions.

Here's a quick recap of some key positions that surfaced:

1. Know exactly what your product is about and can do. This means an intimate knowledge of your product's or service's USP. (Unique selling point).
   
   Humming and hawing and having to refer to someone else while the customer glances impatiently at her watch is one way to torpedo a sale. In online selling terms, write clearly, concisely and stick to important details. People these days are getting more and more impatient and expect instant answers. Dramatization and convoluted twists and turns are best left to Hollywood.
   
   
2. Be able to convincingly explain why people need and want your product. There are only two reasons people buy:
   
   • To solve a problem
   • To satisfy a want
     
   If you know of any other reason (other than a acquisition compulsion), do share your knowledge in the comments section.
   
   Focus on how your product will solve a problem, and only after that explain how it's features will achieve this. Highlight the difference about your product and what you have to offer.
   
   
3. Know your competition intimately
   
   Few have the luxury of being the one and only provider of a service or product. If you're not one of the few, you will have competition. To ace your competition you need to convince your prospects about the superiority of your product over the alternatives available. Or the superiority of your service. Find out what your competition doesn't do, and include that in your product or service features.
   
   
4. Be reliable, responsible, and ethical. OK, this doesn't need explanation, does it?