Have you ever felt the need to improve your sales skills, even if you are not a professional salesperson?
If yes, then you are in the right place, on the contrary I still advise you to read all the way through–you will find useful tips applicable as early as today.

To sell, it is essential to follow a precise order of actions.

It is like assembling a Lego set, where each piece must be placed in the right way and order to create the desired construction. Imagine having all the Lego pieces jumbled and tossed in bulk on the floor without guidance.

This situation is probably similar to the feeling of having to deal with an unfamiliar but necessary context to achieve your goal: to sell.

This can happen when you have to sell an idea, a project or yourself, your skills or your professionalism to someone.

There will come a time in your life when you have to sell something, even if you are not a professional salesperson.

So how can you improve your sales/negotiation skills?
What are the building blocks you need to use and in what order should you use them to build an effective sales conversation?

Selling is not just about a product or service, it is also about the quality of the conversation you will need to engage in.

What content do you need to include and what can you neglect?
There are things you need to say and do, and others you should avoid in order to achieve maximum success in selling your ideas.

Let us pause and seek clarity on the meaning of selling today.

In recent years, the concept of selling has changed significantly from the past.

Selling is no longer considered a secondary activity or the last option for job seekers.
On the contrary, selling is a noble and meaningful profession, even if it is not always respected as it should be.

Ask a college student what he or she thinks of the sales profession and you will realize that it is often undervalued and misunderstood.

However, knowing how to sell is an essential life skill that can be applied in many different fields.

The story that is often told about selling is as different as the classic pen salesman (whom you probably know from the movies).

I would like to propose an idea regarding a widespread cliché about selling: that of manipulating people and creating induced needs.

This false belief has generated prejudice and distrust on the subject.

Instead, it would be helpful to tell a different story, where the true meaning of selling is to accompany people toward the achievement of their goals.

Stop for a moment and think about this concept: the role of the salesperson is not just to sell a product or service, but to help the customer achieve his or her goals.

In fact, every social interaction we have, in one way or another, is related to selling.

For this reason, I would like to share some tips that can improve your selling skills, a fundamental skill for many professions and common life situations.

Sell, not manipulate

Selling is not about manipulating customers with buzzwords or persuading them to buy something they do not want.

To gain insight, it is important to view selling as a form of counseling, where the goal is to inspire, guide, or (if at all) persuade the customer to make the best decision for his or her needs.

True selling is not so much about using sophisticated persuasion techniques, but about helping the customer understand what the best solution is for his or her needs and how it will meet his or her needs.

Do you remember that pleasant shopping experience when an assistant or salesperson helped you choose the right product for you?
Do you remember that helpful feeling you got from the consultant/salesperson?

This is the kind of experience that every salesperson should offer the customer: expert and sincere advice that can help the customer make the best choice.

Understand who is in front of you

All of us on average make purchasing decisions based on a few simple reasons. Often these reasons hide some difficulty we face, both personally and professionally.

Understanding the difficulties a potential customer faces and the benefits they want can get their attention quickly and easily.

To do this, the first step is to understand what is the outcome he wants to achieve and what is his motivation–more simply: what need he has and how you can solve this need of his.

You also need to demonstrate the benefits your proposal offers and how it can help him reduce/solve the difficulties he is facing.

Before an appointment prepare, document, study and get more information about the person you will need to talk to.
It is very important to do some research to understand what criteria guide your choice.
That way, you can tailor your talk to his or her needs and desires to offer a “tailor-made” solution.
Sometimes, you just need a little empathy to understand what drives the person in front of you.

Observing their behavior and expressions, actively listening to what they say, and asking targeted questions can help you better understand their needs.

Tailoring your proposal to their needs and desires, with an empathetic and personalized approach, can make all the difference in gaining their interest and trust.

Practice

We often act automatically without realizing what we are doing and how we are doing it, and this also applies to the purchasing decisions we make.

But to “de-program” our actions, we need to make an effort of mental presence.

When we find ourselves talking to someone, we must try to make an emotional connection, one that can bring out their needs and motivations.

But how can we do this?

A good strategy is to ask questions and listen carefully to the interlocutor’s answers, letting him or her freely express their point of view and emotions.

This allows us to understand his needs and use them as a foothold in our sales pitch.

In other words, empathy and active listening are the keys to creating an emotional connection and establishing trust with the interlocutor.

Taking the time to listen carefully, without judging or interrupting, allows us to get to know the person in front of us better, and to offer a proposal that will be perceived as tailor-made.

In addition to empathy, however, it is important to have effective, clear communication that engages the interlocutor in an active, participatory way.

Choosing the right words and the way we say them can make all the difference in the understanding and interest of our interlocutor.

That is why it is important to season our words with the other person’s emotions, to make them taste more real and authentic.
Ultimately, selling is not just about techniques and strategies, but about interpersonal relationships based on empathy, active listening and effective communication.
This is the only way to create an emotional connection and a trusting relationship with the customer, which leads to positive results for both of you.

So practice, try video-recording yourself and then re-listening. Be self-critical and practice speaking clearly, directly and persuasively.

The customer comes first

The secret to successful selling lies not in being skillful manipulators or prevaricators, but rather in establishing an authentic and trusting relationship with the other party, based on understanding his or her needs and wants.

This process requires mental presence and attention to the other person, without falling into the trap of haste or the need to sell at any cost.
To achieve this, it is important to slow down the pace and speak in low, relaxed tones, conveying serenity and confidence to the interlocutor.

In addition, it is necessary to avoid the trap of the “need” to sell, which can create a conflict of interest with the interlocutor and generate distrust and obstacles to quality selling.

To avoid this trap, it is essential to keep a low profile and try to establish a relationship of equals with the interlocutor, without prevailing in any way, but increasing one’s authority by understanding and listening to his needs.

Finally, one must avoid the “me first” trap, which leads to highlighting one’s own strengths at the expense of those of the interlocutor, creating irritation and annoyance.

To avoid being perceived as “that kind” of person, it is necessary to strike a balance between one’s own interests and those of the interlocutor, always putting the achievement of the common result at the center.

Learn to understand when it is time to close the sale

Becoming an expert salesperson means deeply understanding the customer’s decision-making process, analyzing factors such as doubts, objections, and possible obstacles to the decision leading them to “make the right choice”: that is, to convince themselves that what you are proposing/selling is right for them.

Once these aspects have been identified, it is important to ask the right questions to understand how to help the customer overcome these obstacles, adapting your sales strategy to the context.

In addition, it is critical to understand whether the customer is making decisions on their own or whether they need to involve others so that they can act accordingly.
Collaboration is key: working together to find the best solution can increase the customer’s trust and sense of partnership.

Knowing the client’s decision timeframe and priority issues based on past experience can help in the closing phase.

What to do

• Define your goal and identify the steps needed to achieve it.
• Understand what result you want to get from the sale and what your interlocutor should get instead. What are his or her motivations? What are his possible objections? How will you decide, then, that you have done the best thing for yourself?
• Practice on a regular basis: talk, record, listen again, re-record.
• Slow down. Slow down. Slow down. Don’t rush through the words. Speak more slowly, punctuate your words and in low volume and tone. Act calm and deliberate.
• Make the speech feel like a journey in which everyone must be satisfied. Watchword: Common good!
• Remember: selling is not a war to be won!

What to avoid

• Don’t be anxious! You don’t have to appear needy for approval.
• Don’t be extravagant. Don’t brag about your successes. First the client and then you.
• Don’t appear haughty or deferential. Try to build an equal discourse, on the same level.
• Don’t force closure; study phrases that can invite the client to close the negotiation in a positive way.