Probably should have done this one yesterday in honor of Friday the 13th, but it works today too. Whether your business requires consultative selling, product promotion, service outreach, personal selling, fostering a cause or you just feel like you donât know how to sell, there are easy ways to do things a little differently so youâre remembered. Below are some sales tips that really work, even though they may seem contrary to what you usually hear (or think). Read on to discover ideas that will cost you little more than your time:
- Collect business cards – instead of trying to push a card into the hand of everyone you meet, consider spending time learning what another is doing and then getting their contact information. Write a short note on the back (unless in Japan â there itâs rude) to tease your memory or note a hobby as a reference for future contact.
- Follow up â Too often, business owners meet valuable contacts yet fail to call, write or make any other future contact. Those business cards you just collected â thereâs a reason for that.
- Ask questions â Traditionally the sales process has involved some warm-up conversation about the weather or other issues unrelated to company concerns. The âtell me about youâ line doesnât work very well (plus itâs dumb â if this is a qualified prospect, you should have already done your homework â so easy to do these days with a Google company and individual search). Instead, consider using prime time to ask direct questions to discover the business challenges a prospect may be facing. Understanding what represents an ideal client for them, whatâs working (or not) relative to outreach and who you might know that could benefit from the products or services of another is a great way to begin to build a bond.
- Donât pitch â While itâs tempting, the reason networking meetings donât usually work very well for most is because everyone is selling. Imagine how delighted someone will be when they meet a you more interested in knowing more about their needs than getting in your elevator speech. Collect business cards (see #1) with the intent of explaining how you may be able to help later.
- Listen â Frequently a prospect will tell you exactly how you can help them find what they need or get where they want to go. You canât know this, though, until after theyâve shared concerns. If youâve just met, sometimes keying in on hobbies, family, sports teams followed or expressed industry concerns will give you great fodder for future follow up.
- Be helpful with subsequent contact â If youâve asked the right questions, listened and obtained contact information, there are countless ways you can stay in touch while being recognized as a great resource (or at least a thoughtful person). Clip relevant articles from newspapers (including pieces where they, the company, their kids or wife are quoted or mentioned) and send it along. Forward online material that offers answers to issues with people or resources useful for stated challenges.
- Send clients to your prospects â this is an extremely effective selling tactic. Of course, it doesnât work very well if you do it as a quid pro quo, but if itâs genuine and generous, people will remember.
- Seek out centers-of-influence â too often, small business owners spend majority time trying to connect one-on-one with prospects. If you build a relationship, rapport and respect with someone (or several people) who can reach out to a large group with needs for what you offer, youâll gain credibility, save time and avoid cold calling.
- Join boards â one of the most effective ways to meet industry or community leaders is by assuming a leadership position. Pick your causes carefully (particularly if this is a volunteer role), but youâll be amazed at how quickly youâre considered peer even with people who are far more accomplished, but serving together. This also provides quick credibility with the membership of business organizations and provides excellent opportunities to enhance your public speaking skills.
- Take a prospect or client to lunch â your time is valuable and if youâre in anotherâs office, chances are youâll be interrupted by phone calls, visitors and other distractions. Plus, thereâs a subconscious need to reciprocate when you buy someone lunch (or even breakfast). When a prospectâs on the menu, plan on offering free input here (after you listen) but also be ready with an offer to close the sale if appropriate (if youâre selling a service, often a reduced rate recommendations and strategies report will work here).
- Build a referral base of better providers â sounds odd, I know, but itâs better to send a prospect to another if youâre not the best to handle their needs. Give them a great alternative choice (you need to vet these people first) and you might be surprised how many ideal clients they refer back to you.
- Get and use testimonials â these donât mean much if theyâre signed by Betty G. of a MN printing company. Nor are they effective if they read something along the lines of, âuse this company, they do good work.â Instead, seek out specific stories (you may need to cull them down and get a clientâs approval to use an edited version) of how your product or service helped another company (or individual) achieve their goals with full attribution. Frequently, itâs best if you offer to write these yourself (ensuring you keep the clientâs voice and reflect the actual details of the experience), so the client can simply edit and then sign off (saves the client a lot of time and gives you an opportunity to put focus on an unusual aspect of what you do).
- Say thank you â unbelievably, this is something few do these days. If someone sends you a referral, buy a card and a stamp (or even a gift) to acknowledge your appreciation. If a reporter covers you in a story, do the same (sans the gift â most are not permitted to accept this). Have a valued client youâve enjoyed working with? Let them know. Did someone invite you to present in front of a primed audience? Show your appreciation by making extra effort after the event to say so. Sadly, thank you notes have become so memorable because theyâre rare. Stand out by showing youâre not among the majority rude.
There are so many messages out there right now on sales tips, how to sell, getting better at consultative selling or personal selling, product pushing, going viral online, making millions in a minute and adopting manipulate approaches for profit â âif you just buy my productâ. Most donât work. The easy and free (or very inexpensive) ideas above do. Hopefully youâll find something in this list that propels your business forward in ways previously unimagined. Please try some of these out and come back here and comment on your successes. Thanks!
13 responses to “Top thirteen sales tips for creative small business promotion”
This works perfectly with my post on Live Networking yesterday. Seems like we might have been working as a team! Great advice.
Actually, I was going to do a post this week on effective and lucrative strategies for attending national meetings or conferences even if you’re an itty bitty business. Figured I’d keep it in the hopper after seeing your post yesterday :-). Too funny.
I use some of these, but there are some new ones I need to try. Thank for all this information.
Yes, Jessica, it’s a lot of common sense, but something so many forget as they get caught up in the internet hype. I look forward to hearing how some of the ideas you haven’t used yet work for you.
Internet hype! Now that would be a good topic for a post. Do you want to write that one, or shall I? đ
Alan, I suspect our approach on that one would be so different it’s worth double coverage :-).
Nanette, what a wonderful list! I believe the 3 most important points on your list are following up, don’t try to sell and be helpful. Amy small business that has those three down is already on the right road.
Thanks for stopping in, reading and commenting, Wendy. I truly enjoyed your TED video. From one introvert to another – here’s to a better selling experience for everyone in the future with a nod toward introvert styles :-).
Thanks for stopping in, reading and commenting, Wendy. I really enjoyed your TED video featuring Susan Cain. From one introvert to another – here’s to a better selling experience for all involved with a nod toward introvert styles :-).
Thanks for the tips Nanette – I know I fail badly on the follow up. One to get into and practice!
Hi Jan – and I certainly need to get up to speed on mobile (tough to make that smartphone investment when you’re in an area without a cell signal). Still that doesn’t mean my customers aren’t trying to view on a tiny screen. Follow up is a big one. Try it, you’ll like it :-).
Still trying to figure out if networking will work for me. I see it as a thing for real estate and insurance agents (probably because that is where I was working when I first learned of them). I have to get out of my comfort zone.
I’ll be doing a post later in the week on working a national conference, Arwen. There will be a lot of tips on networking effectively in that one.