Know Your Product

It was Children's day a few days ago, and I was out with the kids at a children's carnival. Yes, they had loads of fun, but no, I'm not here to talk about the children or the fun. Sometime, while we were having massive fun, a young man walked up to us, held a pack of something up to his face, and starts to implore us to buy. It was a packet of Vitamin C tablets and he was trying to sell that to us. He kept talking on and on, but didn't give any reason why we should be buying his product, so I asked him "the kids already have lots of Vitamin C tablets, why should we buy yours?" I turn my focus to the pack in his hands and I see a big picture of an apple right on it, I figure the tablets are apple-flavored and expect this salesman to tell me this, but to my disappointment, he doesn't! Instead, he begins to plead with us to buy "please just buy it, it's very good for the kids." At this point, I try to tell him about the apple flavor but he doesn't even listen to me. When he eventually stopped speaking, I told him about it, and he replies "Yes, there's the apple flavor, blah blah blah, yada yada yada, and mixed-fruit flavor." I again explain to him that this is a unique selling point for his product, and that I'd expected him to tell me about that- kid's love apple, that would've made me interested, and many other people as well. We eventually bought two packs and off he went, searching for his next 'victim'.

There were several things wrong with that young man's selling strategy, and that is what I want to write about today.

1. Dear Salesperson, you've got to know your product.

Study, study, and study your product. Read all the manuals on it, research it, run a google internet search for it, find out all the advantages and yes, disadvantages. Be an expert on your product. If that young salesman knew his product well enough, he'd have remembered to tell me it had various flavors. The prospect shouldn't be the one to tell you about your product, if that happens, then you'd be totally unconvincing, you'd be seen as one who was just selling to make a buck, not to help the customer meet their needs.

Know your product so well that if a prospect asks you any question about it, you can confidently answer without stuttering or pausing to think about your answer. Product knowledge is very important. If your product knowledge is limited, then you have no business selling that product.

2. Dear Salesperson, ask questions.
You've got to master the art of asking qualifying questions. You need to ask questions so you can understand the needs of the customer. When you understand the needs of the prospect, you will know the angle from which you should present your product.

3. Dear Salesperson, listen to your prospect.
Learn effective listening skills. You should listen to your prospect, not spend all the time talking about why your product is great! You must talk less, and listen more. Ask more questions, the person who asks more questions is in control of the conversation. Ask more, and you will know more. Know more, and you will present better. Present better, and you will sell better.

4. Dear Salesperson, never beg anyone to buy your product.
If your product is as beneficial to me as you'd want me to believe, why beg me to buy? People do not buy out of pity, they buy because your product/service can solve their problems. That's why you've got to understand your product, and understand your prospect so well that you know how your product/service will meet their needs and solve their problems. Realise that not everyone will buy your product, not every one is your customer. Develop a positive spirit so you can deal with rejection withoug letting it affect your selling motivation.