Sell The Benefits

If you're looking for a surefire way to lose a sale, talk about you and ignore them.

If, on the other hand, you'd like to increase your income here are some pointers for steering the sale.

1. Be prepared. Know who you're speaking to, what they do and the benefits you can provide them. List the ways in which they'll benefit by doing business with you.

2. Know that the question that's front of mind is this. 'What's in it for me?' Speak to that. Let them know the money or time they'll either save or gain. Important: Put a dollar a value on this. If someone knows that you're saving them $1,000 then they're much more likely to spend $497 with you than they are $197.

3. Let them talk. Apart from giving them the oppportunity to be enthusiastic about their needs or wants, you give yourself valuable thinking time.

4. To brainstorm the benefits of what you provide, try this.
Write your offering at the top of a page. Underneath write, if you buy this_______________you can _______________which means you will have / do_______________

Do the same for every beneift your offering gives. Use it in your copy and in your meetings. Don't blurt them out, but have them there in your mind ready to be called upon at the appropriate time.

Practice at least one of these and you're ahead of the game.

 Remember that everything you do is either taking you away from or moving you toward the sale. Therefore you only want to give them the information that makes you and your offering look good. If, however, you go in on auto pilot, dumping features on them then they'll switch off. Why? You're giving them reasons not to buy.

To your sales success
Michael Neaylon

Author of the forthcoming book, 'Marketing Makeovers: How to Bring in Big Money for Your Small Business.'

mchael@mcme.com.au