Well it looks like we’re finally heading for some hot weather, at least in most parts of the UK. So this week I thought I’d share with you some of my common-sense summer sales tips. Every one of these tips will help you increase your sales success – IF you take action!

Enjoy!

1. Your goals

How compelling are your sales goals? So many sales people and business owners have lack lustre goals. Maybe ‘I want to reach target’ or I want to progress’, ‘I want more money’. If you have mediocre goals, you’re setting yourself up to be ordinary, not outstanding. Shouldn’t you be aiming to be outstanding, and with some structure to help you get there? Revisit your goals and make them outstanding.

2. Your marketing

Does your marketing talk about you? Your company? Your products? How many awards you’ve won? How boring. It should be talking about ‘them’, the problems they can get solved, the goals they aspire to, how they want to feel. If your brochure, your emails, your website talks just about you, you won’t be making any where near as many sales as you could be…ouch!

3. Your customers

Make sure you stay in front of the people you want to do business with. This might be a phone call, an email, a newsletter, social media posts, or all of these. Stay in their consciousness and when the time is right, there’s a greater chance they will do business with you.

4. Networking

If you go to networking events it’s tempting to head for those people there that you already know. Yet if you really want to get the greatest value, make yourself spend the vast majority of your networking time with people you don’t know. More challenging? Possibly. More rewarding? Definitely!

5. Pitches and presentations

If you make regular presentations as part of your sales activity, when was the last time you practised and filmed yourself? It’s so easy to film yourself these days and you’ll find it invaluable as a tool to help perfect your presentations. Ask others to view it too – feedback is essential if you’re going to improve.

6. Adding value

Never think you are selling a commodity. If you do, you are condemning yourself to always sell on price. There has to be value in there somewhere. If not on the initial sale, then maybe in the sales process itself, in the guarantee, the after sales, the delivery, the after sales advice and care – there’s usually some way you can add value to the most basic of products.

7. Your mindset

What reasons and excuses are you giving to yourself for any lack of sales? Think deep. Recession? Too much paperwork? Not enough time? Spending cuts? Budgets frozen? Bad news – these are not genuine reasons. Now think again – what are the REAL reasons for you not getting the sales results you want? Go deep.

7.5. Think about the buyer

When selling, don’t forget the buyers’ challenges. They often have to get others to buy in to your proposal. Your proposal may initiate internal change that the buyer has to promote internally. They could have to negotiate through all the internal politics, nurture internal relationships and a whole lot more. That’s why you have to support the buyer and why it sometimes takes a long time for decisions to take their course.

Do get in touch if you need any more information on any of these.

Enjoy the hot weekend!

Until next time.

Leigh