Somebody teach me how to sell things.

[Freeky]

Seriously.  Like, for real.  As if I were trying to get a job (I am) and my best prospects lie in sales (they do) and what appeals to me most doesn't work for the vast majority of people I'd be selling to (it doesn't).

[Signora Pæsior]

Take the time to listen to what people want/need. A 70-year-old is probably not going to need an advanced gaming laptop (or maybe he does! Hopefully he'll tell you!); if someone says they only ever call or text, they really don't need an iPhone. It's really easy to try and sell the thing that'll get you the most commission, but in all honesty, you're better to have a satisfied customer who will come back to you next time, who will tell their friends "Go see Freeky at That Store and you'll be looked after" than to have someone feeling later like they wasted their money on something.

Don't try and judge who will and won't be a big spender. I spent years in sales and now I've sold my soul to the corporate world for lots of dollars... but part of that means I have to look the part all the frickin' time, so when I go shopping on the weekend I'm doing it in my Doctor Who shirt and shorts. You wouldn't believe the amount of salespeople who seem to decide I'm a timewaster/not going to buy/can't afford their super-special product. And you can bet your ass that if I get that feeling from you, I'mma go drop a whole ton of money somewhere where somebody at least makes the effort to act like I might be worth an iota of their time.

If someone is relatively upfront that they're not buying today... before you give up on them, ask if there's anything in particular they are looking at. A lot of people are actually looking for something specific, but are scouting out the specials/extras/deals before they decide where to buy from. If whoever you end up working for offers personalised business cards, GET SOME. Help the people exactly the same as you would if they'd whipped out the platinum card. Write down the make/model/SKU/whatever identifying feature on the back of a business card with your name on it and give it to them. That way, if they come back, they are far more likely to ask for you.

If your company allows you to price/deal match, DO IT. Again, it's totally worth a small hit in commission to build a loyal customer base.

Um... I'll be back if I think of anything else.

[Signora Pæsior]

All right, some of those were more tips than "how to sell things". But really, if you know your product and listen to your customer, the rest pretty much takes care of itself. Just be personable, friendly, approachable, but not pushy. If someone is "just browsing", leave them to it.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Seriously.  Like, for real.  As if I were trying to get a job (I am) and my best prospects lie in sales (they do) and what appeals to me most doesn't work for the vast majority of people I'd be selling to (it doesn't).

Wish I could tell you.

:looks at CDBaby account:

I'm not very good at it.

[tyrannosaurus vex]

I had a job where selling things was my main duty, and I failed miserably. Mainly because I was supposed to "find a need / fill a need / if there is no need, make one up and fill it." I just can't bullshit other people out of their money (which is why I'll never be a Subgenius...)

But the basic steps to sales are first you establish yourself as an expert in whatever it is you're selling (anecdotes, demonstrations, etc.), then you identify what needs your customer has that might be alleviated by whatever you're selling, then you explain to them why they'll be better off with what you're selling than without it. Sometimes people do not actually have any need for what you have, but that's usually only if you're peddling bullshit like I was (carpet "protector" and "magic deodorizer").

[Signora Pæsior]

Sometimes people do not actually have any need for what you have, but that's usually only if you're peddling bullshit like I was (carpet "protector" and "magic deodorizer").

For one glorious* summer, I was a telemarketer selling an air purification system. Now, when I say "air purification system", what I mean is "glorified $4,000 vacuum cleaner". Which was, you know, ridiculous, but I could see why some people would need it -- it was genuinely very good if you had dust-related allergies and reacted to what was in the air a lot, for example, and it was FANTASTIC for getting rid of lingering smells (you've just moved into an ex-smoker's house, or your son has just had his fifteen stinking football mates over). So, you know, I could shrug my shoulders and call some people, sell them some shit.

Except we never actually got a demo of the thing. Until one day when someone came in for a trial as a telemarketer and... to be completely blunt, they fucking stunk. So after they left my boss popped one of those bad boys in the corner. And it was SO FUCKING LOUD I couldn't make any calls the entire afternoon.

*Spoiler: The summer was not that glorious.

[Mangrove]

Freeky,

I don't have a sales background but, there's a lot of what Paes (and others) said that I can identify with as a consumer. I HATE HATE HATE the proverbial 'hard sell'. Hell, I don't care if the person is selling a genuine cancer cure, if they're being a pushy douchebag about it, I will bail.

Any sales person that doesn't understand that 'no' is a full sentence needs to be beaten. I also really despise car dealerships. Although we managed to get things sorted out in the end, I called the guy we got our car from last summer and reamed him out on the phone over his 'bait & switch' BS.

Again, agree with Paes - just because I spent most of my life in jeans, t-shirt and beat to hell doc martens doesn't mean I'm not buying. It just means that I don't care for clothes shopping.

The sales person that makes assumptions is a red flag. "Ok sir, would you like to sign up for the gold or platinum waranty?" Uhh...that's funny, I don't remember agreeing to any, let alone the most expensive ones that give you a bigger commission.

Sales people who spend a lot of time trashing other products or stores are a waste of space too. Years ago, Mrs Mang got me a cheap & cheerful soprano sax. Before I started playing it I asked her to take it to the local (chain) music store to let the techs look at it and give it whatever tweaks it might need. Few days later, she phones me up "The tech shop told me they were not allowed to work on that brand because it's made of the wrong kinds of alloy. It'll be unplayable in 6 months. The guy showed me a nice Yamaha sax though, said we could get it on a payment plan." That was in 2007.

I took the sax to an independent wind instrument specialist and the tech guy replaced a broken part on it and set it up to play 10 times better than it did before. Cost about $15 without any of the 'holier than thou' product snark I got at the other place.

Salespeople who assume that the customer is entirely ignorant is annoying. I was in Guitar Center and had all these bright bouncy teens & 20 somethings acting like I came down in the last rain shower. Look kid, I've got socks older than you.

Gotta go!

Good luck!

[Cain]

1.  Have things people want to buy.

2.  Be willing to exchange said things for cash, but slightly more cash than you actually paid for them.

[Faust]

Always Be Closing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu7mDA-b8wM

[LMNO]

Do you want to be a Good salesperson, or a Successful one?  They're not always the same thing.

A Good salesperson enjoys the product they're selling, engages the customer, listens, and develops rapport.  The sale takes a back seat to the customer experience, which breeds store/brand loyalty.

A Successful salesperson exploits psychological hacks to manipulate the customer into purchasing product.  Any book on behavioral economics will show you where the hacks are.

[Freeky]

Thanks everybody.

Lmno, unfortunately I think I need to be a successful one. I will check out that link, thanks.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I assume you're talking about retail sales.

1. Dress the part. You need to look like someone the customer would respect, and maybe even admire.

2. Move and speak with confidence. Not aggression, just don't be tentative. Be polite and attentive, but not obsequious.

3. Ask questions. You want to find out more about your customer, and what they need. Asking questions does three things; it engages the customer, it opens the door for the consent process, and it makes them feel listened to; they will have greater confidence that you are taking the time to match them to an appropriate product for their needs.

4. Never, ever override a customer's objections. Listen to them, address them if it's appropriate, and if it's not appropriate, move on to a different product. If you really feel that the customer is not going to be as happy with a different product, show them anyway, and then come back around to the one you think they will be happy with, saying something like "I know you are concerned about/not interested in X, but I really think that out of what we have, this is going to be the best option for you."

5. Everyone pushes the close. I am not a believer in pushing the close. If I sense hesitation in my customer, I give them the catch-and-release: "Do you want to take some time to look around and see if you can find something that suits your needs better before you make a decision?" This increases their confidence that you are trying to help them, not just to make a sale, and it also, believe it or not, increases their desire for the product. Don't offer to put a hold on it, yet... wait until that moment of hesitation just before they leave. Then reassuringly say "I can hold this one until the end of the day for you to give you a chance to look around". They'll be back. Maybe the next day, maybe for a different product, doesn't matter. They'll be back. You are now "That helpful saleslady".

[LMNO]

Shady tricks:

- Put the product in their hands.  Studies have shown that holding the object feels like posession of that object, and putting it away feels like a loss.

- Stress aspects of the product that reduce risk, even if that risk is so low it's practically meaningless (for example, if there is a .001% chance of something bad happening, a person overweighs the value of reducing that risk by 20%).

[Richter]

A few ideas - Sales is now a service industry.  It's more about being able to suggest and converse over a product, it's quality, and the value it is going to bring the consumer, than to deliver a "hard sell"  as others mentioned before.  Never push, offer.  Contacts, contacts, contacts, you live and die by who you know, who knows you are selling, and who you know needs product. 

Have a service you can provide post-sale, and use it to build rapport.  All the sales jackasses I know are closers who vanish once the deal is closed.  Be their contact, their advocate, their buddy, and their In-guy with the company.  Even if it's a one-off lifetime product like Cutco, make sure they go to you if a knife breaks.  You get them a replacement from you stock, and REAM the supplier on their behalf.  Even if they obviously took a knife to a rock, advocate for them.   

[Freeky]

A few ideas - Sales is now a service industry.  It's more about being able to suggest and converse over a product, it's quality, and the value it is going to bring the consumer, than to deliver a "hard sell"  as others mentioned before.  Never push, offer.  Contacts, contacts, contacts, you live and die by who you know, who knows you are selling, and who you know needs product. 

Have a service you can provide post-sale, and use it to build rapport.  All the sales jackasses I know are closers who vanish once the deal is closed.  Be their contact, their advocate, their buddy, and their In-guy with the company.  Even if it's a one-off lifetime product like Cutco, make sure they go to you if a knife breaks.  You get them a replacement from you stock, and REAM the supplier on their behalf.  Even if they obviously took a knife to a rock, advocate for them.   

Ohhh, Cutco.  How could I ever forget about you?

These have all been a great help for in-person sales.  Thanks, everyone.

Does anyone have tips for telemarketing sales?